The Vijayanagara Empire

parijataka

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2011
Messages
4,916
Likes
3,751
Country flag
Kakatiyas fell in 1323, Vijayanagar was founded in 1336. Hardly a few centuries.

The two founders of Vijayanagar, Harihara Raya and Bukka Raya, were both officials under the Kakatiyas before their demise. This is a fact.

However it is also a fact that the Tuluva dynasty was from coastal Karnataka and that the empire was a polyglot and multi-cultural realm.
Well, Harihara and Bukka were rulers of Andhra not from Andhra...:wave:
 

civfanatic

Retired
Ambassador
Joined
Sep 8, 2009
Messages
4,562
Likes
2,570
Well, Harihara and Bukka were rulers of Andhra not from Andhra...:wave:
I did not say that they were from Andhra but that they were officials under Kakatiyas before they founded Vijayanagar.

Many of the Vijayanagara kings were Kannadigas, but the political character of the empire showed strong Telugu influence due to legacy of the Kakatiyas.
 

Tolaha

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2009
Messages
2,158
Likes
1,416
I did not say that they were from Andhra but that they were officials under Kakatiyas before they founded Vijayanagar.

Many of the Vijayanagara kings were Kannadigas, but the political character of the empire showed Strong Telugu influence due to legacy of the Kakatiyas.
Many / Most / All ?

Agreed that there could have been strong Kakatiya influence. Was wrong about it in my earlier statement, got confused! Chola influence too was significant, atleast in Architecture, along with the earlier Hoysalas.
Vijayanagara empire seems to have imbibed the best of all its constituent regions. Many wouldnt be aware about the Islamic influence amongst the royalty. They had good relationship with muslim kingdoms and had many soldiers and generals who were muslims. This is for those who'd like to think of it as a "Hindu" empire. While the Bahamani sultans where a source of irritance, they were successfully played around most of the time. The Gajapathi rulers of Odhisa proved to be a far tougher threat. It was during the realm of Vijayanagara that the Portugese naval forces showed up on the Arabian sea but were kept in check successfully.
 

civfanatic

Retired
Ambassador
Joined
Sep 8, 2009
Messages
4,562
Likes
2,570
During medieval times there was seldom a clear-cut difference between Hindu kingdoms and Muslim kingdoms that were founded in the subcontinent (like the Bahmanis). In fact the name of the Bahmani Sultanate comes from a brahmin named Gangu Bahmani, who was the patron of Alauddin Hasan (the founder of the Sultanate). Alauddin Hasan adopted the name Alauddin Bahman Shah in honor of his patron, and Bahmani subsequently became the dynastic name.

Both Hindu and Muslim polities had in their courts members of both religions, and their methods of governance were more or less similar. The real polarization comes when you compare established kingdoms of the Subcontinent (whether Hindu or Muslim) with the semi-nomadic warrior hordes of Central Asia. For example, the Delhi Sultanate and the Timurid Empire were both "Muslim" polities, but one was an established, agrarian kingdom typical of the subcontinent while the other was not. Despite their shared religion the Delhi Sultanate suffered extensively at the hands of the Timurids, due to the great differences between them from both a political and cultural standpoint.
 

Global Defence

New threads

Articles

Top