The Vijayanagar Empire

The royal emblem of the Vijayanagar kings 
featuring the Varaha (boar)

The Vijayanagar Empire
1336 A.D. to 1565 A.D.

The Vijyanagar kingdom was started in South India on a humble note to resist Muslim invasion of the Hoysala territory by Mallik Kafur's destructive campaign. However, within fifty years, the Vijayanagar (a.k.a. Vijayanagara) kingdom came to be known as a powerful empire and reigned the Indian southern peninsula for nearly 200 years. It required four Muslim kingdoms to come together to destroy the unwieldy large empire at the battle of Talikota.

The big empire was visited by many foreigners who left vivid descriptions of the prosperity, strong powerful army and busy maritime trade. (See: Hu-En-Tsang.)

Their capital was at Vijayanagar on the banks of Tungabhadra river, which today (2000) contains many great ruins.

Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagar was a great patron of art and literature and  an accomplished poet himself in Telugu. The Hampi ruins are scattered over the area of fourteen square miles known as world's biggest open-air museum.

See Also:

• The Boar (Varaha) Logo of the Vijayanagar Kings
• Depiction of Social Life in Vijayanagar Sculptures
• Dynasties of the Deccan
• Food and Food Habits in Vijayanagar Times
• A grand four-storied hero-stone of the Vijayanagar period
• A Painting of Vijayanagar period
• The Pandya Kings
• Quilted Hat of a Vijayanagar Nobleman
• Ruins of Vijayanagar Empire
• Span of Vijayanagar Empire
• Sports and Pastimes in Vijayanagar Times
• Stone Image, Pandya Period, Madurai, Tamilnadu
• Vijayanagar Coin (Gold), Medieval Deccan
• The Wodeyars of Mysore

Related Content at Kamat's Potpourri:

• Food Habits of Vijayanagara Times -- Research paper explores the food habits of Indians during the Vijayanagar times, using references in period literature, archaeology, and travelogues.
• Depiction of Social Life in Vijayanagar Sculptures
• Status of  Women in  Medieval Karnataka
• Bountiful  Andhra -- Potpourri of topics on Andhra Pradesh history and culture
• Men's fashion during Vijayanagar period
• The Ruins of Hampi