King Krishna Devaraya.
Krishnadevaraya was a powerful and celebrated emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire, which ruled over most of South India in the 16th century. He belonged to the Tuluva dynasty and ascended the throne in 1509. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest rulers in Indian history, as he expanded and consolidated his empire, defeated his enemies, patronized arts and literature, and promoted social harmony. He was also a man of justice, courage, and generosity, as attested by many contemporary accounts.
Some of his notable achievements are:
- He conquered the Raichur doab, a fertile region between the Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers, from the Bahmani Sultanate in 1512.
- He subdued the Gajapatis of Odisha, who had invaded the eastern coast of his empire, in 1514.
- He inflicted a crushing defeat on the Sultan of Bijapur, Ismail Adil Shah, at the Battle of Diwani in 1520.
- He maintained friendly relations with the Portuguese, who had established trading posts along the western coast of India. He also sent an embassy to the Portuguese king in Lisbon.
- He built many temples, monuments, and irrigation works in his empire, especially in his capital city of Vijayanagara (modern-day Hampi). He also renovated the famous Tirupati temple and donated lavish gifts to it.
- He patronized many poets, scholars, and artists in various languages, such as Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, and Sanskrit. He himself was a poet and wrote a Telugu work called Amuktamalyada. He also encouraged religious tolerance and supported Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, and Christianity.
Krishnadevaraya died in 1529, leaving behind a glorious legacy that is still remembered and admired by many people.
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