The origin of the Vijayanagara Empire is a controversial topic in South Indian history, with regard to the linguistic affiliation of the founding dynasty, the Sangama family. The Vijayanagara Empire rose to power in Southern India in the 14th Century CE. Over the past decades historians have expressed differing opinions on whether the empire’s founders, Harihara I and Bukka I (two of four sons of Sangama), were Kannada people or of Telugu origin. There are various opinions about role of the Vidyaranya, the Hindu saint and guru of Harihara I and Bukka I in the founding of the Vijayanagara Empire.
“In North India Gupta period is called the Golden Age while in South India the Golden Age is called the Vijayanagara Empire. Due to political instability in South India, Hakka and Bukka established a Hindu empire under the guidance of Vidyaranya. Art, literature, architecture, religion has flourished and shown its superiority in tolerance. Foreign travelers have described its splendour in their works, so its richness can be estimated,” said a history lecturer from a college in Belagavi.
• Vijayanagar—the name both of a kingdom and of its capital—is a melancholy instance of forgotten glory. In the years of its grandeur it comprised all the present native states of the lower peninsula, together with Mysore and the entire Presidency of Madras.
o Will Durant and Ariel Durant, The Story of Civilization, Book I, Our Oriental Heritage (1935) (V. THE ZENITH OF THE SOUTH)
Literary Sources:
Rehlatar Tuhfat-un-Nuzzat by Ibn Batuta – Account of the empire under Harihara I
Matla as Sadain Wa Majma ul Bahrain by Abdur Razzaq – An account of the reign of Devaraya II
An Account of Countries Bordering the Indian Ocean and their Inhabitants by Duarte Barbosa – A vivid account of Vijaynagara governance under Krishna Deva Raya
Domingo Paes gave the most detailed accounts of all historic descriptions of ancient city Hampi – Governance under Krishna Deva Raya of Vijayanagara Empire
Fernao Nuniz gave a detailed account of the history of Vijaynagara – Mentioned the cultural aspects of the empire and admire the jewels worn of women as well as how women were appointed in the King’s service and also detailed account on the foundation of the city.
Archaeological Sources:
Salu Vabhyudyam by Rajanatha Dindima
Inscriptions:
Bagapellisi Copper Plate Inscription
Bitragunta grant of Sangama II
Channa Raya Pateeka Inscription of Harihara II
Srirangam Copper Plates of Deva Raya II
Devulapalli Copper Plates of Immadi Narasimha
Famous Kings of Vijayanagara Dynasty:
Krishnadevaraya (17 January 1471 — 17 October 1529)
Harihara Raya I (1336-1356)
Bukka Raya I (1356-1377)
Art of the Vijayanagara Empire
• It was not portrait style painting, but mural and fresco paintings that adorned the interiors of structures like palaces and revered temples—was one of the ways the Vijayanagara expressed itself.
• The majority of the motifs, which included gods and goddesses, were from Hindu cosmology.
• Additionally, there were pictures of individuals dancing and playing musical instruments, which showed some of the cultural practises of the empire’s inhabitants.
• Paintings of the Vijayanagara style were characterised by their propensity for detail, graceful lines, and sparing use of vibrant colours.
• From the waist to the feet, figures in Vijayanagara paintings frequently had a little backward tilt, while the torso up to the neck faced forward and the head was depicted in profile.
• The figures had lovely clothing, ornate haircuts, and jewellery accents.
• The majority of paintings were on walls, ceilings, or manuscripts, and they frequently had a flat background that was ochre or possibly red in hue.
• Vijayanagara painting hasn’t been around for very long. Manuscripts, which are made of an even more fragile material than temples have degraded and crumble.
• The excellent painters of the Vijayanagara Empire are still visible in a few temples, like the Virabhadra Temple in Lepakshi, and some museums have fragments of texts that were written and painted on cotton and other materials.