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Sri Krishnadevaraya
By
Tamarapu Sampath Kumaran
Preface:
The 500th anniversary of the coronation of Sri Krishnadevaraya, who ruled the
Vijayanaara empire, will !e cele!rated in a rand manner with all the pomp and
randeur at Hampi in Bellary district and the world"famous Hampi, the capital
city of the Vijayanagara Empire, will !e ifted with a theme par# to depict the
past lory of the #indom !y the state overnment to mar# the event$
% &5"ft tall !ron'e statue of Sri Krishnadevaraya, the erstwhile emperor of
Vijayanaar who is considered on par with %sho#a Samudra (upta and )arsha
Vardhana, is !ein planned as part of the theme par#$
To commemorate this event an e"!oo# on the life of Sri Krishnadevaraya is
presented$


*uch information a!out Krishna +eva ,aya is o!tained from inscriptions and
from the accounts of forein travelers$ The notin of the Portuuese -hronicler
Domingo Paes, and Fernao Nuniz is !ein viewed !y historians as authentic on
the life of Sri Kruishnadevaraya, is !ein referred to for this !oo#$

Paes praises Krishna +eva ,aya as, .the most feared and perfect King, a great
ruler and a man of much justice/$ Paes could not estimate the si'e of Vijaynaar
as his view was o!scured !y the hills !ut estimated the city to !e at least as lare
as ,ome$ 0urthermore, he considered Vijaynaar to !e 1the best provided city in
the world1 with a population of not less than a half a million$
Tamarapu Sampath Kumaran
Acknole!gement:
,eferences ta#en from the wor#s of Prof$ K$%$ 2ila#anta Sastry, +r$ 2$
Venta#aramanayya, Prof$ B$ Surya 2arayana ,ao, +r$ +esai, +r$)enry )eras,
Prof$ +r$B$%$ Saletore, -arla * Sinapoli of 3niversity of *ichian, and
"ourtes#: (oole$
About the Author:
*r T Sampath Kumaran is a freelance writer$ )e reularly contri!utes articles on
*anaement, Business, %ncient Temples and Temple %rchitecture to many leadin
+ailies and *aa'ines$
)avin wor#ed in the 4ndian -ouncil for -ultural ,elations at -hennai, and !ein one
amon the first !atch of Tourist (uides trained !y the (overnment of 4ndia Tourist
5ffice, -hennai, he had ood e6posure of handlin V4P uests from a!road as well
forein and 4ndian Tourist roups$ )e is well versed of the archaeoloical and )istorical
places of tourist interest in Southern 4ndia$
)e was associated in the production of two +ocumentary films on 2ava Tirupathi
Temples and Tiru##urunudi Temple in Tirunelveli distrct of Tamilnadu$
)is !oo#s .The Path of ,amanuja/, .(uide to 708 +ivya +esams/, .(uide to &95 Siva
Sthalams, ., .(uide to Kanchipuram/, and .Vision of (uru ,ahavendra/ have !een
well received in the reliious circles$ )is e"!oo#s on varied su!jects are posted in
.scri!d$com$/
Krishnadevaraya
Sri Krishna +eva ,aya, who ruled !etween 750:"75&: %$+$ was the most famous
#in of Vijayanaara ;mpire, and was rearded as a hero !y Kannadias and
Teluu people
Krishna +eva ,aya was the son of 2aala +evi and Tuluva 2arasa 2aya#a, an
army commander under Saluva 2arasimha +eva ,aya, who later too# control of
the empire to prevent its disinteration$

The #in had a cheerful disposition, !ut was prone to fits of aner and was
ruthless in maintainin the law$ )e maintained himself to a hih level of physical
fitness throuh daily e6ercises$ Traveloues indicate that the #in was not only an
a!le administrator, !ut also an e6cellent (eneral, leadin from the front in !attle
and even attendin to the wounded$ )e was reputed to !e respectful to 0orein
Visitors,
The a!le Prime *inister Timmarasu, who was rearded !y the #in as a father
fiure, was responsi!le for the coronation of Krishna +eva ,aya$ %fter a &7"year
lorious rule from 750:"75&:%+, Krishnadevaraya left !ehind a rich leacy of
artifacts, treasury troves, temples, palaces, e6<uisite monuments and the royal city
that was declared in 7:8= a world heritage site !y the 3nited 2ations
;ducational, Scientific and -ultural 5ranisation >UNES!"?$



Vijayanagar in Sans#rit means city of victory$ Paes could estimate the si'e of
Vijaynaar as lare as ,ome, and he considered Vijaynaar to !e 1the !est
provided city in the world1 with a population of around half a million$

The ;m!lem of Krishnadevaraya was desined with .Varaha/ @ the !oar an
#vatara of Vishnu$
Krishnadeva ,aya was well"versed in %aja Neeti and followed the ae old
traditional teachins of reat historians such as &anu, Kautilya, Su'ra, Vidura,
and (hishma$
Vijayanaar ;mpire em!raced in its ample fold all of the present states of
Karnata#a, %ndhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Kerala and even e6tended

into the 3t#al reion of 5rissa$
The official lanuaes of the court were Kannada and )elugu$
Krishnadeva ,aya divided the entire ;mpire into several administrative divisions$
Ahile %ayala Seema " Bellary and Karnool reions " was loo#ed after !y the
;mperor himself, other major parts of the empire were under many 0eudal Bords$
as has !een the practice introduced !y Tuluva Kins$ The feudatories !uilt forts
around their capitals$ Temples were !uilt and #nowledea!le Brahmins were
made in chare of these temples$
The empire had a -entral (overnment, uided !y a roup of *inisters, headed !y
Saluva Thimmarasu$ The Kin paid considera!le attention to civil administration$
The e6ecutive authority was entrusted with the local or the communal institutions$
The Kin and his ministers were supervisin them$

The Kin maintained a lare and powerful army consistin of elephant corps,
cavalry and infantry$ The 2aya#s of the military were assined certain areas for
administration and collection of ta6es$
There were rouhly a!out two hundred of such 2aya#as$ There were reular
military schools to train youn and new recruits$ *aintenance of forts was also
the duty of the 2aya#as$ Vijayanaara city itself was well fortified with seven
rounds of ramparts, with circuitous approaches to protect them from straners$
%rmy also maintained a roup of musicians li#e trumpeters and drummers$ There
was social harmony in the army and even the low caste men were promoted to
that of a 2aya#a$ Keladi Sadashiva Naya'a was one such person$ The ;mpire had
a navy with several ports under its command, includin some in -eylon @ Sri
Ban#a$
Paes sarcastically summarises the #inCs attitude to matters of law and order !y
<uotin that 1)he 'ing maintains the law by 'illing$1 5ffences aainst property
and theft raned from cuttin of a foot and hand and !eheadin for murder$ Aith
the active cooperation of Saluva Thimmarasu he administered the Kindom well,
maintained peace in the land and increased the prosperity of the people$
)e was of the opinion that the Kin should always rule with an eye towards
*harma$ )is concern for the welfare of the people is amply proved !y his
e6tensive tours throuhout the empire, durin which he studied everythin
personally and tried to redress the rievances of the people and to punish the evil
doers$
The Portuuese -hronicler Domingo Paes praises Krishna +eva ,aya as, .the
most feared and perfect King, a great ruler and a man of much justice/$ Thouh a
follower of Vaishnavism, he respected all sects$
)e esta!lished friendly relations with the +ortugese, who set up the Portuuese
+ominion of 4ndia in ,oa, in 7570$ The ;mperor o!tained uns and %ra!ian
horses from the Portuuese merchants$ )e also utili'ed Portuuese e6pertise in
improvin water supply to Vijayanaara -ity$


*adurai came under the control of the Vijayanaar #indom in the 75th and 7=th
centuries$ 2aya#s of 2aya# +ynasty were rulers, from 755: until 79D=, of the
reion comprisin most of the present Tamilnadu, with *adurai as the -apital$
Viswanatha 2aya#a who won the confidence of Vijayanaar emperor was made
the ruler of *adurai territory$ +urin this time the *eena#shi Temple was reatly
e6panded and some of the temple towers the ,aja (opurams and Teppa##ulam
tan# were constructed$
Krishna +eva ,aya was formally initiated into the Vaishnava Sampradaya !y
Vyasatirtha of 3dipi and other Vedanta scholars of that time$

%ll the reat rulers of the southern peninsula have paid homae to Bord Sri
Ven#ateswara in this ancient shrine at Tirupati$ The Pallavas of Kancheepuram,
the -holas of Thanjavur, the Pandyas of *adurai, and the #ins and chieftains of
Vijayanaar were devotees of the Bord and they competed with one another in
endowin the temple with rich offerins and contri!utions$ Krishna +eva ,aya
respected all sects of )induism and he lavished on the Tirumala Ven#ateswara
Temple numerous o!jects of priceless value, ranin from diamond studded
crowns to olden swords$

)is devotion was at its pea# when he issued D0,000 Especial editionC old coins,
with which he had performed EKana#a!hishe#amC to the presidin deity at
Tirumala, as a than#sivin on capturin the 3dayairi 0ort, now in 2ellore
district, after defeatin Prataparudra (ajapathi of Kalina dynasty$
%dditionally, he is #nown to have commissioned the ma#in of statues of himself
and his two wives and consorts installed at the portals of the temple$

4t was durin the rule of the Vijayanaar dynasty that the contri!utions to the
temple increased$ The characteristic feature of this period is the development of
the temple comple6: concentric series of rectanular enclosure walls with the
opuras >towered ateways? in the middle of each side$ 5f the numerous
vijayanaara comple6es in southern 4ndia, the most manificent ones are those at
Kancheepuram, Tiruvannamalai and Vellore$
)e not only mar#ed the clima6 in the territorial e6pansion of the Vijayanaara
;mpire !ut was also remar#a!le for the encouraement and development of %rts
and Betters$ )imself an accomplished scholar, ,aya was a enerous patron of
learnin$ .He was in no way less famousF, writes Krishna Sastri, Efor his
religious -eal and catholocity.$ )e respected all sects of )indu reliion ali#e,
thouh his personal leanins were in favour of VaishnavismG
The rule of Krishna +eva ,aya was an ae of prolific literature in many
lanuaes, althouh it is also #nown as a olden ae of Teluu literature$ *any
Teluu, Sans#rit, Kannada and Tamil poets enjoyed the patronae of the emperor$
;mperor Krishna +eva ,aya was fluent in many lanuaes includin his mother
tonue/Tulu/$ )e patronised poets and scholars in Kannada, Teluu, Tamil and
Sans#rit$
The rule of Krishna +eva ,aya was an ae of prolific literature in many
lanuaes, althouh it is also #nown as a olden ae of Teluu literature$ *any
Teluu, Sans#rit, Kannada and Tamil poets enjoyed the patronae of the ;mperor$
Sri Krishna +eva ,aya wrote the !oo# #mu'tamalyada in Teluu, !eautifully
descri!in the pans of separation suffered !y Sri #ndal >incarnation of (oddess
Sri *ahala#shmi? for her lover Bord Vishnu$ )e descri!es %ndalFs physical
!eauty in thirty versesH usin descriptions of the sprin and the monsoon as
metaphors, and the sensual pleasure of union e6tends !eyond the physical level
and !ecomes a path to, and a metaphor for, spirituality and ultimate union with
the divine$
5ne of the main characters is Periyalvar, the father of %ndal$ Bord Vishnu
commands Periyalwar to teach a #in of the Pandya dynasty the path of
#nowlede to mo'sha$ %mu#tamalyada is also #nown !y the name Vishnu/
chitteeyam, a reference to Vishnu/chittudu, the Teluu name of Vishnuchittar
>Periyalwar?$ Several other short stories are included in %mu#tamalyada in the
course of the main story of ,odadevi, the Sans#rit name of Kothai Naachiyaar
>%ndal?$ Krishna ,aya was also well"versed in Sans#rit, Tamil and Kannada$
0ambavati Kalyanamu is his Sans#rit wor#$ )e strove for the welfare and the
upliftin of Teluu people$
;iht poets #nown as #sta'avidiggajalu >eiht elephants in the eiht cardinal
points such as 2orth, South etc$? were part of his court #nown as (huvana/
vijayamu$ %ccordin to the Vaishnavite reliion it is !elieved that there are eiht
elephants in eiht corners in space which hold the earth in its place$ Similarly
these eiht poets were the eiht pillars of his literary assem!ly$ Krishna +eva
,ayaFs rein was the olden ae of Teluu literature$ These include %llasani
Peddana, 2andi Timmanna, *adavyairi *allanna, +hurjati, %yyalaraju
,ama!hadrudu, Pinali Suranna and Tenali ,ama#rishna$ %mon these eiht
poets %llasani Peddana is considered to !e the reatest and is iven the title of
#ndhra Kavita +itamaha >the father of Teluu poetry?$ &anu/charitramu is his
popular Pra!handa wor#$ 2andi Timmana wrote +ari/jata/apaharan/amu$
*adayya"ari *allana wrote %aja/se'hara haritramu$ +hurjati wrote Kalahasti
&ahatyamu and %yyal"raju ,ama"!hadrudu wrote %ama/abhyuday/amu$ Pinali
Surana wrote the still remar#a!le %aghava/pandaveey/amu, a dual wor# with
dou!le meanin !uilt into the te6t, descri!in !oth the ,amayana and the
*aha!harata$ Battumurty alias ,ama"raja"!hushanudu wrote Kavya/lan'ara/
sangrahamu, Vasu/charitramu, and Haris/chandrana/lopa'hyanamu$ %mon
these wor#s the last one is a dual wor# which tells simultaneously the story of
Kin )arischandra and 2ala +amayanthi$ Tenali ,ama#rishna first wrote
Udbhataradhya haritramu, a Saivite wor# and later wrote Vaishnava devotional
te6ts +andu/ranga &ahatmyamu, and ,hati/'achala &ahatmyamu$ The period of
the ;mpire is #nown as .Pra!andha Period,/ !ecause of the <uality of the
pra!andha literature produced durin this time$ Tenali ,ama remains one of the
most popular fol# fiures in 4ndia today, a <uic#"witted courtier ready even to
outwit the all"powerful ;mperor$ Tenali ,ama Krishna was also the court jester of
whom there are innumera!le stories for the children$
)e patronised Kannada poets *allanarya who wrote Veera/saivamrita, (hava/
chinta/ratna and Satyendra hola/'athe, -hatu Vittal"anatha who wrote (haga/
vatha, Timmanna Kavi who wrote a euloy of his #in in Krishna %aya
(harata$Vyasatheertha, the reat saint from *ysore !elonin to the *adhwa
order$ Krishna *eva %ayana *inachari in Kannada, a recently discovered
hihlihts the contemporary society durin Krishna +eva ,ayaCs time in his
personal diary$
Krishna +eva ,aya patronised Tamil poet )aridasa$
4n Sans#rit Krishna +eva ,aya himself an accomplished scholar wrote &adalasa
harita, Satyavadu +arinaya and %asamanjari and 0ambavati Kalyana$
The rein of Krishnadevaraya was also remar#a!le for the encouraement and
development of arts and letters$ )e constructed the famous Vittalaswami and
)a'ara ,amaswamy temples$ % opuram was added to the Virupa#sha temple on
the occasion of his coronation$ )e restored many shrines throuhout South 4ndia$
% num!er of towns, dams and pu!lic !uildins were also constructed$ *any
festivals and ceremonies were held durin the period of Krishnadevaraya$ %fter
Krishna +eva ,aya, the reat, Vijayanaara ;mpire started declinin and almost
ended followin the !attle of )ali'ot$
I 4n 75&J he made his son Tirumalai ,aya the 1uvaraja thouh the crown prince
did not survive for lon$ )e was poisoned to death$ Suspectin the involvement of
saluva Timmarasa, Krishna +eva ,aya had his trusted commander and adviser
!linded$ %t the same time, Krishnadevaraya was preparin for an attac# on
Belaum that was in the %dil ShahFs possessionH Krishnadevaraya too# seriously
ill$ )e died soon after in 75&:$ Before his death, he nominated his !rother,
%chyuta +eva ,aya as his successor$
The rule of Krishnadevaraya was a lorious chapter in the history of Vijayanaara
;mpire$;ven the ruins at )ampi tell the lorious tale of that mihty empire$



2o sinle *uslim #indom was capa!le to face the miht of the Vijayanaar
;mpire$ )ence all the five *uslim #indoms " )enaar, Barer, Bidar,Bijapur
(olconda and even the sufis of Bijapur ot toether under a EKihadF and attac#ed
Vijayanaar, durin 75=5$ The attac# was !rief and concentrated: The aftermath
was the pillae of Vijayanaar, and the manificence of Vijaynaar ended