VIJAYANAGARA EMPIRE

 Vijayanagar was the name of both a city and an empire. The empire was founded in the fourteenth century. in its heyday it stretched from the river Krishna in the north to the extreme south pf the peninsula. in 1565 the city was sacked and subsequently deserted .although if fell into ruins in the seventeenth centuries .it lived on in the memories of people living in the krishna-thugbhadra doab. they remembered it as Hampi a name derived from that of the local mother goddess,pampadevi .these oral traditions combined with archeological finds, monuments and inscriptions and other records helped scholars to rediscover the Vijayanagar empire'

                                            

RAYAS ,NAYAKAS AND SULTANS

According to traditions and epigraphic evidence two brothers ,Harihara and Bukka founded the Vijayanagar empire in 1336 . this empire included within its fluctuating frontier people who spoke different language and followed different religious traditions.

on their northern frontier the Vijayanagar kings completed with contemporary ruler -including the sultans of the deccan and Gajapati rulers of orisa for control of the fertile river valley and the resources generated by lucrative overseas trade .at the same time , interaction between these states led to sharing of ideas ,especially  in the field of architecture. the ruler of Vijayanagar borrowed concept and building techniques which they then developed further. 

some of the areas that were incorporated within the empire had witnessed the development of powerful states such as those of the cholas in the tamil nadu and the Hoysala in Karnataka .ruling elites  these states had extended patronage to elaborate temples such as the brideshwara temple at tahnjvur and the Channakeshava who called themselves rayas built on these traditions and carried them as we will see literally to new heights.

TRADERS AND KINGS                           

 

As warfare during these times depend upon effective cavalry the import of horses from the Arabia and central Asia was very important for rival kingdoms . this trade was initially controlled by Arab traders Local communities of merchants known as  KHUDIRAI CHETTI or horse merchants also participated in these exchanges . from 1498 other actors appeared on the scene .theses were Portuguese who arrived on the west coast of the subcontinent and attempted to establish trading and military stations .their superior military technology especially the muskets enabled them to become the important players in the tangled politics of the period .

      

             In fact Vijayanagar was also noted for its market dealing in spice textile and precious stones. trade was often regard as status symbol for such cites which boasted of a wealthy population that demanded high value exotic goods especially precious stones and jewelry .the revenue derived from the trade in turn contributed significantly to the prosperity of the state.

                                                                reference:NCERT