Krishna Deva Raya was Vijayanagara Empire's medieval Indian emperor from 1509 to 1529. He was Tuluva dynasty's third ruler. After the fall of the Delhi Sultanate, he ruled the largest empire in India. Many Indians regard him as an icon for presiding over the empire at its pinnacle. He defeated the sultans of Bijapur, Golconda, the Bahmani Sultanate, and the Gajapatis of Odisha to become the dominant ruler of the peninsula, and he was one of India's most powerful Hindu rulers. In this article, we will discuss Krishna Deva Raya (1509-1529 CE) which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Krishna Deva Raya - Features

• He was a member of the Tuluva Dynasty and was Vijayanagara Empire's emperor from 1509 to 1529.
• Krishna Deva Raya was also known as Kannada Rajya Rama Ramana, Andhra Bhoja, and Mooru Rayara Ganda.
• The great south Indian mathematician Nilakantha Somayaji also lived in Krishna Devaraya's Empire.
• During his reign, Portuguese travellers Domingo Paes and Fernao Nuniz also visited the Vijayanagara Empire.

Krishna Deva Raya - Administration

• During his reign, he maintained strict control over his ministers and dealt harshly with any minister who committed wrongdoing. He got rid of obnoxious taxes like the marriage fee.
• To increase revenue, he cultivated new lands, ordered deforestation in some areas, and undertook a large-scale project to obtain water for irrigation around Vijayanagar.
• Foreign visitors to Vijayanagar, such as Paes, Nunez, and Barbosa, praised his administration's efficiency and the people's prosperity during his reign.
• The empire was administered along the lines outlined in his Amuktamalyada. He believed that the King should always rule in accordance with Dharma.
• His concern for the welfare of the people is amply demonstrated by his extensive annual tours throughout the empire, during which he personally studied everything and attempted to redress people's grievances and punish evildoers.

Krishna Deva Raya - Military Career

Deccan Success

• During the Raya's reign, the Deccan sultans stopped raiding and plundering Vijayanagar towns and villages.
• In 1509, they clashed with Krishnadevaraya's armies, and Sultan Mahmud was severely injured and defeated. Yusuf Adil Shah was assassinated, and Raichur Doab was annexed.
• Taking advantage of the victory, the Raya merged Bidar, Gulbarga, and Bijapur into Vijayanagar, earning the title "establisher of the Yavana kingdom" when he released Sultan Mahmud and made him de facto ruler.
• Timmarusu, the prime minister of Sri Krishnadevaraya, defeated the Sultan of Golconda, Sultan Quli Qutb Shah.

Gajapatis of Orissa

• The Odisha Gajapatis ruled a vast land that included Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha.
• Krishna Deva Raya's victory at Ummatur provided the impetus for his campaign into the Coastal Andhra region, which was under the control of Gajapati Raja Prataparudra Deva.
• In 1512, the Vijayanagar army besieged Udayagiri fort. The campaign lasted a year before the Gajapati army disintegrated due to starvation.
• Following that, Krishna Deva Raya and his wives Tirumala Devi and Chinnama Devi offered prayers in Tirupati.
• The Gajapati army was then met at Kondaveedu, where the armies of Vijayanagara began to retreat after establishing a siege for a few months due to heavy casualties.
• Then Timmarusu discovered a secret entrance to the fort's unguarded eastern gate and launched a night attack that resulted in the fort's capture and the imprisonment of Prince Virabhadra, Prataparudra Deva's son.
• Following that, Vasireddy Mallikharjuna Nayak took over as governor of Kondaveedu.

War with Kalinga

• Krishnadevaraya planned an invasion of Kalinga, but Prataparudra learned of it and devised his own strategy to defeat Krishandevaraya and the Vijayanagara Empire at Kalinganagar Fort.
• But the cunning Timmarusu discovered Prataparudra's plan by bribing a Telugu deserter from Prataparudra's service.
• When the Vijayanagara Empire invaded, Prataprudra was driven to Cuttack, the Gajapati Kingdom's capital.
• Prataparudra eventually surrendered to the Vijayanagara Empire and married Sri Krishnadevaraya's daughter, Princess Jaganmohini.
• Krishandevaraya returned all of the lands captured by the Vijayanagara Empire north of the Krishna River, establishing the Krishna River as the boundary between the Vijayanagar and Gajapati Kingdoms.

Krishna Deva Raya - Literature

Telugu Literature

• Krishna Deva Raya's reign is regarded as the golden age of Telugu literature.
• Eight Telugu poets, known as Ashtadiggajas, were considered the eight pillars of his literary assembly.
• Krishna Dev Raya wrote the epic Telugu poem Amuktamalyada.
• Telugu culture and literature flourished and reached their zenith during Krishnadevaraya's reign.
• Eight Telugu poets were regarded as the eight pillars of the literary assembly in his court. It was once thought that eight elephants were holding the earth in eight different directions.
• The title Ashtadiggajas honours this belief, and thus the court was also known as Bhuvana Vijayam (Conquest of the World).

Kannada literature

• He supported Kannada poets Mallanarya, who wrote Veera-shaivamruta, Bhava-chinta-ratna, and Satyendra Chola-kathe; Chatu Vittalanatha, who wrote Bhagavatha, and Timmanna Kavi, who wrote a eulogy for his king in Krishna Raya Bharata.
• His Rajaguru was Vyasatirtha, the great Dvaita saint from Mysore of the Madhva tradition. Krishna Deva Rayana Dinachari in Kannada is a recently discovered work.
• The record highlights contemporary society during Krishna Deva Raya's time in his personal diary. However, it is unclear whether the record was written by the king himself.

Tamil literature

• Krishna Deva Raya supported the Tamil poet Haridasa, and Tamil literature flourished over time.

Sanskrit literature

• Vyasatirtha wrote in Sanskrit Bhedo-jjivana, Tat-parya-chandrika, Nyaya-mrita (a work critical of Advaita philosophy), and Tarka-tandava.
• Krishna Deva Raya, an accomplished scholar, wrote Madalasa Charita, Satyavadu Parinaya, Rasamanjari, and Jambavati Kalyana.

Krishna Deva Raya - Religion and Culture

• Krishna Deva Raya respected all Hindu sects. He is known for encouraging and supporting various sects and places of worship.
• He reconstructed the Virupaksha Temple as well as other Shiva shrines. He granted land grants to Tirumala, Srisailam, Amaravati, Chidambaram, Ahobilam, and Tiruvannamalai temples.
• He lavished numerous priceless objects on the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, ranging from diamond-studded crowns to golden swords to nine types of precious gems. Venkateshwara became Krishna Deva Raya's patron deity.
• He went to the temple seven times. 229 of the Tirumala Devasthanam's approximately 1,250 temple epigraphs are attributed to Krishna Deva Raya.
• The Tirumala temple complex contains a statue of Krishna Deva Raya with two of his wives. These statues can still be seen at the temple's exit. He also helped to build parts of the Srisailam temple complex, including rows of mandapas.
• Krishna Deva Raya was the first person to be formally initiated into the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya.
• The Amuktamalyada is a Telugu work he wrote about Andal, a Tamil Sri Vaishnava female saint. Venkata Tathacharya of the Sri Vaishnava sect was Krishna Deva Raya's Rajaguru and a powerful figure.
• According to the Madhwa text Vyasayogicarita, the Madhwa seer Vyasatirtha was Krishna Deva Raya's rajaguru.

Conclusion

Krishnadevaraya appointed his son Tirumala Raya as Yuvaraja in 1524. The prince did not live long because he was poisoned. Krishna Deva Raya blinded Timmarusu after suspecting him. At the same time, Krishnadevaraya was planning an attack on Belgaum, which Adil Shah controlled. Krishnadevaraya became ill around this time and died in 1529, leaving his brother, Achyuta Deva Raya, in charge.

FAQs

MCQs

1. Which ruler did Krishna Deva Raya defeat at the Battle of Raichur?

A. Gajapati rulers of Odisha
B. Bahmani Sultanate
C. Bijapur Sultanate
D. Golconda Sultanate

2. Which literary work was written by Krishna Deva Raya in Telugu?

A. Ramacharitam
B. Amuktamalyada
C. Rajatarangini
D. Manucharitam

3. Which of the following temples is an example of Krishna Deva Raya's architectural patronage?

A. Meenakshi Temple
B. Vittala Temple
C. Sun Temple
D. Brihadeeswara Temple

4. Who among the following was a renowned poet patronized by Krishna Deva Raya?

A. Kalidasa
B. Allasani Peddana
C. Bhavabhuti
D. Bana

5. Which dynasty did Krishna Deva Raya belong to?

A. Chola Dynasty
B. Pandya Dynasty
C. Tuluva Dynasty
D. Rashtrakuta Dynasty

GS Mains Questions and Model Answers

Q1: Discuss the military and administrative achievements of Krishna Deva Raya and their impact on the Vijayanagara Empire.

Answer: Krishna Deva Raya was known for his military prowess, particularly his victory over the Bijapur Sultanate at the Battle of Raichur (1520), which secured strategic territories for the empire. His eastern campaigns against the Gajapati rulers further expanded the empire. Administratively, he introduced land revenue reforms and promoted agricultural productivity by building irrigation projects. His efficient governance ensured the stability and prosperity of the Vijayanagara Empire, making it a dominant power in South India during his reign.

Q2: Analyze the cultural contributions of Krishna Deva Raya in the fields of literature and architecture.

Answer: Krishna Deva Raya’s reign marked a golden age for literature and architecture in South India. He was a patron of Telugu, Kannada, and Sanskrit literature and supported poets like Allasani Peddana. His own literary work, Amuktamalyada, is a testament to his scholarly abilities. Architecturally, he commissioned grand temples, such as the Vittala Temple and the Hazara Rama Temple in Hampi, which are renowned for their intricate carvings and reflect the splendor of Vijayanagara art.

Q3: How did Krishna Deva Raya's reign contribute to the economic prosperity of the Vijayanagara Empire?

Answer: Krishna Deva Raya's reign contributed to the economic prosperity of the Vijayanagara Empire through his control over strategic trade routes and ports. His eastern campaigns opened up new trade opportunities, while the empire's coastal regions facilitated maritime trade with foreign powers, including the Portuguese. His focus on agricultural improvements through irrigation projects also ensured the economic well-being of his subjects. The increased agricultural output and flourishing trade made the Vijayanagara Empire one of the most prosperous kingdoms in South India.

Previous Year Questions on Krishna Deva Raya

1. UPSC CSE Prelims 2018

Question: Who among the following wrote the famous Telugu work “Amuktamalyada”?
A. Bhoja
B. Harsha
C. Krishna Deva Raya
D. Vidyaranya

Answer: C

Explanation: Krishna Deva Raya, the ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire, authored the famous Telugu literary work Amuktamalyada.

2. UPSC CSE Mains 2019 (GS Paper 1)

Question: Evaluate the significance of Krishna Deva Raya’s reign in the context of medieval South India’s cultural and political history.

Explanation: Krishna Deva Raya’s reign is significant for both its cultural and political achievements. Politically, he expanded the Vijayanagara Empire through successful military campaigns against the Bahmani Sultanates and the Gajapati rulers of Odisha. His administrative reforms strengthened the empire's governance and economy.