Inscription on Krishnadeva Raya

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Recently, the first-ever epigraphical reference to the date of death of Vijayanagar king Krishnadeva Raya has been discovered at Honnenahalli in Tumkur district, Karnataka.

• Epigraphy is the study of the written matter recorded on hard or durable material.
• The term is derived from the classical Greek epigraphein (to write upon, incise) and epigraph? (inscription).

Inscription Details

• The inscription is engraved on a slab kept on the north side of the Gopalakrishna temple at Honnenahalli in Tumkur.
• It is written in Kannada.
• It records the demise of Krishnadeva in Saka 1451, lunar eclipse, which corresponds to 17th October 1529 CE, Sunday.
• Normally, the death of kings was not recorded in the inscriptions and this was one of the rare records.
• It also registers the gift of village Honnenahalli in Tumkur for conducting worship to the god Veeraprasanna Hanumantha of Tumkur.

Vijayanagara Empire

• Vijayanagara or “city of victory” is the name of both a city and an empire.
  • Historians use the term Vijayanagara Empire, contemporaries described it as Karnataka Samrajyamu.
  • Important Contemporaries: On their northern frontier, the contemporary rulers were Sultans of the Deccan and the Gajapati rulers of Orissa.
• It was founded by two brothers Harihar and Bukka in 1336 CE in the wake of the rebellions against Tughluq rule in the region between the river Krishna and Tungabhadra.

• Capital City: Hampi.
  • The ruins at Hampi were brought to light in 1800 by an engineer and antiquarian named Colonel Colin Mackenzie.
  • Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• It was ruled by four dynasties
  • Sangama (1336 to 1485 CE): Founded by Harihara I.
  • Saluva (1485 to 1503 CE): Founded by Saluva Narasimha.
  • Tuluva (1491 to 1570 CE): Founded by Tuluva Narasa Nayaka and the most famous king was Krishnadeva Raya.
  • Aravidu (1542 to 1646 CE): Founded by Tirumala.
• Important Features
  • The most striking feature about the location of Vijayanagara is the natural basin formed by the river Tungabhadra which flows in a north-easterly direction.
  • Special attention was given to agriculture and land revenue was the main source of income.
  • As this is one of the aridest zones of the peninsula, elaborate arrangements were made to store rainwater and conduct it to the city.
    • The most important such tank was built in the early years of the fifteenth century and is now called the Kamalapuram tank.
    • Water from this tank irrigated fields nearby and was also conducted through a channel to the “royal centre”.
    • The Hiriya canal is also one of the most prominent waterworks which drew water from a dam across the Tungabhadra and irrigated the cultivated valley that separated the “sacred centre” from the “urban core”. It was apparently built by kings of the Sangama dynasty.
  • Temple architecture flourished during the Vijayanagar empire and combined the architectural features of Cholas, Hoysalas, Pandyas and Chalukyas and the Indo-Islamic style of Bijapur.
    • A mythical creature of Yali (Horse) is engraved in temple pillars.
    • A central mandap called Kalyan Mandap was incorporated for marriage ceremonies.
    • The monolithic carvings of Nandi and rock-cut idol of Narasimha on Shesh (snake) are masterpieces of their architecture.
  • The rulers had a well organised administrative system with King having all the powers.
• Decline
  • It began with the death of Krishnadeva Raya in 1529.
  • The kingdom came to an end in 1565, when Ramrai was defeated at Talikota by the joint efforts of Adil Shahi, Nizam Shahi, Qutub Shahi and Barid Shahi.
• Recent Developments: In February 2021, the Karnataka government issued a notification creating its 31st district named Vijayanagara.
  • It was carved out from Ballari under the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964.

• Chronology of Discovery and Conservation
  • 1800: Colin Mackenzie visits Vijayanagara.
  • 1856: Alexander Greenlaw takes the first detailed photographs of archaeological remains at Hampi.
  • 1876: J F Fleet begins documenting the inscriptions on the temple walls at the site.
  • 1902: Conservation begins under John Marshall.
  • 1986: Hampi declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

Krishnadeva Raya

• Reign: 1509 CE to 1529 CE.
• He belonged to the Tuluva dynasty and his rule was characterised by expansion and consolidation.
• Political Achievements
  • He acquired the Raichur doab (land between the Tungabhadra and Krishna rivers) in 1512, subdued the rulers of Orissa in 1514 and defeated the Sultan of Bijapur in 1520.
  • He supported some claimants to power in the Sultanates and took pride in the title “establisher of the Yavana kingdom”.
    • Although the armies of the Sultans were responsible for the destruction of the city of Vijayanagara, relations between the Sultans and the Rayas were not always or inevitably hostile, in spite of religious differences.
• Cultural Achievements
  • He was also a playwright (writer) and a great patron of learning and painting, sculpture, dance and music were greatly encouraged by him and his successors.
  • Telugu literature flourished under him.
  • He is credited with building some fine temples and adding impressive gopurams to many important south Indian temples.
  • He built the eastern gopuram and the hall in front of the main shrine of the Virupaksha temple, which was decorated with delicately carved pillars.
    • Virupaksha temple is another UNESCO World Heritage Site from Vijayanagar.
  • He also founded a suburban township near Vijayanagar called Nagalapuram after his mother.
• Foreign Relations
  • He encouraged trade with western countries.
  • He had a cordial relationship with the Portuguese who had at that time established trade centres on the west coast of India

Source: TH