Question

Write a note on the contributions of King Krishnadeva Raya.

Answer 1

Instructions:

The answer to this question can be broken into 7 parts:

1. Dynasty and period of rule
2. Opponents and neighbours
3. Relations with the Portuguese
4. Construction of temples and Rayagopurams
5. Army
6. Trade relations
7. Patronage of literature

Solution:

King Krishnadeva Raya was one of the prominent rulers of the Vijayanagara empire. He belonged to the Tuluva dynasty and ruled for 20 years. He was very powerful and successfully brought the independent chieftains of Tungabhadra under his control.

In the neighbouring Bahmani kingdom, the Bahmani sultan Mahmud Shah was overthrown and imprisoned by his minister. Krishnadevaraya freed the sultan and restored him to the throne.
Krishnadevaraya defeated Prataparudra, the Gajapati ruler who ruled over the region of Odisha. And upon peace negotiations, he married Prataparudra’s daughter and returned his territories. He also successfully defeated the Sultans of Golconda with the help of Portuguese gunners.

King Krishnadeva Raya established friendly relations with the Portuguese. He also employed Portuguese troops in wars and got supplies of horses and firearms from them.

King Krishna Deva Raya had great interest in building and maintaining temples. He distributed his wealth to all the major South Indian Temples.So, inorder to honour him, towering temple gateways called ‘Raya gopurams’ were built in many of these temples. He also built some beautiful temples like the Hazara Ramaswamy Temple, and Vithalaswami Temple in the capital city of Hampi.

King Krishnadevaraya also maintained a large army and built several strong forts. He imported horses from Arabia and Iran, which came in ships to ports on the west coast. He also maintained good relations with the Portuguese and Arabian traders. It helped him to increase the empire's income through customs.

King Krishna Deva Raya was a patron of Telugu literature. He composed the Telugu epic ‘Amuktamalyada’, and the Sanskrit drama 'Jambavati Kalyanam'. His court was adorned by eight poets known as the ‘Astadiggajas’. Allasani Peddana, and Tenali Ramakrishna, were the most famous among the Astadiggajas.