Battle of Raichur | |||||||
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![]() Raichur Fort | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Ismail Adil Shah ![]() Mirza Jahangir † Salabut Khan (POW) ![]() Asada Khan [5] | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
Contemporary source Another est.
Modern estimates
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Casualties and losses | |||||||
16,000 soldiers killed (contemporary sources) | Unknown but heavy[ citation needed ] |
The Battle of Raichur was fought between the Vijayanagara Empire and the Sultanate of Bijapur in 1520 [6] in the town of Raichur, India. It resulted in a decisive victory for Vijayanagara forces, and the Bijapur ruler was defeated and pushed across the river Krishna. [7]
The fort of Raichur was built by Kakatiya king Rudra in 1284, and passed on to the Vijayanagara Kingdom after the decline of Kakatiyas. Ever since, the fort had been under dispute for nearly two centuries. The fort, along with other areas of the northern Deccan, was captured by Muhammad Bin Tughluq in 1323.The Bahmani Sultanate captured the fort in 1347. [8] Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya attempted to recapture the city of Raichur from the Bahmanis, but failed.The immediate prelude to the Battle of Raichur began in the year 1520. In that year, Krishnadevaraya sent Seyed Maraikar, a Muslim in his service, to Goa with a large sum of money to buy horses. Maraikar betrayed Krishnadevaraya's cause and went to Adil Khan with the money and offered his services. Krishnadevaraya's demand that Maraikar be returned along with the money was duly refused. During the period of peace Krishnadevaraya made extensive preparations for a grand attack on Raichur Doab.
The battle was fought in Raichur between the armies of Krishnadevaraya and the Sultanate of Bijapur. [6] The main commander of the Vijayanagara army was Saluva Timmarusu also known as Saluva Timma. [9] The Vijayanagara Empire had a force consisting of 32,600 cavalry and 551 elephants according to contemporary sources. The Bijapur Sultanate had a force consisting of 7,000 cavalry and 250 elephants. Modern and contemporary writers disagree on the number of infantry personnel that each side had. The contemporary sources say that Krishnadevaraya had an infantry force consisting of a bit over 700,000 soldiers. [10] Adil Shah, with a 120,000 foot, 18,000 horses and 150 elephants strong army, moved to relieve Raichur. Despite being outnumbered, his artillery advantage was significant. Upon reaching the Krishna River, he found it blocked by Vijayanagar troops. He then crossed the river and advanced towards Krishna's camp. Both armies prepared for battle and spent a night armed and ready. The next morning, Krishnadeva ordered an attack on the Musalmans, initially making progress but facing heavy artillery fire from the Bijapuris. The Hindu forces retreated in disorder, and Krishnadevaraya rallied his troops to counter-attack, ultimately leading to the enemy's panic and retreat. [11] [12] Krishnadeva, the Vijayanagar leader, encouraged his remaining troops, vowing to die as soldiers instead of fleeing. He called for loyal officers, and together, they charged the enemy. This unexpected counter-attack caused the Bijapuris to retreat, leading to chaos and many casualties on both sides. The Vijayanagar army suffered over 16,000 dead, while the Bijapuris lost many, including Mirza Jehangir, and five important captains including Salabut Khan taken prisoners. [12] Upon seeing the enemy retreat, Krishna's generals sought permission to continue the battle. However, prioritizing peace, he ordered his troops to withdraw. After capturing the Bijapuris' camp, Krishna counted the spoils: 100 elephants, 400 cannons, tents, horses, oxen, and other animals. He released captured women, honored the fallen with funeral rites, and distributed alms. With the battle concluded, Krishna returned to the siege of Raichur. [12] Moreover, the use of a Portuguese contingent [13] commanded by Cristovão de Figueiredo [14] with the use of fireweapons helped to conquer the fortress. [15] There is a high probability that matchlocks, which were obtained through contact with the Portuguese, were used as well by the army of the Vijayanagara Empire. [16] Additionally, the Portuguese with their arquebuses picked off the defenders from the walls, and thus enabled the besiegers to approach close to the lines of fortification and pull down the stones. Driven to desperation, and their governor being slain, the garrison surrendered. [11] Portuguese accounts state that cannons were used extensively by the Bijapur Sultanate; the Vijayanagara Empire used them minimally, at best. [17] The Vijayanagara Empire emerged victorious despite the Bijapur Sultanate having superior firepower. [18]
When the city of Raichur surrendered, Krishnadevaraya made a triumphal entry into it. [19] Krishnadevaraya was brutal towards Bijapuri Generals of Raichur. Many Bijapuri generals lost their lands. That if Adil Shah would come to him, do obeisance, and kiss his foot, his lands would be restored to him. The submission never took place. Krishnadevaraya then led his army as far north as Bijapur and occupied it. [20] Upon returning to Vijayanagara, Krishnadevaraya received Isma'il Adil Khan's ambassador, who requested the return of captured items, including Raichur fort. Krishnaraya agreed on the condition that Adil Khan would pay homage. [20] [11] The meeting was scheduled at Mudgal, but when Krishnadevaraya arrived, Adil Khan was absent. Enraged, he advanced on Bijapur ,Adil Shah fled and Krishndevaraya occupied the royal palace. Although not intending to sack the city, Bijapur suffered damage. [21] [11]
Adil Shah tried to negotiate, but his ambassador, Asad Khan Lari, betrayed him, claiming Salabat Khan's interference for the failed meeting. Believing the lie, Krishnadevaraya ordered Salabat's execution. Asad Khan accomplished his goal and fled. [21] [11]
Infuriated by the ambassador's deceit, Krishndevaraya invaded Bijapur, causing destruction and capturing some cities. At Sagar, he faced a large army and won a decisive battle with heavy casualties on both sides. Krishnaraya also won battles at Shorapur and Kemba in Kalaburagi district. [21] [22] [11] He took prisoner three sons of a former king of the Bahmani dynasty, who had been held captive by the Adil Shah and he proclaimed the eldest as king of the Deccan. [23] This attempt to subvert the rule of the five Sultans who had established themselves on the ruins of the single Deccan sovereignty only resulted in stiffening their hostility towards their common foe. [24] Krishnadevaraya began to make preparations for an attack on Belgaum, which was in Adil Shah's possession. Soon after, he fell seriously ill to carry out his project and died at the age of forty-five years, in the year 1530. He was succeeded by Achyuta Deva Raya.
The battle of Raichur had far-reaching effects. The Vijayanagara victory weakened the power and prestige of the Adil Shah. He turned his attention to making alliances with the other Muslim neighbours. The victory also caused other Sultans in Deccan to form an alliance to defeat the Vijayanagara Empire. The war also affected the fortunes of the Portuguese on the west coast. Goa rose and fell simultaneously with the rise and fall of the Vijayanagara dynasty because their entire trade depended on Hindu support. [3]
Richard Eaton argues that Vijayanagara's victory at Raichur ultimately led to its downfall. [25] Because Krishna Raya was able to overcome an army with technologically superior weapons, he underestimated the value of investment in military technology. The Sultans of the Deccan, on the other hand, continued to improve their arms and learned the tactics necessary to deploy them well. This difference in military technology was a decisive factor in the Sultans' defeat of Vijayanagara at the Battle of Talikota 45 years later.
The Vijayanagara Empire was a late medieval Hindu empire that ruled much of southern India. It was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, members of a pastoralist cowherd community that claimed Yadava (shepherd) lineage.
The Deccan sultanates is a historiographical term referring to five late medieval to early modern Indian kingdoms on the Deccan Plateau between the Krishna River and the Vindhya Range that were created from the disintegration of the Bahmani Sultanate and ruled by Muslim dynasties: namely Ahmadnagar, Berar, Bidar, Bijapur, and Golconda. The five sultanates owed their existence to the declaration of independence of Ahmadnagar in 1490, followed by Bijapur and Berar in the same year. Golconda became independent in 1518, and Bidar in 1528.
The Bahmani Sultanate was a late medieval empire that ruled the Deccan Plateau in India. The first independent Muslim kingdom of the Deccan, the Bahmani Sultanate came to power in 1347 during the rebellion of Ismail Mukh against Muhammad bin Tughlaq, the Sultan of the Tughlaq dynasty of Delhi. Ismail Mukh then abdicated in favour of Zafar Khan, who would establish the Bahmani Sultanate.
Krishnadevaraya was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire reigning from 1509 to 1529. He was the third monarch of the Tuluva dynasty, and is considered to be one of the greatest rulers in Indian history. He ruled the largest empire in India after the fall of the Islamic Delhi Sultanate. Presiding over the empire at its zenith, he is regarded as an icon by many Indians. Krishnadevaraya earned the titles Andhra Bhoja, Karnatakaratna Simhasanadeeshwara, Yavana Rajya Pratistapanacharya, Kannada Rajya Rama Ramana, Gaubrahmana Pratipalaka and Mooru Rayara Ganda. He became the dominant ruler of the peninsula by defeating the sultans of Bijapur, Golconda, the Bahmani Sultanate and the Gajapatis of Odisha, and was one of the most powerful Hindu rulers in India.
The Sultanate of Bijapur was an early modern kingdom in the western Deccan and South India, ruled by the Adil Shahi or Adilshahi dynasty. Bijapur had been a taraf (province) of the Bahmani Sultanate prior to its independence in 1490 and before the former's political decline in the last quarter of the 15th century. It was one of the Deccan sultanates, the collective name of the five successor states of the Bahmani Sultanate. At its peak, the Sultanate of Bijapur was one of the most powerful states in South Asia, second to the Mughal Empire, which conquered it on 12 September 1686 under Aurangzeb.
Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk, more often though less correctly referred to in English as Quli Qutb Shah (1485–1543), was the founder of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, which ruled the Sultanate of Golconda in southern India from 1518 to 1687. Of Turkoman origin and born in Persia, he originally served the Bahmani sultan, and was awarded the title Qutb-ul-Mulk as military chief; he eventually took control of Golconda.
Achyuta Deva Raya was an emperor of Vijayanagara who succeeded his older brother, Krishnadevaraya, after the latter's death in 1529 CE.
Rama Raya was a statesman of the Vijayanagara Empire, the son-in-law of Emperor Krishna Deva Raya and the progenitor of the Aravidu dynasty of Vijayanagara Empire, the fourth and last dynasty of the empire. As a regent, he was the de facto ruler of the empire from 1542 to 1565, although legally the emperor during this period was Sadasiva Raya, who was merely a puppet ruler. Rama Raya was killed at the Battle of Talikota, after which the Vijayanagara Empire got fragmented into several semi-independent principalities paying only nominal allegiance to the empire.
The Battle of Talikota, also known as that of Rakkasagi–Tangadagi, was a watershed battle fought between the Vijayanagara Empire and an alliance of the Deccan sultanates. Despite the Vijayanagara army being larger, they were comprehensively defeated. The battle resulted in the defeat and death of Rama Raya, the de facto ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire, which led to the immediate collapse of the Vijayanagara polity and reconfigured South Indian and Deccan politics.
Saluva Timmarusu was the prime minister (mahapradhana) and military commander of Krishnadevaraya. He is also known as "Appaji". He had also served as the prime minister under Viranarasimha Raya and Tuluva Narasa Nayaka.
Raichur is a city and municipality in the district of Raichur in the Indian state of Karnataka. Raichur, located between Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers, is the headquarters of Raichur district. It is located 410 km from the state capital, Bangalore.
Tuluva Narasa Nayaka was an Indian general a Bunt chieftain and later an Imperial Regent who founded the Tuluva dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire. He was the father of the Emperors Viranarasimha Raya, Krishnadevaraya and Achyuta Deva Raya.
Vira Narasimha Raya became the Emperor of Vijayanagara after the death of his predecessor Narasimha Raya II. He was the older half-brother of Krishnadevaraya.
Taj ud-Din Firoz Shah, also known as Firoz Shah Bahmani, was the ruler of the Bahmani Sultanate from 16 November 1397 to 22 September 1422. Firuz Shah is considered an important ruler of the Bahamani Sultanate. He expanded his kingdom and even succeeded in conquering the Raichur Doab from Vijaynagara kingdoms.
The Vijayanagara military supported the Vijayanagara Empire in particular with regard to the empire's long-lasting rivalry with the Bahmani Sultanate. Besides a large standing army, the Vijayanagara rulers also maintained a powerful navy. This helped make the Vijayanagara empire the most centralised polity ever to have emerged in South India.
The Deccanis or Deccani people are an Indo-Aryan ethno-religious community of Deccani-speaking Muslims who inhabit or are from the Deccan region of Southern Asia.The community traces its origins to the shifting of the Delhi Sultanate's capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in 1327 during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughluq. Further ancestry can also be traced from immigrant Muslims referred to as Afaqis, also known as Pardesis who came from Central Asia, Iraq and Iran and had settled in the Deccan region during the Bahmani Sultanate (1347). The migration of Muslim Hindavi-speaking people to the Deccan and intermarriage with the local Hindus who converted to Islam, led to the creation of a new community of Hindustani-speaking Muslims, known as the Deccani, who would come to play an important role in the politics of the Deccan. Their language, Deccani, emerged as a language of linguistic prestige and culture during the Bahmani Sultanate, further evolving in the Deccan Sultanates.
Hamvira Deva was an Odia prince of the Gajapati Empire in India and Gajapati ruler for a brief period. He was the eldest son of Kapilendra Deva, founder of the Gajapati Empire. He played a vital role in the military expansion of the Gajapati Empire but was bypassed in the succession order in favour of his younger half-brother Purushottama Deva.
The Deccani–Vijayanagar wars were a series of wars between 1495 to 1678 that pitted the rival powers of the Deccan Sultanates against the Vijayanagar Empire. Over the course of approximately 120 years, these two entities engaged in a series of wars and skirmishes that were marked by significant displays of military strength and strategic maneuvering.
The Krishnadevaraya's Bahmani Expedition was a pivotal event in the history of the Bahmani Sultanate and the Vijayanagara Empire. It marked a significant escalation in tensions between the powers in Deccan.
The Bahmani–Vijayanagar War began with the Siege of Pangal, where Sultan Firuz Shah of the Bahmani Sultanate attempted to capture the fort. They faced setbacks, including a disease outbreak among their ranks, leading to the failure of the siege. In response, Deva Raya I of the Vijayanagara Empire launched a successful counteroffensive, defeating Sultan Firuz Shah in a decisive battle. This victory dealt a significant blow to the Bahmani Sultanate, ultimately leading to Firuz Shah's demise and further weakening of his empire.
The Raya then crossed the river and seized the Shah's camp, while the Shah himself, by the counsel and help of Asada Khan, a man who afterwards became very famous, escaped only with his life, and fled from the field on an elephant.
There is also a strong likelihood of the adoption of European matchlocks in the Vijayanagara Empire at around the same time [1517], through contact with the Portuguese.
The city of Raichur surrendered and Krishnadevaraya made triumphal entry into it.