Narasimha Raya II | |
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Emperor | |
Emperor of Vijayanagara | |
Reign | 1491 – 1505 CE |
Predecessor | Thimma Bhupala |
Successor | Vira Narasimha Raya |
Dynasty | Saluva |
Father | Saluva Narasimha I |
Religion | Hinduism |
Vijayanagara Empire |
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Ruling dynasties |
Narasimha Raya II (r. 1491-1505) (born = 1468)( Narasimha II, Immadi Narasimha Raya or Dhamma Thimma Raya) [1] was the third and last emperor from the Saluva dynasty, the second of the four dynasties to rule the Vijayanagara Empire.
Narasimha's father, also named Narasimha, had begun life as an army general serving the Sangama dynasty, which was the dynasty that had founded the Empire in the 13th century. The Sangama dynasty had been gradually weakening over time for a variety of reasons, and in 1485, the senior Narasimha had usurped the throne after capturing the capital and driving out his former overlord, Sangama Praudha Raya. The actual military campaign for this purpose had been carried out by his loyal subordinate, Tuluva Narasa Nayaka.
The senior Narasimha was crowned Emperor and became known as Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya. He died in 1491, only six years after usurping the throne, and left behind two young sons as his heirs. On his deathbed, he entrusted the young boys to the care of his trusted subordinate, Tuluva Narasa Nayaka. The elder son, Thimma Bhupala, was assassinated within a few weeks after his father's death by an army commander loyal to the old Sangama dynasty. This brought the second son, Narasimha, to the throne.
Thus, Narasimha II came to the throne following the assassination of his elder brother. He was only a teenager when he was crowned the Emperor of the Vijayanagara, and real power lay in the hands of his guardian, the imperial regent Tuluva Narasa Nayaka. This situation continued for twelve years until Tuluva Narasa Nayaka died in 1503. By this time, Narasimha II was an adult and there was no justification for the appointment of a regent. Nevertheless, the late regent's eldest son, Tuluva Vira Narasimha Raya, remained the power behind the throne due to his control of the army. He compelled Narasimha II to name him the Dalavayi (commander-in-chief of the army) and also the Sarvadhikari ("Administrator General", effectively Regent).
There developed an atmosphere of great tension between the two Narasimhas (Emperor Saluva Narasimha II and his Prime Minister Tuluva Vira Narasimha). Both of them considered that they had a greater right to rule the empire. After all, Narasimha II had become Emperor only because his father had usurped the throne, and that also very recently. That usurpation had in fact been made possible by the efforts and resourcefulness of his trusted general, Tuluva Narasa Nayaka, who had captured the imperial capital in the name of the usurper. Not only that, but Tuluva Narasa Nayaka had also later pacified the country, suppressed the supporters of the old Sangama dynasty, and maintained order during the minority of the usurper's two sons. With all this background, Tuluva Vira Narasimha felt that he had a greater right to rule than the Emperor Narasimha II. Why should he, his sons and grandsons be no more than courtiers serving the upstart dynasty which had been established mainly by the efforts of his own father? The situation was fraught with tension and many resentments.
Finally, in 1505, only two years after the death of the old imperial regent Tuluva Narasa Nayaka, Emperor Narasimha Raya II was assassinated at the fortress of Penukonda, probably by henchmen of Vira Narasimha Raya. With his death ended the reign of the Saluva dynasty, whose three emperors (father and two sons) had reigned for a total of only twenty years.
Upon Emperor Narasimha II's death, his Dalavayi Tuluva Vira Narasimha Raya was proclaimed the Emperor of Vijayanagara and the Tuluva dynasty rose to power.
The Vijayanagara Empire or the Karnata Kingdom 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 lineage.
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 Sangama dynasty was a dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire founded in the 14th century by two brothers: Harihara I and Bukka Raya I. They were the sons of Bhavana Sangama.
Virupaksha Raya II (1465–1485) was an Emperor of Vijayanagara from the Sangama dynasty.
The Saluva dynasty was the second dynasty to rule the Vijayanagara Empire and was created by the Saluvas, who by historical tradition were natives of the Kalyani region of northern Karnataka in modern India. The Gorantla inscription traces their origins to this region from the time of the Western Chalukyas and Kalachuris of Karnataka. The term "Saluva" is known to lexicographers as "hawk" used in hunting. They later spread into the east coast of modern Andhra Pradesh, perhaps by migration or during the Vijayanagara conquests during the 14th century.
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.
Tuluva is the name of the third dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire. The dynasty traces its patrilineal ancestry to Tuluva Narasa Nayaka, a powerful warlord from the westerly. His son Narasimha Nayaka arranged for the assassination of the weak Narasimha Raya II bringing an end to the rule of the Saluva dynasty. Narasimha Nayaka later assumed the Vijayangara throne as Viranarasimha Raya bringing the Tuluva dynasty to prominence. The dynasty was at its zenith during the rule of Krishnadevaraya, the second son of Tuluva Narasa Nayaka.
Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from the Saluva Dynasty. A patron of the Madhwa saint Sripadaraya, he authored the Sanskrit work Rama Bhyudayam. He also patronised Kannada poet Kavi Linga.
Pemmasani Kamma Nayaks were a ruling clan in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. They came into prominence during Vijayanagara Empire. After the Battle of Talikota in 1565 AD, the collapse of Vijayanagara Empire led to the emergence of Pemmasani Nayakas in the Rayalaseema region. They belonged to the Kamma social group.
Vijayanagara literature was produced in the Vijayanagara Empire during a golden age of literature in South India in general. The rulers patronised Kannada, Telugu, Sanskrit and Tamil scholars who wrote in the Jain, Virashaiva and Vaishnava traditions. The period produced hundreds of works on all aspects of Indian culture, religion, biographies, prabhandas (stories), music, grammar, poetics and medicine. An attempt is made in this section to list the various poets and saints and their most famous works.
Tuluva Narasa Nayaka was an Indian general, 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.
Thimma Bhupala was the elder son and heir-apparent of Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya, the Sovereign of the Vijayanagara Empire. During the reign of his father, he held the office of the Yuvaraja. Prince Thimma succeeded his father in 1491 but was soon assassinated by an army commander loyal to the Sangamas during a period of political unrest in Vijayanagara. He was succeeded by his younger brother Narasimha Raya II. The eldest son of his Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya's prime minister, Narasa Nayaka, had Narasimha Raya II assassinated and ascended to the throne himself in 1505, beginning the Tuluva dynasty, the third dynasty of the Vijayanagara empire.
Venkata I was an Emperor of Vijayanagara from the Tuluva Dynasty. He was the son of Emperor Achyuta Deva Raya, whom he succeeded in 1542 CE.
Chamarajara Wodeyar II was the fourth raja of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1478 until 1513.
Chamaraja Wodeyar III was fifth raja of the Kingdom of Mysore and the last one to rule as feudal king under the Vijayanagara Empire. He reigned after his father's demise in 1513 until his death in 1553.
Tuluva Isvara Nayaka was a commander of the Vijayanagara Empire. He was the father of Tuluva Narasa Nayaka and grandfather of the emperors Vira Narasimha Raya, Krishnadevaraya and Achyuta Deva Raya. He married Bukkamma. He derived lineage from the legendary Yayati and the Chandravamsha.
Vira Pratapa Purushottama Deva was the second Gajapati emperor of Odisha who ruled from 1467 to 1497 C.E. He was the second ruler from the Suryavamsa Gajapati Empire. His father Gajapati Kapilendra Deva Routaraya chose him as his heir to rule the Gajapati Empire at the banks of river Krishna where he breathed his last. This decision infuriated his elder brother Hamvira Deva who was a battle hardened and successful warrior fulfilling the task of conquering the southern territories and expeditions against the Vijayanagara Empire as wished by his father.
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.