Deva Raya II
Encyclopedia
Deva Raya II was an emperor
of the Vijayanagara Empire
from the Sangama Dynasty
. Perhaps the greatest of the Sangama dynasty rulers, he patronised some of the famous Kannada and Telugu poets of the time. Kannada poets like Lakkana Dandesa, Chamarasa
, Jakkanarya and Kumara Vyasa
and among Telugu poets Srinatha, who was bathed in a shower of gold coins (tankas) were the most famous. It is said that Srinatha held the same position in his court as senior ministers and moved freely with the emperor. The King himself was a scholar and wrote Sobagina Sone in Kannada and Mahanataka Sudhanidhi in Sanskrit.
Deva Raya II succeeded his father Veera Vijaya Bukka Raya
after his short uneventful two year reign (Nuniz noted differently that his reign was for 25 years) was a monarch of the Vijayanagara Empire. Unlike his father, Deva Raya II was an effective and successful monarch. During his reign, Deva Raya II prevailed over his conquest of Kondavidu in 1432, repelled the invasions of Ahmad Shah I of the Bahamanis and retained the Mudgal fort in 1436 but lost some areas in the Raichur doab
in 1443, defeated the Gajapati of Orissa three times in 1427, 1436 and 1441, restored the Reddi Kingdom of Rajamahendri to its former position, fought against the Sultan Ala-Ud-Din (centered around the forts of Mudgal and Raichur
in the Krishna - Tungabhadra doab), and continued onwards to Kerala
where he defeated the ruler of Quilon
as well as other chieftains. He invaded Lanka and collected rich tributes there. The ruler of Calicut and even the kings of Burma ruling at Pegu and Tanasserim paid tributes. This information was obtained from the writings of Nuniz.
Abdur Razzaq
, the Persian ambassador who visited southern India in 1443 wrote that overall Deva Raya II has extended the Vijayanagara Empire from Orissa
to Malabar, and Ceylon to Gulbarga
as well as taking over multiple ports of South India
. Even so, the issue with the Bahmani kingdoms had not yet been resolved and the two kingdoms continued to be hostile to each other throughout Deva Raya II's reign. Bahamani invasions were unsuccessful and eventually drove the Bahamani monarch Ahmad Shah I to move his capital to Bidar
during his invasion of the empire in 1426.
By the end of his reign, Deva Raya II had succeeded in conquering all of South India as well as sending the empire into a golden age of prosperity. It was during this time that the explorer Nicolo Conti
and Persian chronicler Abdur Razzak travelled here. Razzak mentions that the "ear of intelligence had never been informed that there existed anything equal to Vijayanagara in the world" and the "pupil of eye has never seen a place like it" (on an interesting side note the two explorers also commented on Deva Raya II's large harem in which 4000 queens followed him everywhere he went).
Deva Raya II was succeeded by Mallikarjuna Raya
.
and Vernacular
s were promoted, and overall the kingdom entered an era of prosperity both economically and culturally that would be marked as the golden age of the Sangama Dynasty
.The middle age is called cultural barrenness but devaraya's and Tuluva ruler krishnadevaraya's regien culturally flourished
During his visit to Calicut in 1443 an assassination attempt on his life was made by his brother which was unsuccessful. The king was injured and this it seems may have been a conspiracy that Sultan Ala-ud-din knew of, who immediately sized the opportunity and demanded a large tribute from Deva Raya II. Deva Raya refused to pay and invaded Raichur
, Bankapura and Bijapur. When it seemed Deva Raya was all but victorious, the Sultans forces pushed back the Vijayanagar armies to Mudgal and Deva Raya had to pay for peace.
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
of the Vijayanagara Empire
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
from the Sangama Dynasty
Sangama Dynasty
The Sangama Dynasty was the first dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire. Founded by the brothers, Harihara I and Bukka Raya I, they were sons of Bhavana Sangama...
. Perhaps the greatest of the Sangama dynasty rulers, he patronised some of the famous Kannada and Telugu poets of the time. Kannada poets like Lakkana Dandesa, Chamarasa
Chamarasa
Chamarasa was an eminent Virashaiva poet unsurpassed in the Kannada literature, during the Vijayanagar Empire, a powerful empire in Southern India of the 13th and 14th centuries...
, Jakkanarya and Kumara Vyasa
Kumara Vyasa
Kumara Vyasa is the pen name of Gadhugina Veera Naranappa , a classical poet of Kannada. His pen name is a tribute to his magnum opus, a rendering of the Mahabharatha in Kannada. Kumara Vyasa literally means Little Vyasa or Son of Vyasa....
and among Telugu poets Srinatha, who was bathed in a shower of gold coins (tankas) were the most famous. It is said that Srinatha held the same position in his court as senior ministers and moved freely with the emperor. The King himself was a scholar and wrote Sobagina Sone in Kannada and Mahanataka Sudhanidhi in Sanskrit.
The Empire
Deva Raya II's rule is the golden age in the history of karnatakaDeva Raya II succeeded his father Veera Vijaya Bukka Raya
Veera Vijaya Bukka Raya
Veera Vijaya Bukka Raya or Vijaya Raya was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from the Sangama Dynasty.Veera Vijaya Bukka Raya was the son of Deva Raya I and succeeded his brother, Ramachandra Raya, in 1422 as the king of the Vijayanagara Empire...
after his short uneventful two year reign (Nuniz noted differently that his reign was for 25 years) was a monarch of the Vijayanagara Empire. Unlike his father, Deva Raya II was an effective and successful monarch. During his reign, Deva Raya II prevailed over his conquest of Kondavidu in 1432, repelled the invasions of Ahmad Shah I of the Bahamanis and retained the Mudgal fort in 1436 but lost some areas in the Raichur doab
Doab
A Doab is a term used in India and Pakistan for a "tongue" or tract of land lying between two confluent rivers...
in 1443, defeated the Gajapati of Orissa three times in 1427, 1436 and 1441, restored the Reddi Kingdom of Rajamahendri to its former position, fought against the Sultan Ala-Ud-Din (centered around the forts of Mudgal and Raichur
Raichur
Raichur , is a city municipal council in Raichur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Raichur, on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, is the headquarters of Raichur district. It was in the princely state of Mysore during the rule of Tipu Sultan...
in the Krishna - Tungabhadra doab), and continued onwards to Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
where he defeated the ruler of Quilon
Quilon
Quilon may refer to,* Venad, a former state on Malabar Coast, India* Kollam , Kerala state, India* Kollam district, Kerala state...
as well as other chieftains. He invaded Lanka and collected rich tributes there. The ruler of Calicut and even the kings of Burma ruling at Pegu and Tanasserim paid tributes. This information was obtained from the writings of Nuniz.
Abdur Razzaq
Abdur Razzaq (traveller)
Kamal-ud-Din Abd-ur-Razzaq ibn Ishaq Samarqandi, , was a Persian chronicler and Islamic scholar. He was the ambassador of Shah Rukh, the Timurid dynasty ruler of Persia to Calicut, India, from January 1442 to January 1445...
, the Persian ambassador who visited southern India in 1443 wrote that overall Deva Raya II has extended the Vijayanagara Empire from Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
to Malabar, and Ceylon to Gulbarga
Gulbarga
Gulbarga is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Gulbarga District. It was formerly part of Nizam's Hyderabad state...
as well as taking over multiple ports of South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. Even so, the issue with the Bahmani kingdoms had not yet been resolved and the two kingdoms continued to be hostile to each other throughout Deva Raya II's reign. Bahamani invasions were unsuccessful and eventually drove the Bahamani monarch Ahmad Shah I to move his capital to Bidar
Bidar
Bidar is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the north-eastern part of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Bidar District....
during his invasion of the empire in 1426.
By the end of his reign, Deva Raya II had succeeded in conquering all of South India as well as sending the empire into a golden age of prosperity. It was during this time that the explorer Nicolo Conti
Niccolò Da Conti
Niccolò de' Conti was an Italian merchant and explorer of the Republic of Venice, born in Chioggia, who traveled to India and Southeast Asia, and possibly to Southern China, during the early 15th century...
and Persian chronicler Abdur Razzak travelled here. Razzak mentions that the "ear of intelligence had never been informed that there existed anything equal to Vijayanagara in the world" and the "pupil of eye has never seen a place like it" (on an interesting side note the two explorers also commented on Deva Raya II's large harem in which 4000 queens followed him everywhere he went).
Deva Raya II was succeeded by Mallikarjuna Raya
Mallikarjuna Raya
Mallikarjuna Raya was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from the Sangama Dynasty.Mallikarjuna Raya succeeded his father Deva Raya II, who had brought prosperity throughout the Vijayanagara empire as well as a golden age for the Sangama Dynasty...
.
Culture and the Arts
Other than the expansion of territory, Deva Raya II's rule was also a time when art and culture flourished throughout the kingdom. The King himself was a poet and authored, in Kannada, the Sobagina Sone, a collection of romantic stories in the form of a narration by the author to his wife. He earned the title Gajaventekara or Gajabetekara as he was well versed in the art of elephant hunting. Another explanation for this title was that he was an expert at defeating enemies who were a strong as elephants. It was during this time that many temples were constructed throughout the capital, art was encouraged, revenue was extracted through tributes from Ceylon (under the command of the naval leader Lakkanna who was also a Kannada poet), men of letters in SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
and Vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
s were promoted, and overall the kingdom entered an era of prosperity both economically and culturally that would be marked as the golden age of the Sangama Dynasty
Sangama Dynasty
The Sangama Dynasty was the first dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire. Founded by the brothers, Harihara I and Bukka Raya I, they were sons of Bhavana Sangama...
.The middle age is called cultural barrenness but devaraya's and Tuluva ruler krishnadevaraya's regien culturally flourished
During his visit to Calicut in 1443 an assassination attempt on his life was made by his brother which was unsuccessful. The king was injured and this it seems may have been a conspiracy that Sultan Ala-ud-din knew of, who immediately sized the opportunity and demanded a large tribute from Deva Raya II. Deva Raya refused to pay and invaded Raichur
Raichur
Raichur , is a city municipal council in Raichur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Raichur, on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, is the headquarters of Raichur district. It was in the princely state of Mysore during the rule of Tipu Sultan...
, Bankapura and Bijapur. When it seemed Deva Raya was all but victorious, the Sultans forces pushed back the Vijayanagar armies to Mudgal and Deva Raya had to pay for peace.