When did the Kampili Kingdom exist?

The Kampili Kingdom existed 13th century – 1327. On this map it is drawn 1285–1332.

How large was the Kampili Kingdom?

At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Kampili Kingdom covered about 6,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.

South Asia · Sultanates and the south

Kampili Kingdom

Small Hindu kingdom of the Tungabhadra doab · 13th century – 1327

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Type: Small Hindu kingdom of the Tungabhadra doab
Existed: 13th century – 1327
Shown on the map: 1285–1332
Heartland: near Ballari in northeastern present-day Karnataka, South India
Peak area: roughly 6,000 km²
Region: South Asia

Origins and founding

The kingdom was founded by Singeya Nayaka III (c. 1280–1300), a commander of the Hoysala kingdom, who declared independence after the Delhi Sultanate's forces in the region were destroyed by the Seuna Yadavas of Devagiri in 1294. Some historical accounts call it the Basnaga kingdom. Its core lay in the strategically vital Tungabhadra river country contested by the Hoysalas, Kakatiyas, Yadavas, and the advancing Delhi Sultanate.

Capitals and territory

The royal center was the fortress of Kammata Durga, with the realm embracing the sacred Hampi region on the Tungabhadra's south bank — the same landscape that would shortly become Vijayanagara. Old Kannada inscriptions of King Kampilideva (dated 1309 and 1326) survive on Hemakuta hill at Hampi, where he built a Shiva temple.

Major rulers and key events

Singeya Nayaka III was succeeded in 1300 by his son Kampilideva (r. 1300–1327), the kingdom's greatest and last king, who disputed the Sultanate's territorial claims and resisted its southward push. Kampilideva features prominently in the Kannada epic Kumara-Ramana-charita, which celebrates his son Kumara Rama and records the kingdom's relations with Kakatiya Prataparudra II. In 1327 the Tughlaq forces of Muhammad bin Tughluq, led by Malik Zada, crushed the kingdom; the defenders committed jauhar (mass self-immolation) after defeat, and the stuffed head and body of the slain Kampilideva were sent to Delhi as a trophy.

Government, economy and culture

A typical Nayaka-era Hindu warrior state: fortified capital, temple patronage (the Hemakuta Shiva temple), Kannada epigraphy, and legitimacy expressed through Shaiva devotion. Its economy rested on the fertile Tungabhadra valley and control of Deccan trade routes.

Decline and end

Annihilated in 1327 by the Tughlaq army after less than three decades of independence; its territory passed under Sultanate occupation amid the turmoil that saw Devagiri become the Sultanate's southern capital (Daulatabad).

Legacy and significance

Kampili's chief significance is genealogical and inspirational: out of its ruins, its surviving warriors and traditions — including, in some accounts, refugees at Kampili's court such as the Sangama brothers — the Vijayanagara Empire arose in 1336, which then dominated South India for over three centuries. The kingdom is thus remembered as the direct cradle of the greatest late-medieval Hindu empire of the south.

Common questions

What was the Kampili Kingdom?: The kingdom was founded by Singeya Nayaka III (c. 1280–1300), a commander of the Hoysala kingdom, who declared independence after the Delhi Sultanate's forces in the region were destroyed by the Seuna Yadavas of Devagiri in 1294. Some historical accounts call it the Basnaga kingdom.
When did the Kampili Kingdom exist?: The Kampili Kingdom existed 13th century – 1327. On this map it is drawn 1285–1332.
How large was the Kampili Kingdom?: At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Kampili Kingdom covered about 6,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
Where was the Kampili Kingdom?: The royal center was the fortress of Kammata Durga, with the realm embracing the sacred Hampi region on the Tungabhadra's south bank — the same landscape that would shortly become Vijayanagara. Old Kannada inscriptions of King Kampilideva (dated 1309 and 1326) survive on Hemakuta hill at Hampi, where he built a Shiva temple.
Who ruled the Kampili Kingdom?: Singeya Nayaka III was succeeded in 1300 by his son Kampilideva (r. 1300–1327), the kingdom's greatest and last king, who disputed the Sultanate's territorial claims and resisted its southward push. Kampilideva features prominently in the Kannada epic Kumara-Ramana-charita, which celebrates his son Kumara Rama and records the kingdom's relations with Kakatiya Prataparudra II.
How did the Kampili Kingdom end?: Annihilated in 1327 by the Tughlaq army after less than three decades of independence; its territory passed under Sultanate occupation amid the turmoil that saw Devagiri become the Sultanate's southern capital (Daulatabad).
How was the Kampili Kingdom governed?: A typical Nayaka-era Hindu warrior state: fortified capital, temple patronage (the Hemakuta Shiva temple), Kannada epigraphy, and legitimacy expressed through Shaiva devotion.
Why does the Kampili Kingdom still matter?: Kampili's chief significance is genealogical and inspirational: out of its ruins, its surviving warriors and traditions — including, in some accounts, refugees at Kampili's court such as the Sangama brothers — the Vijayanagara Empire arose in 1336, which then dominated South India for over three centuries. The kingdom is thus remembered as the direct cradle of the greatest late-medieval Hindu empire of the south.

Sources

Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.

redirects to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kampili_kingdom en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kampili_Kingdom

This entry was written from the sources above and last updated 10 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

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