When did the Vijayanagara Empire exist?

The Vijayanagara Empire existed 1336 – 1646. On this map it is drawn 1344–1571.

How large was the Vijayanagara Empire?

At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Vijayanagara Empire covered about 572,000 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

Vijayanagara Empire

Empire · 1336 – 1646

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Type: Empire
Existed: 1336 – 1646
Shown on the map: 1344–1571
Heartland: most of southern India — Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Goa, southern Kerala and parts of Telangana and Maharashtra
Peak area: c. 572,000 km² at peak (an area estimate of 880,000 km² is given for 1500)
Region: South Asia

Origins and founding

Founded on 18 April 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, from the breakaway Kampili kingdom near the Tungabhadra, in direct response to Delhi Sultanate invasions that had destroyed the Yadava, Kakatiya, Hoysala and Pandya powers. Two origin theories exist — Kannadiga Hoysala commanders, or Telugu warriors linked to the Kakatiyas captured by Muhammad bin Tughluq at Warangal; tradition credits the Sringeri saint Vidyaranya as inspirer, though his role is uncertain.

Capitals and territory

The capital was Vijayanagara (modern Hampi) from 1336 to 1565, then successively Penukonda, Chandragiri and Vellore. By 1374 Bukka Raya I controlled Goa and the Tungabhadra–Krishna doab and had defeated the Madurai Sultanate; under Krishnadevaraya (1509–1529) the empire subjugated nearly all South Indian dynasties, took Raichur and Gulbarga from the Deccan sultanates, and annexed Gajapati territory up to the Krishna.

Major rulers and key events

Deva Raya I fought the Bahmanis and the Gajapatis; Deva Raya II (1424–1446), the most successful Sangama ruler, employed Muslim archers, quelled the Zamorin and claimed overlordship as far as Pegu and Tanasserim. Saluva Narasimha usurped in 1485; the Tuluva line followed through Narasa Nayaka's regency. Krishnadevaraya's reign was the imperial peak, celebrated by travellers Domingo Paes and Fernão Nunes. After Achyuta Deva Raya's death (1542) the civil war of 1542–43 eliminated the usurper Salakaraju Tirumala and enthroned Sadasiva Raya, with Krishnadevaraya's son-in-law Rama Raya as de facto ruler. Rama Raya's manipulation of the Deccan sultanates provoked their coalition; at the Battle of Talikota (23 January 1565) he was captured and beheaded and Hampi was plundered into ruins.

Government, economy and culture

Administration inherited Hoysala–Kakatiya practice: a monarch advised by a Mahapradhana, provinces (rajya) under royal-family governors, and feudatory nayakas paying tribute; Krishnadevaraya's personal army reportedly fielded 100,000 infantry, 20,000 cavalry and 900 elephants. The economy was agrarian and commercial, exporting pepper, spices, cotton cloth and gems through 300 ports (Mangalore, Honavar, Bhatkal, Machilipatnam) and importing Persian horses. The empire was a Hindu state with an "Islamic Quarter" in the capital and Muslim troops in its armies; it patronised Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Sanskrit literature, the Haridasa movement (Vyasatirtha, Purandaradasa, Kanakadasa), Annamacharya's kirtanas, and the mature Carnatic musical tradition, and merged South Indian temple styles into the Vijayanagara architectural idiom seen at Hampi.

Decline and end

After Talikota, Tirumala Deva Raya founded the Aravidu dynasty at Penukonda and partially reconstituted the state; Venkata II (1586–1614) was the last effective ruler. The empire collapsed in 1614–1646 under pressure from Bijapur and Golconda, with Sriranga III the final emperor; successor nayaka states (Madurai, Tanjore, Gingee, Keladi, Mysore) inherited the south.

Legacy and significance

Vijayanagara is remembered as the last great Hindu empire of South India; Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its administrative nayaka system, its irrigation works, and its literary-musical patronage shaped southern India for centuries.

Common questions

What was the Vijayanagara Empire?: Founded on 18 April 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, from the breakaway Kampili kingdom near the Tungabhadra, in direct response to Delhi Sultanate invasions that had destroyed the Yadava, Kakatiya, Hoysala and Pandya powers.
When did the Vijayanagara Empire exist?: The Vijayanagara Empire existed 1336 – 1646. On this map it is drawn 1344–1571.
How large was the Vijayanagara Empire?: At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Vijayanagara Empire covered about 572,000 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 Vijayanagara Empire?: The capital was Vijayanagara (modern Hampi) from 1336 to 1565, then successively Penukonda, Chandragiri and Vellore. By 1374 Bukka Raya I controlled Goa and the Tungabhadra–Krishna doab and had defeated the Madurai Sultanate; under Krishnadevaraya (1509–1529) the empire subjugated nearly all South Indian dynasties, took Raichur and Gulbarga from the Deccan sultanates, and annexed Gajapati territory up to the Krishna.
Who ruled the Vijayanagara Empire?: Deva Raya I fought the Bahmanis and the Gajapatis; Deva Raya II (1424–1446), the most successful Sangama ruler, employed Muslim archers, quelled the Zamorin and claimed overlordship as far as Pegu and Tanasserim. Saluva Narasimha usurped in 1485; the Tuluva line followed through Narasa Nayaka's regency.
How did the Vijayanagara Empire end?: After Talikota, Tirumala Deva Raya founded the Aravidu dynasty at Penukonda and partially reconstituted the state; Venkata II (1586–1614) was the last effective ruler. The empire collapsed in 1614–1646 under pressure from Bijapur and Golconda, with Sriranga III the final emperor; successor nayaka states (Madurai, Tanjore, Gingee, Keladi, Mysore) inherited the south.
How was the Vijayanagara Empire governed?: Administration inherited Hoysala–Kakatiya practice: a monarch advised by a Mahapradhana, provinces (rajya) under royal-family governors, and feudatory nayakas paying tribute; Krishnadevaraya's personal army reportedly fielded 100,000 infantry, 20,000 cavalry and 900 elephants.
Why does the Vijayanagara Empire still matter?: Vijayanagara is remembered as the last great Hindu empire of South India; Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its administrative nayaka system, its irrigation works, and its literary-musical patronage shaped southern India for centuries.

Sources

Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.

Wikipedia: Vijayanagara Empire en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vijayanagara_Empire

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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