Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya (or Saluva Narasimha, Saluva Narasimha I; 1431–1491 CE) was an
emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...
of the
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and Mahar ...
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.
[Narasimhacharya (1988), p 69]
In 1452, he was given the title Maha Mandaleshwara of
Chandragiri
Chandragiri is a suburb and neighbourhood of Tirupati and located in Tirupati district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a part of Tirupati urban agglomeration and a major growing residential area in Tirupati It is the mandal headqua ...
during the reign of
Mallikarjuna Raya. His father Saluva Gunda was the governor of Chandragiri.
After the death of Virupaksha Raya II and arrival of Prauda Deva Raya as the new monarch of Vijayanagar, the empire plunged into neglect and anarchy. Seeing that a military coup was the only hope to save the kingdom, he despatched the son of
Tuluva
The Tulu people or Tuluvas are an ethno-linguistic group from Southern India. They are native speakers of the Tulu language and the region they traditionally inhabit is known as Tulu Nadu. This region comprises the districts of Dakshina Kannada ...
Isvara, Tuluva Narasa Nayaka to the imperial capital of Vijayanagara. The incumbent king Prauda Raya fell, thus starting the rule of Saluva Narasimha. The writings of Nuniz gives a graphic account of how Narasa Nayaka went to Vijayanagara and found it completely unguarded, even all the way to the harem.
As king, Saluva Narasimha tried to expand the empire, though he continually faced difficulties caused from rebelling chieftains. By 1491, he lost Udayagiri to Gajapati
Kapilendra Deva
Kapilendra Deva (Odia: କପିଳେନ୍ଦ୍ର ଦେବ; r. 1434–1467 CE), was the founder of the Suryavamsa Gajapati Empire that ruled parts of eastern and southern India, including present-day Odisha as the center of the empire. He ca ...
of
Orissa
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of S ...
while the Chiefs of Ummattur in the Mysore region, Saluvas of
Hadavalli and Santharas of
Karkala
''Karkala'' also known as Karla in Tulu language, is a town and the headquarters of Karkala taluk in the Udupi district of Karnataka, India. Located about 60 km from Mangalore in the Tulu Nadu region of the state,it lies near the foothill ...
from coastal Karnataka region,
Srirangapatna
Srirangapatna is a town and headquarters of one of the seven Taluks of Mandya district, in the Indian State of Karnataka. It gets its name from the Ranganthaswamy temple consecrated at around 984 CE. Later, under the British rule the city ...
and Sambetas of Peranipadu in
Cuddapah still remained threats to the empire.
Saluva Narasimha's war with the Gajapatis over Udayagiri in 1489 proved disastrous when he was taken prisoner and released later after giving up the fort and surrounding areas to the Gajapatis of Orissa. However he was successful at conquering the western ports of Kannada country of Mangalore, Bhatkal, Honnavar and Bakanur. This success enabled him to trade for swift horses with the Arabs. He took more efforts in the upkeep of his cavalry and army in general.
Saluva Narasimha would die in 1491 with sons that were too young to ascend to the throne. Their guardianship was entrusted to Narasa Nayaka, a loyal general and minister from the
Tuluva family.
Notes
References
* Dr. Suryanath U. Kamat, ''Concise History of Karnataka'', 2001, MCC, Bangalore (Reprinted 2002)
* Prof K.A. Nilakanta Sastry, ''History of South India, From Prehistoric times to fall of Vijayanagar'', 1955, OUP, New Delhi (Reprinted 2002)
*
External links
APonline article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raya, Saluva Narasimha Deva
1491 deaths
People of the Vijayanagara Empire
Hindu monarchs
1485 births
Indian Hindus
15th-century Indian monarchs