Achyuta Deva Raya (r. 1529 - 1542 CE) was a
emperor of Vijayanagara
The Vijayanagara Empire (1336–1646) was the most prominent medieval India, medieval List of Hindu empires and dynasties, Hindu empire of southern India. It was established on the banks of Tungabhadra River in present-day Karnataka and consist ...
who succeeded his older brother,
Krishnadevaraya, after the latter's death in 1529 CE.
During his reign,
Fernao Nuniz, a Portuguese-Jewish traveller, chronicler and horse trader visited India and spent three years in Vijayanagara.
Achyutaraya patronised the
Kannada
Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
poet Chatu Vittalanatha, the great composer and singer
Purandaradasa, one of the major proponents of
Carnatic music
Carnatic music (known as or in the Dravidian languages) is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and southern Odisha.
It is o ...
, and the
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
scholar Rajanatha Dindima II. Upon his death, the succession was disputed. His son
Venkata I succeeded him but ruled for a very short period and was killed in a chaotic succession dispute in which many claimants to the throne were killed. The dispute ended when his nephew, (younger brother's son)
Sadasiva Raya
Sadasiva Raya (reigned 1542–1570) was the last Emperor of Vijayanagara from the Tuluva dynasty, and reigned from 1542 until his death in 1570. During most of his reign, Rama Raya was the de facto ruler of the state and created strategic al ...
, finally became the emperor while yet a child, under the regency of
Rama Raya, a son-in-law of Krishnadevaraya. His wife's name was probably Varadambika. Sadasiva Raya was probably the son of Varadambika's sister Hemavati and her husband Ranga Raya.
Reign
The time when Achyuta Deva Raya became the emperor was by no means a favorable one. The peace and prosperity of the halcyon days under Krishnadevaraya were coming to an end. Feudatories and enemies were waiting for an opportunity to bring down the empire. In addition, Achyuta Deva Raya had to contend with the powerful
Rama Raya, who was competing for the throne.
While the works of
Nuniz speak very lowly of Achyuta Deva Raya as being a monarch given to vices and cruelty, there is enough evidence to prove that the emperor was indeed noteworthy in his own right and fought hard to keep the prosperity of the empire alive. He had been personally chosen by Krishnadevaraya himself as a capable successor, handpicked to assume the imperial throne.
The
Turko-Persian Sultan
Ismail Adil Shah
Ismail Adil Shah (1498 – 27 August 1534) was the Sultan of Bijapur the western Deccan and South India who spent most of his time extending his territory. His reign helped the dynasty establish a stronghold in the Deccan.
Early years
Ismail A ...
of
Bijapur invaded and captured the Raichur doab. The
Gajapatis of Orissa and
Quli Qutub Shah of
Golconda Sultanate were defeated and pushed back. Achyuta Deva Raya along with his general Salakaraju Tirumala went on a southern campaign to bring the governors of
Travancore
The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
and
Ummathur under control. They were successful. Then they attacked the doab north of the
Tungabhadra and recaptured the forts of
Raichur
Raichur, also pronounced as Rāyachūru (formerly Raichore), is a city and headquarters of eponymous Raichur district in the Karnataka state of India. Raichur, located between Krishna River, Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers.
History Ancient His ...
and
Mudgal successfully.
The two Sanskrit works ''Achyutarayabhyudaya'' () and ''Varadambikaparinaya'' () describe the emperor's life and reign in detail.
Throughout his rule, Achyuta Deva Raya had to contend with the manipulations of
Rama Raya who in his powerful capacity had replaced many of the faithful servants of the Empire in high ranking positions with men of his own favour. On more than one occasion the
Bahmani Sultans were brought in to play the role of mediator between the emperor and
Aliya Rama Raya in the game of power sharing. This would further weaken the Empire. Around 1540 CE, Rama Raya imprisoned Achyuta Deva Raya in a coup.
In 1542 CE, Achyuta Deva Raya died, and was succeeded by his young son of Venkata I (Venkata Raya or Venkatadri Raya). But he was soon killed, and
Sadasiva Raya
Sadasiva Raya (reigned 1542–1570) was the last Emperor of Vijayanagara from the Tuluva dynasty, and reigned from 1542 until his death in 1570. During most of his reign, Rama Raya was the de facto ruler of the state and created strategic al ...
became the new emperor. Rama Raya became the
imperial regent and let very little governance in the hands of Sadasiva Raya.
The Tiruvengalanatha temple was built at Vijayanagara during his reign. It has become popularly known by his name as
Achyutaraya temple, rather than by the name of the deity
Venkateswara
Venkateswara (, ), also known as Venkatachalapati, Venkata, Balaji and Srinivasa, is a Hindu deity, described as a form or avatar of the god Vishnu. He is the presiding deity of Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala, Venkateswara Temple, Tirupati. Hi ...
to whom the temple was dedicated.
File:Shiva temple (1539 AD) at Timmalapura.jpg, The Shiva temple at Timmalapura was constructed in 1539 CE during the reign of Achyuta Deva Raya
File:Kannada inscription of 1539 AD at Shiva temple in Timmalapura.jpg, Kannada inscription of emperor Achyuta Deva Raya dated 1539 CE in the Shiva temple in Timmalapura
File:Kannada inscription of Achuta Raya (1536 AD) at Vitthala temple in Hampi.JPG, Kannada inscription (1536 CE) of emperor Achyuta Deva Raya on molding of Vittala temple in Hampi
File:Kannada inscription (1536 AD) of Achyuta Raya at entrance to Vitthala temple in Hampi.JPG, Kannada inscription (1536 CE) of emperor Achyuta Deva Raya at the Vittala temple in Hampi
File:View from within the Shiva temple at Timmalapura 2.jpg, Shiva temple built by emperor Achyuta Deva Raya at Timmalapura near Hampi
References
* Prof
K. A. Nilakanta Sastri, ''History of South India, From Prehistoric times to fall of Vijayanagar'', 1955, OUP, New Delhi (Reprinted 2002)
External links
CoinsPictures of temple on HampiOnline.comAchyuta Rayas Temple Photographs, 2013Learn more about Achyutaraya Temple on HampiOnline.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raya, Achyuta Deva
Year of birth missing
1542 deaths
16th-century Indian monarchs
Hindu monarchs
Indian Hindus
Vijayanagara emperors
Tuluva dynasty