Venkata I (reigned 1542–1543), also known as Venkata Raya and Venkatadri Raya, was an

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 ...

from the Tuluva Dynasty. He was the son of Emperor Achyuta Deva Raya, whom he succeeded in 1542.

Life

An underage Venkata Raya succeeded his father, the Emperor

Achyuta Deva Raya Achyuta Deva Raya (r. 1529 - 1542 CE) was a emperor of Vijayanagara 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 ...

as the

and his maternal uncle Salakaraju Chinna Tirumala (Salakaraju Chinna Timmalayyadéva or Salakaraja Chinna Tirumalayyadeva) became the imperial regent. Salakaraju assassinated all the claimants to the throne including Venkata Raya and assumed full imperial powers. Only

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 ...

(son of Ranga Raya), who had hidden himself in the fort of Gutti, escaped. As soon as Salakaraju heard about the plans of Aliya Rama Raya and his brothers ( Tirumala Deva Raya and Venkatadri Raya) to dethrone him, he invited the Turko-Persian Sultan of Bijapur

Ibrahim Adil Shah I Ibrahim Adil Shah I (; ) was sultan of the Indian Sultanate of Bijapur. He succeeded his elder brother, Mallu Adil Shah, through the machinations of the Afaqi faction at the court. He was the first Adil Shahi ruler to assume the royal title ...

and placed him on the imperial throne of Vijayanagara for seven days. This was too much for the nobility of the

empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

to tolerate. But they acted cleverly, offered full support to Salakaraju and requested him to send away

which he did after paying him a suitable compensation. In 1543, Aliya Rama Raya and his supporters marched into

Vijayanagara Vijayanagara () is a city located in Vijayanagara district of Karnataka state in India.Vijayanagara

, killed Salakaraju and placed
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 ...
on the throne.

References
* Prof K.A. Nilakanta Sastry, History of South India, From Prehistoric times to fall of Vijayanagar, 1955, OUP, New Delhi (Reprinted 2002) {{DEFAULTSORT:Raya, Venkata 16th-century Indian monarchs 1542 deaths Vijayanagara emperors Tuluva dynasty Indian Hindus Hindu monarchs Year of birth unknown