Inscription on Vijayanagar king’s death discovered

Inscription on Vijayanagar king’s death discovered

Subject: Art and Culture

Context: The first ever Epigraphical reference to the date of death of Vijayanagar king Krishnadevaraya has been discovered at Honnenahalli in Tumakuru district.

Concept:

• According to it he died on October 17, 1529, Sunday, and incidentally this day was marked by a lunar eclipse. Normally, the death of kings in India has not been recorded in the inscriptions and this was one of those rare records
• The inscription is engraved on a slab kept on the north side of the Gopalakrishna temple at Honnenahalli in Tumakuru district and is written in Kannada.
• The Kalahasti inscription alsorefered to the date of Achyutaraya’s coronation as October 21, 1529 AD, post Krishnadeva Rai death.

About Krishnadeva Rai

• He was one of the greatest King in South India who ruled over Vijaynagarempire and belonged to the Tuluva dynasty.
• He is known for making some of the finest temples with addition of impressive gopurams.
• He also founded a suburban township near Vijayanagar called Nagalapuram
• He wrote Amuktamalyadam, a literary work in Telugu language which is considered one of the Panchakavyas of Telugu literature. He was conferred with the title Andhrabhoja for this.
• He wrote other important or notable literature such asMadalasaCharitra, Ushaparinayam, Jambavatiparinayam, Sakalakathasaram in Telugu language.
• He patronized AllasaniPeddana, who wrote Manucharitram in Telugu language which was in form of Prabandha.

About Vijaynagara empire:

• Vijayanagara or “city of victory” was both a city and an empire founded in 1336 AD by Harihara and Bukka of Sangama dynasty. Ruled by four dynasties: Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva, Aravidu
• They made Hampi as the capital city. In 1986, Hampi was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO.
• It stretched from the river Krishna in the north to the extreme south of the peninsula.