Mallikarjuna Raya
Encyclopedia
Mallikarjuna Raya was an emperor
of the Vijayanagara Empire
from the Sangama Dynasty
.
Mallikarjuna Raya succeeded his father Deva Raya II
, who had brought prosperity throughout the Vijayanagara empire
as well as a golden age for the Sangama Dynasty
. However, Mallikarjuna Raya was unlike his father, and was generally a weak and corrupt ruler.
At the beginning of his reign he defended the kingdom from the attacks of the Bahamani Sultan and the Gajapati Emperor of the Hindu empire of Kalinga-Utkal Orissa
, which then stretched from the Ganges to the Cauvery, but thereafter it was marked by a string of defeats: the Gajapatis conquered Rajamahendri in 1454, Udayagiri
and Chandragiri
in 1463 and the Bahamani kingdoms took over much of the Vijayanagara Empire
by 1450 and grew closer to the capital, while at the same time the Portuguese
arrived in southern India, seizing many of the ports on the western coast that the Vijayanagara Empire
had once controlled.
These events eventually led to the decline of the Sangama Dynasty
; Mallikarjuna Raya's cousin Virupaksha Raya II
took the opportunity to seize the throne, though he failed to prove a better ruler.
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
of the Vijayanagara Empire
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
from the Sangama Dynasty
Sangama Dynasty
The Sangama Dynasty was the first dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire. Founded by the brothers, Harihara I and Bukka Raya I, they were sons of Bhavana Sangama...
.
Mallikarjuna Raya succeeded his father Deva Raya II
Deva Raya II
Deva Raya II was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from the Sangama Dynasty. Perhaps the greatest of the Sangama dynasty rulers, he patronised some of the famous Kannada and Telugu poets of the time...
, who had brought prosperity throughout the Vijayanagara empire
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
as well as a golden age for the Sangama Dynasty
Sangama Dynasty
The Sangama Dynasty was the first dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire. Founded by the brothers, Harihara I and Bukka Raya I, they were sons of Bhavana Sangama...
. However, Mallikarjuna Raya was unlike his father, and was generally a weak and corrupt ruler.
At the beginning of his reign he defended the kingdom from the attacks of the Bahamani Sultan and the Gajapati Emperor of the Hindu empire of Kalinga-Utkal Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, which then stretched from the Ganges to the Cauvery, but thereafter it was marked by a string of defeats: the Gajapatis conquered Rajamahendri in 1454, Udayagiri
Udayagiri
Udayagiri is the name of many places in India, among them:*Udayagiri Fort, one in Tamil Nadu and the other in Andhra Pradesh...
and Chandragiri
Chandragiri
Chandragiri , is a suburb of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, India. Recently it is included under Municipal Corporation limits of Tirupati...
in 1463 and the Bahamani kingdoms took over much of the Vijayanagara Empire
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
by 1450 and grew closer to the capital, while at the same time the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
arrived in southern India, seizing many of the ports on the western coast that the Vijayanagara Empire
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
had once controlled.
These events eventually led to the decline of the Sangama Dynasty
Sangama Dynasty
The Sangama Dynasty was the first dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire. Founded by the brothers, Harihara I and Bukka Raya I, they were sons of Bhavana Sangama...
; Mallikarjuna Raya's cousin Virupaksha Raya II
Virupaksha Raya II
Virupaksha Raya II was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from the Sangama Dynasty.Virupaksha Raya II succeeded his uncle, Mallikarjuna Raya, a corrupt and weak ruler who continually lost against the empire's enemies. Even so, Virupaksha Raya II was no more of a better ruler than his predecessor...
took the opportunity to seize the throne, though he failed to prove a better ruler.