Sriranga Deva Raya

Sriranga I (a.k.a Sriranga Deva Raya)(1572-1586 CE) was the king of Vijayanagara empire, from 1572-1586.He carried the restoration of the Vijayanagara empire, but his reign was marred with repeated attacks and loss of territories from his Muslim neighbours.

Ali Adil Shah in 1576 lay siege to his fort in Penukonda for three months, but at the end Sriranga I bought out the Adil Shah’s Hindu lieutenants, which helped his commanders defeat the Sultan’s army.

In 1579, Sultan’s new commander Murari Rao,a Maratha Brahmin ,launched a sudden plundering operation heading a large Muslim army. His hordes began systematically ravaging the territory south of the River Krishna with great ferocity. In late 1579, he ransacked the Ahobilam temple and laid waste to it. He uprooted an ancient ruby-studded idol of Vishnu made out of pure gold and sent it to the Sultan as gift.

Sriranga I hurried to parry the attack and defeated Murari Rao and his Golkonda raiders. By 1580, Sriranga I turned the tide and started chasing the Golkonda army northwards recovering the territory they had seized. In the process Murari Rao was captured but his life spared because of this brahminical origins.

Ibrahim Qutb Shah,the new Sultan was furious and decided to settle the matters himself and invaded Kondavidu with the rest of his army and took the Udayagiri fort. Then he launched a massive raid on Udayagiri and slaughtered the locals. But Sriranga I kept the fight on and repulsed Sultan’s army from Udayagiri after an initial retreat. Unfazed Qutb Shah struck at Vinukonda and seized the fort.Sriranga I along with Chennappa rushed to Vinukonda and after a fierce battle ,the Sultan’s army was defeated and sent back.Later Sriranga I’s troops under Chennappa stormed Kondavidu ,while the later died fighting even as he forced the Sultans army to retreat.

Despite the loss of territories which was higher this time, Sriranga I also had a difficult time with his un co-operative brothers and noble men and continued with limited resources as the Nayaks of Madurai and Gingee evaded on paying annual tributes.

Sriranga I died in 1586, without an heir and was succeeded by his youngest brother Venkatapathi Raya (Venkata II).

Reference

• Rao, Velcheru Narayana, and David Shulman, Sanjay Subrahmanyam. Symbols of substance : court and state in Nayaka period Tamilnadu (Delhi ; Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1998) ; xix, 349 p., [16] p. of plates : ill., maps ; 22 cm. ; Oxford India paperbacks ; Includes bibliographical references and index ; ISBN 0-19-564399-2.
• Sathianathaier, R. History of the Nayaks of Madura [microform] by R. Sathyanatha Aiyar ; edited for the University, with introduction and notes by S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar ([Madras] : Oxford University Press, 1924) ; see also ([London] : H. Milford, Oxford university press, 1924) ; xvi, 403 p. ; 21 cm. ; SAMP early 20th-century Indian books project item 10819.
• K.A. Nilakanta Sastry, History of South India, From Prehistoric times to fall of Vijayanagar, 1955, OUP, (Reprinted 2002).