SSC CGL History · Medieval India
Vijayanagara Empire
Vijayanagara's kings and visitors, its battle of Talikota, the titles and the people of the empire, and the Bahmani kingdom and the five Deccan sultanates that faced it.
Why this matters
Fifteen questions in the bank: 12 from the 2023 shifts and three from the 2025 shifts, and 12 of the 15 MODERATE or HARD. Most come straight from the NCERT Class 12 chapter on Vijayanagara: the amara-nayakas, the kudirai chettis, the three kinds of pati, and Krishnadeva Raya's book.
Concept 1 of 3: Kings, visitors and Talikota
Definition
In time order:
- Founded in 1336 by Harihara and Bukka.
- Deva Raya I: the Italian Nicolo de Conti visited. Deva Raya II: Abdur Razzaq, envoy of the Persian ruler Shah Rukh, came in 1443.
- Krishnadeva Raya (1509 to 1529): wrote the Telugu poem Amuktamalyada, the story of the saint Andal's devotion to Vishnu, with his views on statecraft. He built the suburb Nagalapuram, named after his mother.
- Carnatic music took its form at Vijayanagara: Purandara Dasa is called its father.
- Talikota (1565): the Deccan sultans of Bijapur, Ahmadnagar and Golconda defeated Rama Raya and sacked the city of Vijayanagara.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
Example 1 · Medieval India · Vijayanagara Empire
The victors at Talikota were not sacked
Concept 2 of 3: Titles and people of the empire
Definition
The terms:
- Historians say Vijayanagara Empire; people of the time called it the Karnataka Samrajyamu.
- Three kinds of ruler: the Rayas of Vijayanagara were narapati (lords of men), the Deccan Sultans ashvapati (lords of horses) and the Gajapatis of Odisha lords of elephants.
- Amara-nayakas: military commanders given territories to govern, who kept horses and elephants for the king.
- Kudirai chettis: local merchants who dealt in horses.
- Pattanulkars: silk weavers who came from Saurashtra in Gujarat.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
Example 2 · Medieval India · Vijayanagara Empire
Gajapati is Odisha's title
Concept 3 of 3: The Bahmani kingdom and the Deccan sultanates
Definition
The facts:
- Bahmani kingdom (1347): founded by Alauddin Hasan (Hasan Gangu), who took the title Bahman Shah; capital Gulbarga, later Bidar.
- It broke into five sultanates: Bijapur (Adil Shahi), Ahmadnagar (Nizam Shahi), Golconda (Qutb Shahi), Berar (Imad Shahi) and Bidar (Barid Shahi).
- Malik Ambar, an Abyssinian, was the regent of Ahmadnagar; he fought the Mughals and is known for his land revenue settlement.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
Example 3 · Medieval India · Vijayanagara Empire
Bidar is Barid Shahi, Berar is Imad Shahi
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (3)
Watch out for (3)
- The victors at Talikota were not sacked→ Kings, visitors and Talikota
- Gajapati is Odisha's title→ Titles and people of the empire
- Bidar is Barid Shahi, Berar is Imad Shahi→ The Bahmani kingdom and the Deccan sultanates
Test yourself on Medieval India
20 past SSC CGL questions from this chapter, timed at 12 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.