Harihara I – The founder of Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire was established by Harihara I, also known as Hakka and Vira Harihara I, who reigned it from 1336 to 1356 CE. The Sangama dynasty, the first of the four dynasties to rule the empire, was established by him and his descendants. He was the oldest child of Bhavana Sangama, the Yadava-ancestry head of a cowherd pastoralist tribe.
History and Origin
The early lives of Hakka and his brother Bukka are mostly unknown, and the majority of narratives are conjectural. Theoretically, the Kakatiya King of Warangal's army was led by Bukka and Hakka as generals. Bukka and his brother were captured as prisoners and sent to Delhi after Muhammad bin Tughlaq had overthrown the King of Warangal, where they both underwent conversion to Islam. After ultimately making their way out and reconverting to Hinduism under the guidance of the sage Vidyaranya, Bukka, and his brother established the Vijayanagara Empire.
Ballappa Dandanayaka, a descendant of Hoysala king Veera Ballala III, wed a Harihara family member. This demonstrates that Harihara had ties to the Hoysala Court. He constructed a fort at Barkur, on the west coast of modern-day Karnataka, as soon as he came into power. According to inscriptions, he presided over the northern regions of modern-day Karnataka in 1339 from his throne in Gooty (Gutti), Anantapur district. When Hoysala Veera Ballala III died in 1343, he first held control over the Hoysala Empire's northern regions before assuming total command over the entire empire.
Among his brothers, Marappa was in charge of Chandragutti, Kampana was in charge of Nellore, Muddppa was in charge of Mulbagal, and Bukka Raya was his deputy.
His early military successes gave him authority over the Tungabhadra River basin, and he gradually extended that power to some areas of the Konkan and Malabar Coast. By that point, Veera Ballala III of the Hoysala Empire had perished in battle against the Sultan of Madurai, and the resulting power vacuum allowed Harihara to rise to independence and unify all of the Hoysala territories under his control.
According to a 1346 inscription referring to a donation to the Sringeri matha, Harihara I was the king of the "whole country between the eastern and the western seas" and Vidya Nagara, or "the city of learning," served as his capital.
After Harihara I, his brother Bukka I took over as the Sangama dynasty's fifth ruler (Panchangam), and he quickly established himself as the most notable of the five.
Reign of Harihara I
Harihara was a competent leader. The first state in southern India to exercise political control over three significant language and cultural areas and to forge some semblance of political unification amongst them was Vijayanagar. While centrifugal tendencies frequently surfaced, the administration of the kingdom sporadically achieved some degree of centralisation. As new lands were conquered, they were added to the Sangama brothers' original five rajyas (provinces). Although not with the virtual autonomy that some historians have suggested, a complex mosaic of rival chiefly houses exercised power within and between these regions.
The central government had both a military and a revenue side, but the provincial governors and their staffers were mostly in charge of collecting taxes and raising troops. Although the central government only kept a small number of troops, it valued the lands that the provincial governors held and decided how many troops would be paid for from the revenues of each province.
Harihara was well aware of the threats that Delhi's sultans and Hindu rival rulers posed to the Parvenu empire. To stave off attacks from the kings of Delhi, he fortified the ancient fort of Badami. To protect himself against Hoysala rulers, he fortified Gooty in the Anantapur District.
He also placed his younger brother Kampana in command of Udayagiri, turning it into a formidable fort. Anantarasa Chikka Udaiya, one of his capable ministers, assisted him in reforming the civil government, which lasted for more than 200 years. To raise soldiers and keep control over regional leaders, military commanders were given the titles of "nayaka" (local governor) and provided revenue from estates under the nayankara system.
He coerced the farmers into clearing the forest and cultivating the land to boost the state's resources. There were sthalas, nadus, and simas in the realm. To manage the administration and collect the money, several officers were selected.
The first ruler of the young country was Harihar. After his death, his brother assumed control. Bukka was an effective administrator who had cordial relations with adjacent kingdoms. He sent an emissary to China as part of his diplomatic plan of action. However, their frequent wars with the Bahmani kingdom were brought on by their burgeoning power. After his passing, Bukka's nephew and Harihar's son, Harihara II, assumed the throne.
