# Vijayanagara Empire Founded (c. 1336)

URL: https://allhistories.com/hinduism/timeline/1336-vijayanagara-empire-founded
Location: Hampi, Karnataka
Themes: Politics

Brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I, who earlier served the Hoysala or Kampili rulers, found Vijayanagara on the Tungabhadra River in 1336. Tradition credits the sage Vidyaranya of Sringeri with guidance. The state defends South Indian Hindu society against sultanates, patronises temples and Sanskrit, Kannada and Telugu literature, and rules much of southern India for over two centuries. Its origins, whether Kannada or Telugu, are debated. Foreign travellers such as Nicolo de' Conti, Abdur Razzaq and Domingo Paes later describe its great wealth and cosmopolitan population.

## Why it matters
Vijayanagara became the great Hindu empire of the medieval south, preserving and developing temple culture and the Vedic tradition.

Paramount Power at the Time: [Muhammad bin Tughluq](https://allhistories.com/hinduism/rulers/muhammad-bin-tughluq)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Vijayanagara Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vijayanagara_Empire)
- [Wikipedia — Harihara I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harihara_I)
- [Wikipedia — Bukka Raya I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukka_Raya_I)
- [Wikipedia — Vidyaranya](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidyaranya)
- [UNESCO: Hampi](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/241)