Sadashiva Raya, Last Ruler of the Tuluva Dynasty
Krishnadeva Raya (r: 1509-1530) was the most famous ruler of the Tuluva dynasty of Vijayanagar. He was succeeded by his half-brother Achyuta Raya (r: 1530-1542). After Achyuta's reign, chaos ensued as Venkata (1542), the minor son of Achyuta Raya, and many other members of the royal family were assassinated by Achyuta's brother-in-law and minister, Salakam Timma Raju, who seized control of Vijayanagar.
Young Sadashiva, the nephew of Achyuta, managed to escape from Salakam Timma Raju and found safety in the fortress of Gutti. The oppressive rule of Salakam Timma Raju was eventually brought to an end by Aliya Rama Raya, the son-in-law of Krishnadeva Raya, who then took charge of the kingdom.
Tuluva Narasa Nayaka, the progenitor of the Tuluva dynasty, had three wives. Vira Narasimha Raya (r: 1505-1509) was the son of Narasa's first wife Tippamba. Krishna was the son of Narasa's second wife Nagala Devi. Narasa also had two sons, Ranga and Achyuta, with his third wife Obambika. Ranga had already passed away by the time Achyuta took the throne. As Sadashiva was Ranga's son, he had a stronger claim to the throne than Achyuta or his son.
Rama rescued prince Sadashiva, who had sought refuge in Gutti after the tragic events that befell the Tuluva family. Rama placed Sadashiva on the throne (r: 1542-1570), and became his regent.
During the early years from 1542 to 1550, Sadashiva was too young to rule, so Rama acted as regent. Inscriptions from this time referred to Rama as a minister or agent of Sadashiva Raya, indicating his subordinate position.
The second phase began around 1550 when Sadashiva Raya was old enough to rule but was instead imprisoned by Rama to prevent the king's interference in state affairs. According to Caesar Frederick, a Venetian merchant who visited Vijayanagar in 1567, Sadashiva, the rightful king, was only shown to his subjects once a year. During this period, Rama Raya presented himself as an equal to Sadashiva, almost like a joint ruler sharing the royal prestige.
Finally, after 1563 Rama stopped making references to Sadashiva in his inscriptions and instead assumed full imperial titles for himself. He virtually ruled the kingdom with the aid of his two brothers, Tirumala, the prime minister and Venkatadri, the Commander-in-chief.
Sadashiva Raya's rule was marked by significant military encounters, most notably the Battle of Raksas Tangadi, also known as Talikota, against the Deccan Sultanates (Ali Adil Shah, the Sultan of Bijapur, Ibrahim Qutub Shah, the Sultan of Golconda, Hussein Nizam Shah, the Sultan of Ahmednagar, and Ali Barid Shah, the Sultan of Bidar), which led to the kingdom's decline.
Rama Raya met his end in the Battle of Talikota in 1565. Rama's brothers, Tirumala and Venkatadri, managed to escape from the battlefield. The allied armies of the Sultans stayed in the battlefield for over ten days to collect valuable spoils.
When news of Rama Raya's defeat and execution reached Tirumala, he hurried back to the capital. After taking his family, relatives, his brothers' families, troops, treasury, and valuables, along with the puppet sovereign Sadashiva who was kept prisoner, Tirumala left Vijayanagar, most likely to Penukonda.
Portuguese historian Faria e Sousa remarks, "The inhabitants had in three days carried away 1550 elephants loaded with money and jewels to the amount of above one hundred millions of gold, and the royal chair for great days that could not be valued."
Following their victory, the Sultans marched to Vijayanagar where they remained for five-six months, destroying temples, homes, and other buildings. Upon amassing a vast amount of loot, they returned to their own kingdoms.
Tirumala returned to Vijayanagar after the Sultans left and attempted to repopulate the city. However, he struggled to restore its former prosperity. It seems that Sadashiva did not come back to Vijayanagar. Father Henry Heras proposed that Sadashiva may have been transferred to the nearby fortress of Chandragiri, possibly under the watch of Venkatadri or Venkata (Tirumala's son, the future emperor Venkata II).
Despite Tirumala's efforts, he was unable to bring back the city's glory. In 1567, Tirumala abandoned Vijayanagar for Penukonda, where he ruled the kingdom in Sadashiva's name.
Sadashiva Raya's death marked the end of the Tuluva dynasty. Tirumala Raya (r: 1570-1572) officially took the throne of Vijayanagar at Penukonda in 1570, establishing the Aravidu dynasty.
Young Sadashiva, the nephew of Achyuta, managed to escape from Salakam Timma Raju and found safety in the fortress of Gutti. The oppressive rule of Salakam Timma Raju was eventually brought to an end by Aliya Rama Raya, the son-in-law of Krishnadeva Raya, who then took charge of the kingdom.
Tuluva Narasa Nayaka, the progenitor of the Tuluva dynasty, had three wives. Vira Narasimha Raya (r: 1505-1509) was the son of Narasa's first wife Tippamba. Krishna was the son of Narasa's second wife Nagala Devi. Narasa also had two sons, Ranga and Achyuta, with his third wife Obambika. Ranga had already passed away by the time Achyuta took the throne. As Sadashiva was Ranga's son, he had a stronger claim to the throne than Achyuta or his son.
Rama rescued prince Sadashiva, who had sought refuge in Gutti after the tragic events that befell the Tuluva family. Rama placed Sadashiva on the throne (r: 1542-1570), and became his regent.
Rama Raya's Usurpation
Initially acting as the regent of Sadashiva, Rama Raya gradually assumed the role of the de facto ruler of the kingdom.During the early years from 1542 to 1550, Sadashiva was too young to rule, so Rama acted as regent. Inscriptions from this time referred to Rama as a minister or agent of Sadashiva Raya, indicating his subordinate position.
The second phase began around 1550 when Sadashiva Raya was old enough to rule but was instead imprisoned by Rama to prevent the king's interference in state affairs. According to Caesar Frederick, a Venetian merchant who visited Vijayanagar in 1567, Sadashiva, the rightful king, was only shown to his subjects once a year. During this period, Rama Raya presented himself as an equal to Sadashiva, almost like a joint ruler sharing the royal prestige.
Finally, after 1563 Rama stopped making references to Sadashiva in his inscriptions and instead assumed full imperial titles for himself. He virtually ruled the kingdom with the aid of his two brothers, Tirumala, the prime minister and Venkatadri, the Commander-in-chief.
Sadashiva Raya's rule was marked by significant military encounters, most notably the Battle of Raksas Tangadi, also known as Talikota, against the Deccan Sultanates (Ali Adil Shah, the Sultan of Bijapur, Ibrahim Qutub Shah, the Sultan of Golconda, Hussein Nizam Shah, the Sultan of Ahmednagar, and Ali Barid Shah, the Sultan of Bidar), which led to the kingdom's decline.
Rama Raya met his end in the Battle of Talikota in 1565. Rama's brothers, Tirumala and Venkatadri, managed to escape from the battlefield. The allied armies of the Sultans stayed in the battlefield for over ten days to collect valuable spoils.
When news of Rama Raya's defeat and execution reached Tirumala, he hurried back to the capital. After taking his family, relatives, his brothers' families, troops, treasury, and valuables, along with the puppet sovereign Sadashiva who was kept prisoner, Tirumala left Vijayanagar, most likely to Penukonda.
Portuguese historian Faria e Sousa remarks, "The inhabitants had in three days carried away 1550 elephants loaded with money and jewels to the amount of above one hundred millions of gold, and the royal chair for great days that could not be valued."
Following their victory, the Sultans marched to Vijayanagar where they remained for five-six months, destroying temples, homes, and other buildings. Upon amassing a vast amount of loot, they returned to their own kingdoms.
Tirumala returned to Vijayanagar after the Sultans left and attempted to repopulate the city. However, he struggled to restore its former prosperity. It seems that Sadashiva did not come back to Vijayanagar. Father Henry Heras proposed that Sadashiva may have been transferred to the nearby fortress of Chandragiri, possibly under the watch of Venkatadri or Venkata (Tirumala's son, the future emperor Venkata II).
Despite Tirumala's efforts, he was unable to bring back the city's glory. In 1567, Tirumala abandoned Vijayanagar for Penukonda, where he ruled the kingdom in Sadashiva's name.
What Happened to Sadashiva
The fate of Sadashiva Raya remains a mystery. He is believed to have died around 1570. In the opinion of Robert Sewell, Tirumala murdered Sadashiva. According to Frederick, one of Tirumala's sons, put to death Sadashiva Raya. "The son of this Tirumala had put to death the lawful king which he had in prison, for which cause the noblemen in that kingdom would not acknowledge him to be their king, and by this means there is many kings, and great division in that kingdom." Father Heras suspects that Tirumala's son Venkata, may have been responsible for the murder of the imprisoned king.Sadashiva Raya's death marked the end of the Tuluva dynasty. Tirumala Raya (r: 1570-1572) officially took the throne of Vijayanagar at Penukonda in 1570, establishing the Aravidu dynasty.
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