Description

The year 2009 – 2010 marked the 500th anniversary of the coronation of Krishnadevaraya, the greatest ruler of the Vijaynagara Empire. This volume is a tribute to this remarkable monarch (reign period: 1509 – 1529 CE) whose legacy endures to the present times. Many of the eminent scholars who are working on Vijayanagara City and Empire and /or on Vijayanagara’s successor states have contributed to this volume.

This book presents diverse facets of the history and developments of this period, including political history, literature, architecture, painting, music & dance, and urban development. Three papers deal with the interplay of religion and kingship during the Vijayanagara times. There are also papers that focus on the architecture of the successor states of Vijayanagara, as well as one that highlights the manner in which the legacy of Krishnadevaraya has been appropriated in recent times and another which outlines directions for future research on Vijayanagara.

Bringing together as it does some of the latest research on the lives and times of Krishnadevaraya, this book will be of much interest to scholars as well as students of medieval Indian history, art, architecture and religion, particularly to those focusing on South India.

Dr. Sr. Anila Verghese, the Editor of this volume, is an historian who has worked extensively on the world heritage site of Hampi – Vijaynagara and the wider area of the Vijayanagara Empire since 1985. She has written and published a number of monographs and books, among them Religious Traditions at Vijayanagara: Based on a study of the Monuments (1995) and Sculpture at Viyayanagara: Iconography & Style (Jointly with Dr Anna Dallapiccola) (1998). She is also the author of over fifty research papers.

Dr. Sr. Anila Verghese was the Principal of The Sophia College for Women, Bombay from 2001 to 2012.