Krishnadeva Raya, the king of Vijayanagar, was not only an accomplished scholar himself but was a also a great patron of learning and literature. Discuss.
Krishnadeva Raya is considered to be one of the greatest Indian kings and his rule is often regarded as golden period in history of South India. He was not only a great ruler but also had much to contribute to literature and culture.
Literary contributions of Krishnadeva Raya
- He wrote Amuktamalyadam, a literary work in Telugu language which is considered one of the Panchakavyas of Telugu literature. He was conferred with the title Andhrabhoja for this.
- He wrote other important or notable literature such asMadalasa Charitra, Ushaparinayam, Jambavatiparinayam, Sakalakathasaram in Telugu language.
Patronization of poets and literary scholars
- He patronised AllasaniPeddana, who wrote Manucharitram in Telugu language which was in form of Prabandha. He was thus called as ‘father of Prabandha‘.
- He was responsible for developing and nurturing Carnatic musical tradition by providing shelter to musicians such as VyasaRaya, who was the propagator of Haridasa movement in Karnataka.
- He encouraged classical dance forms such like Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi, which reached its height during the reign of Krishnadeva Raya.
Thus, Krishnadeva Raya’s rule can be considered as the watershed moment in South Indian literature history, which was able to emerge from the shadows of Sanskrit tradition and reach its current form.
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Krishnadevaraya was one of the greatest rulers of South India. He was the third ruler of the Tuluva dynasty and brought almost entire South India under his reign. He was bestowed with various titles such as Andhra Bhoja, Moory Rayara Ganda, Kannada Rajya Rama Ramana.
Krishnadevaraya was a man of many talents and took keen interest in art, literature and architecture. He had keen interest in Telgu and Sanskrit literature and wrote several works in these languages. His most famous work is Amukta Malyada, which is written in Telgu and describes the wedding of Vishnu and Andal. He wrote a drama in Sanskrit ‘Jambavati Kalyana’ and maintained a personal diary written in Kannada ‘ Krishnadevaraya DInachari’ . Apart form Jamabavati Kalyana written in Sanskrit, his works include – Madalasa Charita, Rasamanjari and Satyavadu Parinaya.
The Ashtadiggajas
Krishnadevaraya also patronised poets and scholars with expertise ranging from maths to literature. Ashtadiggajas or Eight poets are known to be a part of his court. The 8 poets include :
1. Allasani Peddana
2. Madayagiri Mallana
3. Dhurjati
4. Nandi Timmara
5. Ramaraja Bhushana
6. Pingali Surana
7. Tenali Ramakrishna
8. Ayyalaraju Rambhara
He also encouraged women to take up writing. Some of the famous works by women include the Varadambika Parinaya by Tirumalamba Devi in Sanskrit and Madhurvijayam written by Ganga Devi which describes the conquest of Madurai Sultanate.
Hence, we can see that the Krishnadevaraya was a great patron of literature and learning. His reign is described as the golden age of Telugu literature.
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