2020 has been an eventful year that most of us wish never happened in first place. The economic and human devastation that transpired across the globe so rapidly due to this deadly pandemic; is a grim reminder to each one of us to not take our fragile life, peace, material luxuries and the semblance of order in our daily lives for granted. So to all those asking me, when is the next episode or what it is about, I can assure you that it’s going to be very interesting. There is still a lot of...

Familial and succession politics of the empire constantly reproduced new political and kin alliances. In a world shaped by succession struggles and dynastic politics, shifting alliances made and unmade the Nayaka fortunes. With each new struggle at the royal court, an entire chain of political hierarchy stood to gain or lose.

The underlying tension within the empire was between Nayaka's role as a partner and that of a subordinate of the Raya.

To deal with the problem of oscillating loyalties and rebellion of the vassals coupled with the problems of logistics, a robust instrument of administrative control had to be innovated and put in place. And this came in the form of the Nayankara System.

Forced to become courtesans at an early age when they were dedicated for life to a deity, the community of women that history now refers to as Devadasis somehow managed to carve out a powerful social space for themselves. They left their mark on medieval art and literature, on sculpture, music and dance.

Symbols on coins remain a testament to the concepts that an issuing authority wished to project about itself throughout the area in which its coins were destined to circulate.

The legacy and history of Gandabherunda goes long way back to the times of Kadambas, Chalukyas and Hoysalas even before the advent of Vijayanagara Empire, which then adopted the motif into its pantheon of royal emblems.

As part of the research for this episode, one of my main sources has been Crispin Branfoot’s research papers by titles, “In a Land of Kings - Donors, Elite, and Temple Sculpture” published in 2011 and “Expanding Form: The Architectural Sculpture of the South India Temple from 1500-1700 CE”.

The prevailing dominant force on a global scale tends to set the rules of the conversations that take place between the dominant and the dominated. So a nation or a civilization irrespective of whether it calls the shots or not on a smaller scale, has to choose to toe the line if it has to be accepted as an legitimate participant at the geopolitical table at a global level.

“Eat what you like and dress to please others” - Arabic Proverb “In a change of clothing, people express their response to a changing world, and they claim, even create, a place within that world..Many phases and many choices are represented in the laborious passage from ‘national’ clothing to the sartorial proclamation of involvement in a wider, and different, social milieu.” - A Dutch Anthropologist

This monument spans the whole history of architectural, and more importantly sculptural traditions at Vijayanagara.

The picture that you can see in this episode’s cover art in your podcast player is the Vidyashankara Temple that’s located in Sringeri which is in the Chikamagalur District of Karnataka

Temples have been the lifeline of Bharath and our Indian Civilization for time immemorial. They aren’t mere dead structures made of stone and wood; they are much more than that. They are living and breathing organisms that say a lot, silently over the ages, as long as they have stood.

The resounding success against Adil Shah in the Raichur conflict also had far reaching impact even in the psychological aspects of both the rulers of Vijayanagara and Bijapur.

We begin the story with a background on the state of firearms and gunpowder technology in the Deccan; And the contributions of Portuguese to this with their own innovations

Geography is often ignored in the clash of civilizations or nations. But it silently shapes everything that sits on top of it and boxing them within the walls of options and limitations.

The foundation series would be incomplete without us exploring in depth the Vidyaranya-Sringeri connection with Sangamas and Vijayanagara.

Fate of Vijayanagara was sealed by a wandering Sadhu's call for alms.

Both the Bahamani and Vijayanagara rose almost at the same time, from the same conflicts with the same enemy, The Tuglaqhs.

The blood of the traitor and a former Sultan had now spilt on the Turquoise throne. If you liked this bonus bit and have piqued your interest, go ahead and hit play on the full episode, “Birth of A Nemesis” that explores the fall of Tughlaqs in Deccan and birth of the Bahmani kingdom.

Loss of Tughluqs is Bahmani's gain in the Deccan. This episode and the following one explore in depth the reasons for the fall of Tughluqs and rise of Bahmani.

FOUNDATION SPECIAL We will mainly try to understand how Harihara and Bukka burst onto the scene which was already being dominated by powerful forces like Veera Bhallala of Hoysala and Tughlaq Sultanate in the Deccan and the South.

Experience a little bit suspense, drama and tension before we jump into an epic near hour long full episode that goes super in depth in the birth of a glorious empire and crown jewel of South Indian History. It's handmade with love for all the fantastic listeners and history buffs out there.

A special shout out to these 4 reviewers: 1. Shiva Kumar Subramanian from India. 2. Chandrika from Bangalore, India. 3. Awesomesita user from USA. 4. PreetiUM user from USA.

We will explore the accounts, legends and evidence surrounding the founders of Vijayanagara, The Sangama Brothers. Harihara I and Bukka I are two enigmatic figures in the story of Vijayanagara's Origins. Without understanding all the narratives surrounding, one can never truly understand the birth of this glorious Hindu Empire and the Rise Of Sangamas.