Fernao Nuniz, a Portuguese-Jewish traveller, chronicler and horse trader visited India and spent three years in Vijayanagara.[3]
Achyutaraya patronised the
Rama Raya
, a son-in-law of Krishnadevaraya. His wife's name was probably Vasudha Devi. Sadasiva Raya was probably the son of Vasudha Devi's sister Hemavati and her husband Ranga Raya.
Reign
The time when Achyuta Deva Raya became the emperor was by no means a favorable one. The peace and prosperity of the halcyon days under Krishnadevaraya were coming to an end. Feudatories and enemies were waiting for an opportunity to bring down the empire. In addition, Achyuta Deva Raya had to contend with the powerful Rama Raya, who was competing for the throne.
While the works of Nuniz speak very lowly of Achyuta Deva Raya as being a monarch given to vices and cruelty, there is enough evidence to prove that the emperor was indeed noteworthy in his own right and fought hard to keep the prosperity of the empire alive. He had been personally chosen by Krishnadevaraya himself as a capable successor, handpicked to assume the imperial throne.[4]
The
Tungabhadra and recaptured the forts of Raichur and Mudgal successfully.[6]
The two Sanskrit works Achyutarayabhyudaya (lit.'Exaltation of Achyutaraya') and Varadambikaparinaya (lit.'Wedding of Varadambika') describe the emperor's life and reign in detail.[7]
Throughout his rule, Achyuta Deva Raya had to contend with the manipulations of
Aliya Rama Raya
in the game of power sharing. This would further weaken the Empire. Around 1540 CE, Rama Raya imprisoned Achyuta Deva Raya in a coup.
In 1542 CE, Achyuta Deva Raya died, and was succeeded by his young son of Venkata I (Venkata Raya or Venkatadri Raya). But he was soon killed, and Sadasiva Raya became the new emperor. Rama Raya became the imperial regent and let very little governance in the hands of Sadasiva Raya.
The Tiruvengalanatha temple was built at Vijayanagara during his reign. It has become popularly known by his name as
Achyutaraya temple, rather than by the name of the deity Venkateswara
to whom the temple was dedicated.
References
^Ayyangar, Krishnaswamy (1919). Sources of Vijayanagar History. Chennai: University of Madras. p. 16.