In terms of Vijayanagara kings, who tried to play off one Sultan against another that led the Sultans to combine together and decisively defeat him?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Rama Raya
Relations between Vijayanagara and the Deccan Sultanates were not always hostile, and each side was keen to keep the other stable. This changed with the adventurous policy of Rama Raya, the chief minister of Vijayanagara, who tried to play off one Sultan against another. The Sultans combined against him, and in 1565 the armies of Bijapur, Ahmadnagar and Golconda routed his forces at Rakshasi-Tangadi (Talikota). The city of Vijayanagara was sacked and abandoned within a few years.
NCERT (2025-26): “2.2 The apogee and decline of the empire … Eventually this led to an alliance of the Sultanates against Vijayanagara. In 1565 Rama Raya, the chief minister of Vijayanagara, led the army into battle at Rakshasi-Tangadi (also known as Talikota), where his forces were routed by the combined armies of Bijapur, Ahmadnagar and Golconda. The victorious armies sacked the city of Vijayanagara. The city was totally abandoned within a few years.… 2.2 The apogee and decline of the empire … Although the armies of the Sultans were responsible for the destruction of the city of Vijayanagara, relations between the Sultans and the rayas were not always or inevitably hostile, in spite of religious differences. Krishnadeva Raya, for example, supported some claimants to power in the Sultanates and took pride in the title ‘establisher of the Yavana kingdom’. Similarly, the Sultan of Bijapur intervened to resolve succession disputes in Vijayanagara following the death of Krishnadeva Raya. In fact the Vijayanagara kings were keen to ensure the stability of the Sultanates and vice versa. It was the adventurous policy of Rama Raya who tried to play off one Sultan against another that led the Sultans to combine together and decisively defeat him.” |