Hinduism - Who Is Harihara Of The Vijayanagar Empire?

 


Harihara (early 14th c.) - The founder of the Vijayanagar ("city of triumph") empire, which reigned over most of southern India for the next two centuries after it was founded in 1336.

The empire was named after Harihara's capital city, which was located near the modern-day city of Hampi in Karnataka.

Harihara was kidnapped as a child by Bahmani sultanate forces in the north and converted to Islam while in captivity, making him an outcast among conventional Hindus.

Harihara was dispatched as a young man to reclaim the sultanate's southern territory, but instead utilized the chance to establish his own empire.

Harihara reverted to Hinduism after obtaining power, despite having become an outcast for accepting Islam.

His case exemplifies both the mobility of religious identification in early medieval India and Hindu pragmatism in the face of the reigning forces.

Despite the fact that Harihara had previously been an outcast, his influence as monarch provided him the authority to convert without opposition. 


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