Q2 · UPSC Civil Services Mains 2016 · GS I · 12 marks · 2 min read

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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.

Topic: Indian Heritage and Culture. Syllabus: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times. Same official PYQ from year-wise 2016 and Indian Heritage and Culture.

Revision summary

He ruled Vijayanagara from 1509 to 1529 and wrote the Telugu Amuktamalyada as Andhra Bhoja. Sanskrit court drama and shastra sat beside that Telugu kavya. Allasani Peddana and the Ashtadiggajas made the capital a Telugu literary peak. Kannada, Tamil, and temple mathas also took grants. War treasure and a multi-lingual empire made patronage a tool of kingship.

Model answer

Flow diagram

flowchart TD
  K[Krishnadeva Raya] --> W[Amuktamalyada Sanskrit plays]
  K --> P[Ashtadiggajas Peddana]
  K --> T[Telugu Kannada Tamil mathas]
  W --> C[Scholar-patron court]
  P --> C
  T --> C

Conclusion

  • Discuss both the king’s own Telugu-Sanskrit output and the Ashtadiggaja system, with Peddana as the named proof.
  • Treat learning as part of Vijayanagara kingship, funded by agrarian and war surplus, not as a side-light to battles.

Krishnadeva Raya was a scholar-king who wrote Amuktamalyada and a patron who gathered the Ashtadiggajas and temple learned men. Vijayanagara’s fame in letters rests on that double role, which turned conquest into a court of many languages.

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