Vijayanagara Empire

1336 – 1646
Map layer: Sultanates & Kingdoms

A great southern empire under the Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva and Aravidu dynasties.

🗺 Map at start (1336) Map at midpoint (1491) Zoomed timeline

Main polities of this period

NameTypeSpanRegionCapital
Vijayanagara Empire ★ Empire 1336 – 1646 South Vijayanagara (Hampi), later Penukonda / Chandragiri

Also existing during this period

Malwa Sultanate
Central · 1392 – 1562
Portuguese Cochin
Coastal · 1503 – 1663
Portuguese Estado da Índia
Coastal · 1505 – 1961
Portuguese Bassein & Bombay
Coastal · 1534 – 1739
Portuguese Diu
Coastal · 1535 – 1961
Portuguese Daman
Coastal · 1559 – 1961
Portuguese Hooghly
Coastal · 1579 – 1632
Dutch East India Company (VOC) in India
Coastal · 1605 – 1825
Dutch Coromandel (Pulicat)
Coastal · 1610 – 1825
Danish India
Coastal · 1620 – 1869
Danish Tranquebar
Coastal · 1620 – 1845
Fort St George, Madras
Coastal · 1639 – 1858
Bahmani Sultanate
Deccan · 1347 – 1527
Ahmadnagar Sultanate (Nizam Shahi)
Deccan · 1490 – 1636
Bijapur Sultanate (Adil Shahi)
Deccan · 1490 – 1686
Berar Sultanate (Imad Shahi)
Deccan · 1490 – 1574
Bidar Sultanate (Barid Shahi)
Deccan · 1492 – 1619
Golconda Sultanate (Qutb Shahi)
Deccan · 1518 – 1687
Eastern Ganga Dynasty
East · c. 1078 – 1434
Bengal Sultanate
East · 1352 – 1576
Gajapati Kingdom
East · 1434 – 1541
Jaunpur (Sharqi) Sultanate
Gangetic Plain · 1394 – 1479
Khasa Malla Kingdom
Himalaya · c. 1100 – c. 1400
Malla Dynasty of Nepal
Himalaya · 1201 – 1769
Gorkha Kingdom
Himalaya · 1559 – 1768
Bhutan under the Zhabdrung (Druk Desi)
Himalaya · 1616 – 1907
Sultanate of the Maldives
Islands · c. 1153 – 1968
Delhi Sultanate
North · 1206 – 1526
Kashmir Sultanate
North · 1339 – 1586
Mughal Empire
North · 1526 – 1857
Sur Empire
North · 1540 – 1556
Ahom Kingdom
Northeast · 1228 – 1826
Koch Kingdom (Kamata / Cooch Behar)
Northeast · 1515 – 1949
Soomra Dynasty
Northwest · c. 1026 – 1351
Samma Dynasty
Northwest · 1351 – 1524
Timurid Empire (Herat)
Northwest · 1370 – 1507
British East India Company
Pan-Indian · 1600 – 1858
Hoysala Empire
South · c. 1026 – 1343
Zamorins of Calicut
South · c. 1124 – 1766
Pandya Empire (Second Empire)
South · c. 1190 – 1345
Madurai Sultanate
South · 1335 – 1378
Kingdom of Mysore
South · 1399 – 1950
Madurai Nayaks
South · 1529 – 1736
Jaffna Kingdom
Sri Lanka · c. 1215 – 1619
Kingdom of Kotte
Sri Lanka · 1412 – 1597
Kingdom of Kandy
Sri Lanka · c. 1469 – 1815
Portuguese Ceylon
Sri Lanka · 1597 – 1658
Kachwahas of Amber (Jaipur)
West · c. 1128 – 1949
Marwar (Rathore)
West · c. 1226 – 1949
Mewar (Sisodia)
West · 1326 – 1949
Gujarat Sultanate
West · 1407 – 1573

Events

YearEventPolity
1336 Vijayanagara founded Sangama Dynasty
1343 Ibn Battuta serves as qadi in the Maldives Sultanate of the Maldives
1347 Bahmani Sultanate founded Bahmani Sultanate
1351 Firuz Shah Tughlaq becomes sultan Tughlaq Dynasty
1352 Ilyas Shah unifies Bengal Bengal Sultanate
1378 Vijayanagara annexes the Madurai Sultanate
Kumara Kampana's campaign ended the Madurai Sultanate.
Sangama Dynasty
1382 Jayasthiti Malla's reforms in Nepal Malla Dynasty of Nepal
1398 Timur sacks Delhi
Delhi was devastated and the Tughlaq sultanate never recovered.
Tughlaq Dynasty
1407 Gujarat Sultanate becomes independent Gujarat Sultanate
1411 Ahmedabad founded Gujarat Sultanate
1412 Parakramabahu VI unifies Sri Lanka from Kotte Kingdom of Kotte
1414 Khizr Khan founds the Sayyid dynasty Sayyid Dynasty
1420 Nicolò de' Conti visits Vijayanagara Sangama Dynasty
1443 Abdur Razzaq's embassy to Vijayanagara Sangama Dynasty
c. 1450 Kabir's poetry in Varanasi
c. 1450 Sixty Dome Mosque at Bagerhat Bengal Sultanate
1451 Bahlul Lodi founds the Lodi dynasty Lodi Dynasty
1459 Rao Jodha founds Jodhpur
Mehrangarh fort became the Rathore capital.
Marwar (Rathore)
1469 Birth of Guru Nanak
c. 1469 Kingdom of Kandy emerges Kingdom of Kandy
1482 Nepal valley divides into three Malla kingdoms Malla Dynasty of Nepal
1490 Bijapur and Ahmadnagar break from the Bahmanis Bijapur Sultanate (Adil Shahi)
1498 Vasco da Gama reaches Calicut
The direct sea route from Europe to India was opened.
Zamorins of Calicut
1504 Sikandar Lodi founds Agra
Agra became the Lodi and later Mughal capital.
Lodi Dynasty
1505 Portuguese reach Sri Lanka Kingdom of Kotte
1509 Krishnadevaraya's accession Tuluva Dynasty
1509 Battle of Diu
Portuguese naval supremacy in the Arabian Sea was established.
Portuguese Estado da Índia
1510 Portuguese capture Goa
Goa became the capital of the Portuguese Estado da Índia until 1961.
Portuguese Estado da Índia
1520 Krishnadevaraya takes Raichur
Vijayanagara won the Raichur doab from Bijapur.
Tuluva Dynasty
1526 First Battle of Panipat
Ibrahim Lodi was killed and Babur founded the Mughal Empire.
Mughal Empire
1527 Battle of Khanwa
Babur defeated Rana Sanga's Rajput confederacy, securing Mughal rule in the north.
Mughal Empire
1529 Battle of the Ghaghra
Babur defeated the Afghan chiefs of the east.
Mughal Empire
1530 Death of Babur; Humayun succeeds Mughal Empire
1535 Humayun takes Mandu and Champaner Mughal Empire
1539 Battle of Chausa
Humayun was defeated and escaped by swimming the Ganga.
Sur Empire
1540 Battle of Kannauj
Humayun fled into exile and Sher Shah founded the Sur Empire.
Sur Empire
1541 Rohtas Fort begun by Sher Shah Sur Empire
1545 Death of Sher Shah at Kalinjar Sur Empire
1555 Humayun recovers Delhi (Battle of Sirhind)
Humayun regained his throne from the Surs.
Mughal Empire
1556 Second Battle of Panipat
Hemu was captured and killed, securing Akbar's throne.
Mughal Empire
1558 Portuguese occupy Malé Portuguese Malé
1559 Drabya Shah founds the Gorkha kingdom Gorkha Kingdom
1564 Akbar abolishes the jizya Mughal Empire
1565 Battle of Talikota
Vijayanagara's army was routed and its capital Hampi was sacked.
Tuluva Dynasty
1568 Akbar takes Chittorgarh
Chittor fell and Rana Udai Singh moved his capital to Udaipur.
Mughal Empire
1571 Fatehpur Sikri founded Mughal Empire
1573 Akbar conquers Gujarat Mughal Empire
1573 Muhammad Thakurufaanu frees the Maldives
The Portuguese were expelled after fifteen years.
Sultanate of the Maldives
1576 Battle of Haldighati
The Mughals held the field but Maharana Pratap escaped to continue resisting.
Mewar (Sisodia)
1576 Battle of Rajmahal: Mughals take Bengal
Daud Khan Karrani was killed and Bengal became a Mughal province.
Mughal Empire
1580 Akbar organises the empire into subahs
The empire was divided into twelve provinces with uniform administration.
Mughal Empire
1582 Akbar's Din-i-Ilahi Mughal Empire
1586 Mughals annex Kashmir Mughal Empire
1591 Charminar built Golconda Sultanate (Qutb Shahi)
1600 East India Company chartered British East India Company
1601 Asirgarh falls to Akbar Mughal Empire
1602 Dutch East India Company (VOC) founded Dutch East India Company (VOC) in India
1604 Adi Granth installed at Harmandir Sahib
1605 Death of Akbar Mughal Empire
1606 Execution of Guru Arjan Dev
Sikhism began to take on a militant character under Guru Hargobind.
Mughal Empire
1611 English factory at Masulipatnam British East India Company
1612 Battle of Swally
The English defeated the Portuguese and won trading rights at Surat.
British East India Company
1615 Sir Thomas Roe at Jahangir's court Mughal Empire
1616 Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal arrives in Bhutan Bhutan under the Zhabdrung (Druk Desi)
1628 Shah Jahan becomes emperor Mughal Empire
1632 Taj Mahal construction begins Mughal Empire
1639 Fort St George founded at Madras Fort St George, Madras
1646 Last Vijayanagara stronghold falls Aravidu Dynasty

📚 Recommended reading for this era

Textbook

Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12)

NCERT · NCERT

Source-based chapters on Harappa, Vijayanagara, the Mughal court and 1857 — essential for UPSC.

NCERT basics UPSC Prelims UPSC Mains SSC State PSC
Textbook

History of Medieval India

Satish Chandra · Orient BlackSwan

The go-to single volume on the Sultanate, Mughals and regional kingdoms.

UPSC Prelims UPSC Mains SSC State PSC
Reference

A History of South India

K. A. Nilakanta Sastri · Oxford University Press

The classic survey of the south, from prehistory to the fall of Vijayanagara.

UPSC Mains State PSC General reading
Primary source / classic

A Forgotten Empire: Vijayanagar

Robert Sewell · Various reprints

Includes translations of the Portuguese travellers Paes and Nuniz on Vijayanagara.

General reading

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