Battle of Talikota

Battle of Talikota
Part of Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent
Date23 January, 1565
LocationTalikota in present day Karnataka
16°28′23.9″N 76°18′42.6″E / 16.473306°N 76.311833°E / 16.473306; 76.311833Coordinates: 16°28′23.9″N 76°18′42.6″E / 16.473306°N 76.311833°E / 16.473306; 76.311833
Result Decisive Deccan sultanates victory
Belligerents

Deccan sultanates

 Vijayanagara Empire
Commanders and leaders
Strength
80,000 infantry (Beydurs)[1]
30,000 cavalry[1]
several dozen artillery cannons[1]		 140,000 foot, 10,000 horse and over 100 War elephants[1]
Casualties and losses
70,000 - 80,000 100,000 including Rama Raya

The Battle of Talikota 23 January, Tuesday,1565 was a watershed battle fought between the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire and the Islamic Deccan sultanates. The battle took place at Talikota, today a town in northern Karnataka, about 80 kilometres (50 mi) to the southeast from the city of Bijapur. The treacherous defeat of Vijayanagara Empire, followed subsequent destruction and looting which became short lived before the mighty successors of Rama Raya. Berar' Imad shahis and brothers named Tirumala and Venkatadri were not the part of Battle of Talikota.

The battle

Battle of Talikota.

The Sultanates to the north of Vijayanagara united and attacked Rama Raya's army, on 23 Jan 1565, in a war known as the Battle of Talikota.[2] The armies clashed on the plains near the villages of Rakshasi and Tangadi.[3]

The Vijayanagara army was winning the war, state Hermann Kulke and Dietmar Rothermund, but suddenly two Muslim generals of the Vijayanagara army switched sides and turned their loyalty to the united Sultanates. They captured Rama Raya and beheaded him on the spot, with Sultan Hussain on the Sultanates side joining them.[4][5] The beheading of Rama Raya created confusion and havoc and in the still loyal portions of the Vijayanagara army, which were then completely routed. The Sultanates' army plundered Hampi and reduced it into ruins.[6]. But later, the successors of Rama Raya retaliated vigourously and inflicted such continuous defeats on Bijapur and Golconda Sultanates that they couldn't even shake the empire till the interference of Mughals in South India in 1640s. Entire territory south of Krishna which is present day Andhra Pradesh (except Telangana region) was recaptured by the Vijayanagar empire. Even as the empire resolved in 1650 another Hindu power was slowly growing in the form of Marathas who would later deliver the death blow to Adil Shahi sultanate and make Golconda sultanate accept their superiority without bloodshed.

Assessment of the battle's outcome

The "Malik-i-Maidan" (Master of the Field) cannon, stated to be the largest piece of cast bronze ordnance in the world,[7] was utilized by the Deccan Sultanates during the Battle of Talikota. It was provided by Ali Adil Shah I (Bijapur Sultanate)

According to Shastri, the greatest factor was the betrayal of the Vijaynagara Army by two Muslim commanders (Gilani Brothers). At the critical point of the war, Muslim officers in the Vijayanagara army launched a subversive attack. Suddenly Rama Raya found himself surprised when the two Muslim divisions in his ranks turned against him.[8]

Robert Sewell, in his book The Forgotten Empire, concludes thus - "With fire and sword, with crowbars and axes, they carried on day after day their work of destruction. Never perhaps in the history of the world has such havoc been wrought, and wrought so suddenly, on so splendid a city; teeming with a wealthy and industrious population in the full plenitude of prosperity one day, and on the next seized, pillaged, and reduced to ruins, amid scenes of savage massacre and horrors beggaring description."[9]

See also

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 India Today Collector's edition of History
  2. ↑ Eaton 2006, pp. 96-98.
  3. ↑ Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. p. 110. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.
  4. ↑ Hermann Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund (2004). A History of India. Routledge. p. 191. ISBN 978-0-415-32920-0., Quote: "When battle was joined in January 1565, it seemed to be turning in favor of Vijayanagara - suddenly, however, two Muslim generals of Vijayanagara changes sides. Rama Raya was taken prisoner and immediately beheaded."
  5. ↑ Eaton 2006, pp. 98, Quote: "Husain (...) ordered him beheaded on the spot, and his head stuffed with straw (for display).".
  6. ↑ Eaton 2006, pp. 98-101.
  7. ↑  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bijapur". Encyclopædia Britannica. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 927.
  8. ↑ K A Nilakanta Shastri History of South India p. 267
  9. ↑ "A Forgotten Empire: Vijayanagar; A Contribution to the History of India".
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