Vijayanagara Series 8:When Telugu and Kannada people settled in Tamil Nadu, who was the emperor responsible for it?

 When Telugu and Kannada people settled in Tamil Nadu, who was the emperor responsible for it?

1.Migration of Telugus, started from 14 th century onwards.

2.Large scale army migration took place in two trenches:

i) The early army was sent to liberate Madurai, Kanchi and Sri Rangam from Madurai Sultanate in 1378.

The emperor responsible for initiation is

Bukka Raya brother of Hari Hara Raya

The commander who achieved the feet to liberate Madurai, Sri Rangam, Kanchi from Madurai Sultanate on the advise of his wife Ganga Devi is

Prince Kumara Kampanna S/O Bukka Raya

ii) The later army was sent from Vijayanagara, When a Governor of Thanjavur, Nagama Naicker declared himself as King of Thanjavur against the wishes of Vijayanagara Emperor.

The emperor responsible for sending the army was Krishna Devaraya.

The commander who achieved the feet to defeat his father Nagama Naicker was Viswanatha Naicker in 1529.

There was a sequal in Weekly magazine Kalki, like Ponniyin Selvan, in 1980s, titled “Aala Pirandhavan”. You may read it for detailed account.

History:

Malik Kafur, a Slave General of Alauddin Khilji, invaded Southern Part of India and obtained large number of treasures, elephants and horses for Delhi.

He defeated Yadavas in 1308.

He defeated Kakatiyas in 1310.

He defeated Hoysalas in 1311.

He defeated Pandyas in 1311, ransacking the temple towers of Madurai and destroyed Sri Rangam, Kanchi.

Madurai was under Sultanate rule.

The circumstances in which Telugus migrated to liberate Madurai from Sultans is detailed here:

Mohan N R's answer to Why were not Tamil people massacred during the Sultanate of Madurai or the Islamic reign of Delhi Sultanate's Alauddin Khilji?

Legends from History:

Kanchi was the Study Centre for Hindus at that point in time on the lines of Nalandha, Taxila. Sanskrit was a medium of study and students from all over enrolled there. The Alumni of Kanchi included Vidayaranya (Madhvacharya) of Shringeri. Destruction of Kanchi ignited of forming a Hindu Empire of Vijayanagara Kingdom.

The city of Hampi was construted and funded from treasure shown by Goddess Sri Bhuvaneswari.

Vijayanagara Empire ousted the Madurai Sultanate in 1371.

Maduari: According to one poetic legen, Ganga Devi, the wife of Kumara Kampanna gave him a sword, urged him to liberate Madurai, right the vast wrongs, and reopen the Meenakshi temple out of its ruins. The Vijayanagara rulers succeeded, removed the ruins and reopened the temple for active worship.

Trichy: Sri Rangam idols for secretly taken through villages of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka to Tirupati. They remained there (in Ranga Mandapam in South East Corner of the temple) till the Sri Rangam Temple rebuilt in 1371.

Sri Ranganathar and Ranganayaki images were brought back to Srirangam.The idol was consecrated again and the site became an Hindu temple again in 1371 CE under Kumara Kampana, a Vijayanagara commander and the son of Bukka Raya.

It took, under Vijayanagara Empire, Madurai Naickers and Thanjavoor Naickers over 200 years of stability, repairs, first round of fortifications, and addition of mandapas.

Today, the temple occupies an area of 155 acres with 50 shrines, 21 towers, 39 pavilions and many water tanks integrated into the complex making it the world's largest functioning Hindu temple.

During Achuta Devarayas time, the empire under his rule was vast, from East coast to West Coast and from Hampi to Travancore.

He is more religious of all emperors. It was said that Invaders attack regions to loot treasures, Achuta Deva Raya conquer regions to endow gifts to Temples. He endowed gifts to Kanchi Ekambareswar, Perumal kovil, Reconstruction of Chidambaram Govindaraja Swamy Temple- name any temple in Thondai Mandalam- one may find his involvement. When he died in 1542, the Sri Rangam Rajagopuram works stopped due to his personal funding. It remained as mottai gopuram for over 300 years till 1987.

Madurai, Thanjavur, Chenji, Mysore and Chandragiri (Tirupati) were feudatories to Vijayanagara Empire.

Vijayanagara Empire lasted till 1646.

Madurai Naicker Kingdom lasted till 1739.

Kandy Nayak Kingdom lasted till 1811.

The good part is their administration. They divided their kingdoms into polypats.

The court language were Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Sanskrit.

One example is the inscriptions in Tirupati is Tamil till 1646, and in Telugu from 1646 on the hands of Marathas, Nawabs, Nizams and British.

Today, if you can find Our Temple Towers pointing to the Sky, it is only due to the Vijayanagara Emperors.

They safeguarded our architectural marvels.

They Reconstructed invaded temples.

They constructed extensions of halls /mandaps.

They initiated festivals like Meenakshi Thirukkalyanam.

They kept invaders in check.

Coming to the Migration-

Between 1336 till 1646, 29 Emperors ruled and migration of Tamils, Telugus, Kannadigas, Tulus all over the kingdom took place during 300 year rule of these 29 Emperors.

Further interesting reads

Mohan N R's answer to How did the Kamma Naidu caste become so powerful in India? What is the history of the Kamma Naidu caste?

Mohan N R's answer to What does it indicate that all the biggest Hindu temples in India are located in South India, more particularly in Tamil Nadu?