(i) Krishna Deva Raya was one of the most important rulers of the Vijayanagara empire. He founded the Tuluva dynasty. He was a great commander and an efficient administrator.
(ii) He fought a series of wars with the independent kingdoms that came on the ruins of the Bahamani kingdom, maintained law and order and dealt with the Portuguese influence in the Deccan.
(iii) He completely shattered the Adil Shahi forces of Bijapur first and attacked Gulbarga and set free three Bahamani princes who were imprisoned there. He helped them in recovering the throne of Gulbarga and Krishna Deva himself took the title of Yavanarajya sthapanacharya.
(iv) Krishna Deva Raya built some fine stone temples and added impressive gopurams or gateways to many important south Indian temples.
(v) He also founded a suburban township near Vijayanagara called Nagalapuram after his mother. The famous temple of Tirupati developed during his period greatly as the deity there was his titular deity.
(vi) After Krishna Deva Raya, his brother Achyuta Deva Raya ascended the throne in 1530 AD, who was also an important ruler. During his reign the rival groups began to make an appearance.
(vii) The struggle for power was mainly between Saluva Vira Narasimha and Aravidu Rama Raya, in which the later emerged victorious. Although Rama Raya did not assume the throne, he placed Sadasiva Raya on the throne and ruled as the de facto ruler. He removed the old nobility and replaced it with those loyal to him.
(viii) Rama Raya tried to balance the Deccan powers by playing one against the other, such a policy could not continue for a long period.
(ix) The Deccan states formed a confederacy and inflicted a crushing blow on the Vijayanagara armies in the battle of Talikota. Rama Raya was killed. The Deccani armies entered Vijayanagara and reduced it into ruins. Now the focus shifted to the east where the Aravidu dynasty ruled from Penukonda and later from Chandragiri (near Tirupati).
