During the Kalinga campaign in 1516, having conquered Kondavidu, Kondapalli, he came to know of the glory of Andhra Maha Vishnu, and his temple located at Srikakulam in Krishna (not to be confused with the district called Srikakulam). Apparently there is a very interesting anecdote, related to Sri Krishna Deva Raya’s Amukta Malyada, the work he wrote in Telugu. The emperor himself was a renowned writer, who wrote Madalasa Charita, Satyavadu Parinaya, Rasamanjari and Jambavati Kalyana all in Sanskrit. Among other Kannada poets patronized by Sri Krishna Deva Raya were Mallanaraya, author of Veera Saivamruta and Bhava Chinta Ratna, Chattu Vitalanatha who wrote Bhagavata and Timmana Kavi, who eulogized him in Krishna Raya Bharata. He was the author of many memorable works like Nyayamritam on metaphysics, Tarkatandava on Logic. He sought his blessings before the Battle of Raichur, and listened to his preachings every day. Sri Krishna Deva Raya considered him his Kuladevata, and Rajaguru. On the invitation of Saluva Narasimha, he moved to Hampi around 1498, and when Sri Krishna Deva Raya ascended the throne, in 1509, his influence grew even more. He was a regular at the Vijayanagara court of Saluva Narasimha when he was at Chandragiri, and was looking after the Tirumala temple then. Hailing from Bannur in Mysore district, he studied for a very long time under Shripadaraja at Mulbagal. Respected even by his opponents, he had a very clear understanding and exposition of various schools of philosophy and was a master of debate and logic. Along with Jayathirtha, he was instrumental in systematizing Dwaita into a school of thought and was also the founder of the Haridasa cult. One of the most influential men of letters in his reign, was the great Madhava scholar Vyasathirtha, who, along with Madhwacharya and Jayathirtha, was one of the three spiritual lights or Muni trayam of Dwaita Vedanta philosophy. He was praised as “Narasimha Krishna Deva Raya” hearing whose name the Turks quivered and elephants ran away, by one of his poets Mukku Timanna. Krishna Deva Raya himself was a polyglot, fluent in Telugu, Kannada, Sanskrit, and Tuluva.

While his reign is described often as the Golden Age of Telugu Literature, equal patronage was also given to Kannada, Tamil, and Sanskrit authors and writers. It was where all the writers, poets, artistes, and sculptors flocked to produce some of the finest works ever. In his reign, Vijayanagara was not only militarily and politically powerful, but was also a thriving center for learning and arts. Apart from being a renowned warrior and an able administrator, he was also an excellent writer, and a patron of arts and culture. His rule, which was marked by victories, wealth, and prosperity, was a high point in the history of the Vijayanagara Empire. Sri Krishna Deva Raya was perhaps the tallest ruler produced by South India in the last thousand years.

Pandu ranga mahathyam