Harihara I

Harihara I (1306–1355), also called Hakka, was the eldest son of Bhavana Sangama and founder of the Vijayanagara Empire, ruling from 1336 until his death. One theory holds that he and his brother Bukka served the Kakatiya king of Warangal, were carried to Delhi after its fall, escaped and returned to Hinduism under sage Vidyaranya.

By 1339 inscriptions show him governing northern Karnataka from Gooty. When Veera Ballala III died fighting the Sultan of Madurai in 1343, Harihara took over all Hoysala territories and extended his rule to parts of the Konkan and Malabar coasts. Kannada inscriptions call him ‘fire to enemy kings’.

A 1346 Sringeri monastery grant calls him ruler of the country between the eastern and western seas, with Vidya Nagara as capital. He died on 20 November 1355 and was succeeded by Bukka, who moved the capital from Anegondi to Vijayanagara. The empire lasted until 1646.