Kampili

The Kampili, called the Basnaga kingdom in some Muslim chronicles, were a short-lived Hindu ruling house of the early fourteenth century, holding the Tungabhadra valley around Ballari in northeastern Karnataka.

Their founder Singeya Nayaka III was a commander of the Hoysalas who declared independence around 1280. His son Kampilideva succeeded him in 1300 and resisted repeated northern invasions, ruling from the stronghold that later gave its name to the Kampili region.

In 1327 Muhammad bin Tughluq sent a large army under Malik Zada against him. Kampilideva fell and the court women performed jauhar, mass self-immolation, rather than surrender. The victors stuffed the king's body with straw and sent his head to Delhi as a trophy. The brothers Harihara and Bukka, who had served Kampilideva, were carried off to Delhi after the conquest and returned south to found Vijayanagara in 1336.