Talikota

Talikota is a fortified town north of the Krishna River in the Deccan. Its name is remembered above all for the great battle of 1565, when an alliance of sultanates defeated Vijayanagara. Although the armies of the sultans gathered near Talikota, the decisive fighting took place farther south, beyond the Krishna, in the country associated with Rakkasagi and Tangadigi.

The rulers of Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, Golconda and Bidar joined forces against Rama Raya, the effective ruler of Vijayanagara. In January 1565 their armies met his forces; Rama Raya was captured and killed, and his army broke. The victors then plundered the imperial capital. Vijayanagara survived under the Aravidu dynasty with new capitals farther south, but the defeat ended its former position as the dominant power of southern India.