Raya: Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara

In 1509 Krishnadevaraya, a prince from humble origins, ascended the throne of Vijayanagara. The empire he inherited was weak from two messy dynastic successions, and ambitious enemy kings loomed large on all sides a haughty king of Orissa in the east, five upstart Deccan sultans to the north, revolting Tamil rajas in the south and enterprising Portuguese soldiers from the west. But Krishnadevaraya quickly rose to the challenge, and in the course of his remarkable twenty-year reign, he changed history forever. He won every single battle he fought and unified the whole of south India under his banner. This fascinating and riveting book is meticulously researched and beautifully written. Based on Portuguese and Persian chronicles, as well as many overlooked Telugu literary sources, Raya is the definitive biography of one of the worlds greatest leaders.