Who of the following founded a new city on the south bank of a tributary to river Krishna and undertook to rule his new kingdom as the agent of a deity to whom all the land south of the river Krishna was supposed to belong?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2015 Prelims]
(a) Amoghavarsha I
(b) Ballala II
(c) Harihara I
(d) Prataparudra II
Answer: (c)
Explanation:
- Harihara I, the founder of the Vijayanagara Empire, initially gained control over the Tungabhadra River valley, gradually expanding his dominion to certain regions of the Konkan and Malabar Coast.
- The demise of Madurai’s last ruler, Veera Ballala III, created a power vacuum that allowed Harihara I to emerge as a sovereign authority.
- Harihara I directly ruled over the entire Hoysala territories.
- Amoghavarsha I was a renowned king of the Rashtrakuta Dynasty, with a reign that lasted from 800 to 878 AD (some scholars suggest a reign of 62 years), making it one of the longest in history.
- Amoghavarsha I was a generous patron of the Digambara sect of Jains, actively supporting and promoting Jainism.
- Veera Ballal III was a ruler of Dwarasamudra from the Hoysala dynasty. He was defeated by the army of Allauddin Khilji.
- Prataparudra II, also known as Rudradeva II, was the final ruler of the Kakatiya dynasty. He governed the eastern region of Deccan, with Warangal as its capital. Prataparudra II succeeded his grandmother, Rudramadevi, as the Kakatiya monarch.
Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.
