100px|Stone Chariot at the Vitthala Temple in Hampi
The Vijayanagara Empire was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts by the southern powers against Islamic invasions by the end of the 13th century. It lasted until 1646 although its power declined after a major military defeat in 1565 by the Deccan sultanates. The empire is named after its capital city of Vijayanagara (pictured), whose impressive ruins surround modern Hampi, now a World Heritage Site in modern Karnataka, India. The writings of medieval European travelers such as Domingo Paes, Fernão Nunes and Niccolò Da Conti and the literature in local vernaculars provide crucial information about its history. The empire's legacy includes many monuments spread over South India, the best known being the group at Hampi. Secular royal structures show the influence of the Northern Deccan Sultanate architecture. Efficient administration and vigorous overseas trade brought new technologies like water management systems for irrigation. The empire's patronage enabled fine arts and literature to reach new heights in the languages of Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Sanskrit, while Carnatic music evolved into its current form. The Vijayanagara Empire created an epoch in South Indian history that transcended regionalism by promoting Hinduism as a unifying factor. (more...) Recently featured: Cartman Gets an Anal Probe – Prince Louis of Battenberg – Titania Archive – By email – More featured articles... Read the rest of this article: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vijayanagara_Empire> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1887: The Dawes Act, a law meant to help the assimilation of Native Americans into American society but ended up having a negative effect instead, was signed by President Grover Cleveland. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawes_Act> 1915: Film director D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation was released, becoming one of the most influential and controversial films in the history of American cinema. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_a_Nation> 1950: The Stasi, the secret police of East Germany, was established. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stasi> 1965: After taking evasive action to avoid a mid-air collision just after takeoff from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, Eastern Air Lines Flight 663 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean and exploded, killing all 84 people on board. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Air_Lines_Flight_663> 2010: A freak storm in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan triggered a series of at least 36 avalanches, that buried over two miles (3.2 km) of road, killed at least 172 people and trapped over 2,000 travellers. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Salang_avalanches> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: hypocoristic (adj): Pertaining to a nickname, usually indicating intimacy with the person <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hypocoristic> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: There is no wealth but life. Life, including all its powers of love, of joy, and of admiration. That country is the richest which nourishes the greatest numbers of noble and happy human beings; that man is richest, who, having perfected the functions of his own life to the utmost, has also the widest helpful influence, both personal, and by means of his possessions, over the lives of others. --John Ruskin <http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Ruskin> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/daily-article-l Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
