What is Harihara I?
'''Harihara I''', ([[1336]]-[[1356]] CE) also called '''Hakka ಹಕ್ಕ''' and ''Vira Harihara I'', was the founder of the [[Vijayanagara Empire|Vijayanagara empire]]. He was the eldest son of Bhavana Sangama and was founder of the [[Sangama Dynasty|Sangama dynasty]], the first among the four dynasties that ruled Vijayanagara. Immediately after coming to power, he built a fort at Barkuru, on the west coast of present day [[Karnataka]]. [[Kannada]] inscriptions of his time call him ''Karnataka Vidya Vilas'' (master of great knowledge and skills), ''Bhashegetappuvarayaraganda'' (punisher of those feudatories who do not keep their promise), ''Arirayavibhada'' (fire to enemy kings). Among his brothers, Kampana governed Nellur region, Muddppa administered Mulabagalu region, Marappa oversaw Chandragutti and [[Bukka]] Raya was his second in command. At first he conquered the valley of Tungabhadra River, then he expanded his control to certain regions of [[Konkan]] and [[Malabar Coast]]. By that time [[Hoysala Empire]] had lost its last ruler and Harihara I could gain power. An inscription of [[1346]] speaks of Harihara I as the ruler of “whole country between the [[Bay of Bengal|eastern]] and the [[Arabian Sea|western seas]], and the inscription describes ''Vidya Nagara'' (that is, the city of learning) as his capital. Harihara I was succeeded by [[Bukka|Bukka I]] who was the most distinguished amongst the five rulers (Panchasangamas) of the Sangama dynasty. {{Start box}} {{Succession box|title=[[Vijayanagar Empire]]|before=[[Veera Ballala III]]|after=[[Bukka|Bukka Raya]] |years=[[1336]] –[[1356]]}} {{end box}} ==References== * Dr. Suryanath U. Kamat, Concise history of Karnataka, MCC, Bangalore, 2001 (Reprinted 2002) * Chopra, P.N. T.K. Ravindran and N. Subrahmaniam.<u>History of South India</u>. S. Chand, 2003. {{ISBN|8121901537}} {{bio-stub}} [[Category:Indian monarchs]] [[Category:1336 births]] [[Category:1356 deaths]] [[Category:14th century in India]]