Harihar and Bukka Biography

Harihar and Bukka are two brothers who founded the independent Hindu kingdom of Vijaynagar. They were the sons of Sangama – a chieftain at the court of the Hoysala rulers. TheVijyanagar kingdom – situated on the southern bank of the river Tungabhadra, was perhaps the most famous empire in the history of South India.

Harihar and Bukka fought to check the Muslim aggression in South India. This was at the time when
the Tughlaqs were losing power in the Deccan. It is said that the brothers were highly inspired by two
famous Hindu sages – Madhav Vidyaranya and Sayana. Harihar and Bukka were actually converted to
Islam by Muhammad Bin Tughlaq but reverted to Hinduism to built the Hindu kingdom of Vijaynagar.

Harihar became the first king of the newly established kingdom. After his death his brother succeeded
him. Bukka was an able king and maintained diplomatic relations with the neighboring kingdoms. He
sent an emissary to China as a part of his diplomatic strategies. However their rising powers was the reason behind the frequent wars against the Bahmani kingdom.

After Bukka’s death, his nephew and Harihar’s son – Harihara II ascended the throne. He expanded the kingdom even further by conquering almost all of the South India.