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continued.... Devaraya's two sons, Ramchandra and Vijaya, reigned briefly but disastrously. As a result of their wars, they lost much territory and were forced to pay enormous compensation. Devaraya II restored much of what had been lost and welcomed Muslims into his army. He extended his territory in the south and gathered tribute from Ceylon (Sri Lanka). But decline again set in under Mallikarjuna, who reigned from 1446 to 1465, and Virupaksha, who came to the throne in 1465. The kingdom suffered greatly from invasions by Orissa and the Bahmanis during this period. In 1485, a provincial governor called Narasimha set up a semi-independent realm of his own and began to restore some of Vijayanagar's losses. He pushed back Orissa, and when Virupaksha was murdered by his own son, Narasimha established Vijayanagar's second dynasty. Narasimha's chief minister, Narasa, was the real ruler from 1490 to 1503. Narasa completed the restoration of central power. In 1503, he placed his own son on the throne as Vira Narasimha, and so established the kingdom's third dynasty. Vira's brother Krishna Deva Raya, who reigned from 1509 to 1529, was the most successful of Vijayanagar's rulers. He intervened forcefully and successfully in the squabbles of his neighbours. He made a skilful alliance with the Portuguese, which brought him military and commercial benefit. Krishna Deva Raya was also a lavish and informed patron of learning and the arts. Achyuta Deva Raya, who came to the throne in 1529, faced threats from both outside and inside his kingdom. Throughout his reign he struggled to hold his realm together. He was also forced to share power with Rama Raya, his rebellious chief minister. In 1542, Rama Raya placed his nephew, Sadasiva, on the throne as a puppet king. Rama Raya intervened so much in the quarrels of neighbouring states that eventually he provoked the formation of a grand alliance against him. The alliance crushed the armies of Vijayanagar at the Battle of Talikota in 1565, sacked the capital, and killed Rama Raya. continued....
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