# Rama Deva Raya

Vijayanagara Empire :
Ruling dynasties :
Sangama dynastyHarihara I1336–1356Bukka Raya I1356–1377Harihara Raya II1377–1404Virupaksha Raya1404–1405Bukka Raya II1405–1406Deva Raya I1406–1422Ramachandra Raya1422Vira Vijaya Bukka Raya1422–1424Deva Raya II1424–1446Mallikarjuna Raya1446–1465Virupaksha Raya II1465–1485Praudha Raya1485 :
Saluva dynastySaluva Narasimha Deva Raya1485–1491Thimma Bhupala1491Narasimha Raya II1491–1505 :
Tuluva dynastyTuluva Narasa Nayaka1491–1503Vira Narasimha Raya1503–1509Krishna Deva Raya1509–1529Achyuta Deva Raya1529–1542Venkata I1542Sadasiva Raya1542–1570 :
Aravidu dynastyRama Raya1542–1565Tirumala Deva Raya1565–1572Sriranga I1572–1586Venkata II1586–1614Sriranga II1614Rama Deva Raya1617–1632Venkata III1632–1642Sriranga III1642–1646 :
vte :
Rama Deva Raya (or Vira Rama Deva Raya) (reigned 1617–1632) ascended the throne after a gruesome war in 1617 as the Emperor of Vijaynagara. In 1614, his father Sriranga II, who was the preceding emperor, and his family were murdered by rival factions headed by Jagga Raya, who was one of their kins. Rama Deva himself was smuggled out of the prison by Yachama Naidu, a faithful commander and the viceroy of earlier emperor Venkata II.

## Civil War

Jagga Raya made a claim of a putative son of Venkata II’s queens as the King, which was strongly challenged by Yachama Naidu, the leading general in the imperial army and the Nayak of Kalahasti, who claimed the throne for Rama Deva, the rightful heir. In a long-drawn battle between the two factions in which the whole of the kingdom took part, Jagga Raya would be slain and his Gobburi estates in south west of Nellore in present-day Chennai, Chengelpet seized by Yachama Naidu.

## Battle of Toppur

The defeated Jagga Raya sought refuge in the jungle but bounced back and sought help from the Nayaks of Gingee and Madurai, both eager to get out of the Vijayanagara bond, to attack Yachama Naidu and Rama Deva. Yachama Naidu and Ramadeva sought support from the Tanjore Nayaks, who still treated the Vijayanagar as their authority.

### Armies

Jagga Raya and his allies, the Nayaks of Madurai, Gingee and Chera ruler, chieftains of Madurai, and some Portuguese from the coast assembled a large army near Tiruchirapalli. Yachama led his forces from Vellore and was joined in midway by Tanjore forces headed by the Tanjore King Raghunatha Nayaka. Yachama - Tanjore forces were further strengthened by nobles from Karnataka and (according to some accounts) Dutch and Jaffna armies.
Both the Armies met at the Toppur, at an open field on the northern banks of River Cauvery, between Tiruchirapalli and Grand Anicut in late months of 1616.

### Result

In the Battle Jagga Raya's troops could not withstand the aggression generated by the imperial forces led by Yachama and Raghunatha, the generals of the Imperial camp. Jagga Raya was slain by Yachama, and his army took flight. Yethiraja, the brother of Jagga Raya, had to run for his life. The Nayaka chieftain of Madurai tried to escape, he was pursued by Yachama's general Rao Dama Nayani and captured near Tiruchirapalli. The Nayak of Gingee in the encounter lost all his forts except Gingee Fort and the putative son of Venkata II, the cause of all the trouble, was captured. The victory was celebrated by the imperial armies headed by Thanjavur Nayak and Yachamanedu, who planted pillars of victory and crowned Rama Deva as Rama Deva Raya, in early months of 1617. Rama Deva Raya was barely 15 years old when he ascended the throne.

## Continued Hostilities

Yethiraja, the brother of Jagga Raya, after losing the Toppur Battle, aligned with the Gingee Nayak and attacked Tanjore, but was defeated with the later ending as captive. Yethiraja waged on, until he reconciled with Rama Deva Raya, after giving his daughter in marriage. Things settled for the king after the death of the putative son in 1619.

### Loss of Kurnool

The Bijapur Sultan, taking advantage of the ravaging civil wars attacked Kurnool in 1620, but was defeated and sent back only to return in 1624 and taking that region completely.

### Yachama

Yachama Naidu, now the military governor of the kingdom opposed the marriage of Rama Deva to Yethiraja's daughter. The king was reprimanded but he went on to marry the daughter of Yethiraja. Yachama felt the humiliation and requested Rama Deva to remove him from the royal service with the pretext of age. Yethiraja, now father-in-law of Rama Deva Raya broke into a conflict with Yachama when he demanded the Gobburi lands, and by 1629 with help from Tanjore and Gingee forces, Yachama's territories were attacked by the imperial army. Yachama's forces though inferior in number, put up a stiff fight. After a prolonged siege, Yachama agreed to return the Gobburi lands to Yethiraja. The regions of Pulicat, Chengalpattu and Maduranthakam was completely brought under control of Vellore. Yachama was allowed to rule Venkatagiri but he chose to spend his life in the protection of Udaiyarpalaiyam chieftain.

## Successor

Rama Deva Raya, with no brothers and sons nominated Peda Venkata Raya (Venkata III), grandson of Aliya Rama Raya, now governing Anekonda as successor and died on 1632, aged 30 after a troublesome rule of 15 years.