Empire Inside Out

Examining the interplay of religion, history, and literature through a case study of King Krsnadevaraya''s celebrated Telugu poem Āmuktamālyada, Ilanit Loewy Shacham showcases the groundbreaking worldview that this often-overlooked poem embodies. Krsnadevaraya (r.1509-1529) ruled over the Vijayanagara Empire during its heyday, and his monumental poem situates all power and authority not in the imperial center, but in the villages and temples at the empire''s outskirts; not in the royal court, but in a religious community - a worldview radically different from how literary and political histories portray the king and his empire.