UPSC Prelims 2006 Q127: Medieval History – Vijayanagara Empire
When Raja Wodeyar founded the kingdom of Mysore, who was the ruler of the Vijayanagar
Empire?
- (a) Sadasiva
- (b) Tirumala
- (c) Ranga II
- (d) Venkata II
Answer: (d) Venkata II
Explanation
Raja Wodeyar and the Vijayanagar ruler
| Vijayanagar ruler | Reign |
|---|---|
| Sadasiva | 1542-1570 |
| Tirumala | 1570-1572 (regent, later king) |
| Ranga II | 1572-1586 |
| Venkata II | 1586-1614, the ruler during Raja Wodeyar's founding of the Mysore kingdom (c. 1612) |
When Raja Wodeyar founded the kingdom of Mysore, the Vijayanagar throne was held by Venkata II.
Answer: (d) Venkata II.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Sadasiva ruled earlier, before 1570.
- (b) Incorrect. Tirumala ruled only briefly in the early 1570s.
- (c) Incorrect. Ranga II ruled in the 1570s-80s, before the Mysore kingdom was founded.
- (d) CORRECT. Venkata II (1586-1614) was the Vijayanagar ruler when Raja Wodeyar founded Mysore.
Key point
Raja Wodeyar founded the Mysore kingdom around 1612, when Venkata II ruled the Vijayanagar Empire.
Remember
Raja Wodeyar founded Mysore while Venkata II ruled Vijayanagar.
Common mistakes
- Choosing Sadasiva, whose reign ended with the Talikota war aftermath.
- Not placing Raja Wodeyar's rise in the early 17th century.
- Confusing the Wodeyars of Mysore with the Nayakas of Madurai.
Exam tip
Raja Wodeyar (c. 1612) = Venkata II era; Mysore later became an independent power.
Sources
- Burton Stein — Vijayanagara (The New Cambridge History of India, Cambridge University Press, 1989)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Wadiyar dynasty