Deva Raya II

Who was Deva Raya II?

Deva Raya II was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from the Sangama Dynasty. Perhaps the greatest of the Sangama dynasty rulers, the King himself was a scholar in Kannada and Sanskrit. He wrote Sobagina Sone and Amaruka in Kannada, and Mahanataka Sudhanidhi in Sanskrit He patronised some of the famous Kannada and Telugu poets of the time. Kannada poets such as Lakkana Dandesa, Chamarasa, Jakkanarya and Kumara Vyasa gained patronage. Among Telugu poets, Srinatha, who was showered with gold coins is best known. It is said that Srinatha held the same position in his court as senior ministers and moved freely with the emperor. The great south Indian mathematician Parameshvara also lived in his Empire.