14. Vijayanagara - The Last Emperors of South India

On the rocky banks of South India's Tungabhadra River, an enormous ruined city lies crumbling...

In this episode, we look at the Vijayanagara Empire of Southern India, a civilization that has all but faded from memory in many parts of the world.

Find out how this remarkable society rose up out of an age of conflict and fragmentation, how it built one of the largest and most impressive medieval cities in the world, and developed an identity that was both South Indian in nature, and global in its outlook. With readings in Sanskrit, and the sounds of traditional Carnatic music, find out what happened to bring the great stone temples of Vijayanagara crashing down in fire and flame.

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Credits:

Voice actors:

Peter Walters
Michael Hajiantonis
Kim Heron
Nick Denton
Paul Casselle
Chris Harvey

Sound engineering by Alexey Sibikin

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[peterstyles]

As a high school history teacher I can say, you and your team are beyond excellent. I tell my top students about you. They are now all devotees of yours. I am in awe. Do not

[johankrausse]

My father was a history teacher but sadly passed away about 10 years ago. Wish I could have showed him this channel. Best presentation on ancient history I have ever seen. Thank you🙏🏻🙏🏻

[antonyshaw]

We travelled to this wonderful place from Goa by train.
Our favourite trip ever, we stayed for two nights and will definitely return thanks to this wonderful narration.

[maheshkarthik]

This was honestly incredible. As an Indian and living in Karnataka, I’m surprised that I didn’t get learn the grand history of Vijayanagara even in school history classes. I remember learning about Mughal empire and British empire in India for years together but perhaps only a fleeting paragraph on Vijayanagara empire.

I cannot thank you enough for making such an elaborate and detailed accounting of Vijayanagara empire. I feel like I have gained a lifetime’s knowledge in these 3 hours. I am even inspired to travel to Hampi and see these runs in real.

Thank you!

[rav]

Thanks a lot for making a video on my culture. Nowhere in our goddamn school curriculum were we able to learn anything even close to this detail and emotional closeness. Thank you so much if I may, from all the Telugu speaking diaspora.

[ravikumarsl]

I visited this Kingdom as part of our High school tour . City of ruins overwhelmed me .Reflecting on it after 20 years ..Every WORD in this video is a fitting tribute to VIJAYANAGARA Kingdom .. In today's narrative war, your unbiased and well researched content stands testament to your commitment to truth.. Amazing storytellers ..

[Mishkola]

Seriously, the fact that you put out such lengthy, well produced, and well researched documentaries can't be overlooked. This channel is better than the History Channel.

EDIT: People, stop dissing the History Channel in the comments. I'm giving this channel credit for outdoing a TV channel that has much greater resources, and the constant bashing of another channel isn't uplifting to anyone.

[uzochiokeke]

I have visited Hampi (ruins of Vijayanagara empire) and it is such a beautiful place! It looks like a different planet because of the strange rock formations and boulder landscape surrounding the ruins.

[stevebrindle]

Only just discovered this excellent site and gladly subscribe to it! During the two decades, I lived and worked in India I learned to speak Hindi and Sanskrit and studied the history, culture and Hindu religion and I can testify that this documentary is very informative and comprehensive, the best I have ever had the pleasure to watch! Whist in India I spent a month in Hampi, sleeping in the ruined temples at night. It truly is a wondrous place, the accumulated ruins hint at the splendour that must have greeted the eyes of visitors during its heyday! I believe it is a world heritage site and long may it bear witness to a once-great empire! Jai Hind!

[rohitvaidya]

This was so beautiful! Thank you so much for making this feature film length documentary about not just a lost Indian empire, but describing Indian culture at large!

[christopherblack]

Easily one of the best podcasts available. Paul Cooper and his team do an absolutely brilliant job. Gratitude from the US o/

[dwaipayansaha]

As as Indian, this documentary makes me proud of the rich heritage we have inherited but also sad about countless other countrymen who are unaware and are not able to appreciate this age of Indian history. Thank you Paul for all the hardwork you put into these videos. You should keep in mind that so many out there are always waiting for another one of your podcasts to be released.

[stephenwhitworth]

Absolutely edifying account of the complex intersection of politics, religion, ethnicity, art, and music that has been the long history of the Indian subcontinent. I confess that, though I’ve taught classes on Hinduism, the *Bhagavad Gita, * excerpts from the *Rg Veda, * the *Ramayana, * the *Upanishads, * the *Mahabharata, * and some of the *Brahmanas* and *Puranas, * I was unfamiliar with much of the history of Vijayanagara, and am humbled by this podcast. I’ve immensely enjoyed every episode of Fall of Civilisations.

[bhavyanthkolli]

Thank you for making this episode. My mother tongue is Telugu, and I was only briefly aware of the great VijayaNagara empire. Compelling storytelling! Kudos.

[andrewlukonis]

I am really enjoying the Fall of Civilizations podcast! I watch a lot of videos about history, and this series is the most comprehensive and enjoyable one I've come across. Thank you very much for your dedication to writing and editing each episode is such a spectacular manner.

[Sevenoat]

As a child I watched as many history documentaries as I could get my hands on. The narration very much brings back a sense of nostalgia and wonder from then. Your work is more polished than many documentaries I've see, about topics I've rarely seen covered-if at all. Thank you very much! I enjoy every video of yours.

[terjemyller]

So happy for this film! I went to Hampi in 1996 as a photographer, shot film after film after film. Sadly, they were later all ruined by a photo lab in Dehli. I’ve been to many places but nothing compares to this. I rented a bike and got around quite a bit. In the warm, lazy afternoons I often went to a small cafe a kilometer upstreams from the village, had a tea and a refreshing bath in the river. Oh glorious memories. Thanks for telling the story of this part of India and letting me see Hampi again.

[Luboman]

That last bit starting 3:07:01 had me crying by the end. It reminded me so much of that lovely Chinese poem that detailed the destruction and collapse of the ancient Chinese capital of Luoyang in the late 200s AD that you profiled in an earlier video. The reality of life is so inescapable--its transcendence, its beauty, its utter impermanence and fragility. Thank you, again, for ending on the universal truths that define the cycles of life and death. We will never escape them as long as we're humans on this Earth.

[joejoseph]

As a history lover I am blown away by the quality of these documentaries. Never seen so much research and video quality in any documentary video yet. Keep going strong!

[muhammadahmadrao]

Perhaps the single most comprehensive history podcast on any topic I have ever seen. I'd love to see similar content covering any and all civilizations. I really hope you stick to these super long videos, because the background and extreme detail adds to the buildup and makes your content unique. Great work! Keep it up!