Harihara (early 14th
c.) - The founder of the Vijayanagar ("city of triumph") empire, which
reigned over most of southern India for the next two centuries after it was
founded in 1336.
The empire was named after Harihara's capital city, which
was located near the modern-day city of Hampi in Karnataka.
Harihara was kidnapped as a child by Bahmani sultanate
forces in the north and converted to Islam while in captivity, making him an
outcast among conventional Hindus.
Harihara was dispatched as a young man to reclaim the
sultanate's southern territory, but instead utilized the chance to establish
his own empire.
Harihara reverted to Hinduism after obtaining power, despite
having become an outcast for accepting Islam.
His case exemplifies both the mobility of religious
identification in early medieval India and Hindu pragmatism in the face of the
reigning forces.
Despite the fact that Harihara had previously been an
outcast, his influence as monarch provided him the authority to convert without
opposition.
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