Not much is really known of the early life of Harihara and Bukka Raya, with various theories about their origin. What is indeed a common thread is that both of them were sons of Sangama, after whom the first dynasty of Vijayanagara is named.  One school of thought propounded by scholars like B.L.Rice, P.B.Desai etc, is that both the brothers were serving under the Hoysalas. This theory states that Sangama was in the service of Veera Ballala III, and both Harihara and Bukka were feudatories under the Hoysala ruler.

Harihara was a commander in Veera Ballala’s army and he played a major role in expanding the territories. Vijayanagara was already founded around 1336, under the name of Hosapattana, on the banks of the Tungabhadra. Later on, there had been a gradual transfer of power, when the Hoysalas began to decline. The fact that Harihara assumed the Kannada titles of Purvapaschima Samudradhishvara (Master of the East and West Oceans), Bhashegetappuvarayaraganda (“Punisher of those who never kept a promise”) and that they were referred to as Karnataka Kshitinatha by Telugu poets like Srinatha, points to their origin as per historian Suryanatha Kamath.[i] Furthermore Kamath points out the fact that over 7000 inscriptions were in Kannada. One more fact supporting the Kannada origin theory was that their patron saint Vidyaranya Swamy was the Jagadguru of the Shringeri Sharada Peetam. The claim that Harihara and Bukka Raya were soldiers in Kakatiya Empire, who were captured by Muslim rulers, converted to Islam and again reconverted back is a bit farfetched, as per this school. [1]

The other theory propounded by Robert Sewell, Subbarayulu, and others, testify to the Telugu origin of the brothers. This theory states that both Harihara and Bukka were in charge of the Kakatiya treasury, who escaped after the kingdom fell to the Muslim rulers. The brothers fled to Anegondi, where they met Vidyaranya, who advised them to establish Vijayanagara Empire in order to safeguard Hindu Dharma.

While Robert Sewell concludes that the brothers were primarily Kuruba Gowdas, as per another scholar, Srinivas Rao, texts establish the fact that the brothers were Gollas and worshipped the Goddess Bhuvaneshwari. This theory about the brothers serving the Kakatiya ruler Prataparudra and being taken captive after the fall of Warangal was proposed by Muslim scholars like Ziauddin Barani, Ferishta and foreign visitors like Ibn Battuta. [ii][2]

The generally accepted theory and the most plausible one is that the brothers were Kurubas serving in the treasury of the Kakatiya rulers. When Warangal fell in 1323, the brothers fled. However having witnessed up close the looting, and the atrocities committed by the Muslim invaders, they had sworn to fight it and protect the Sanatana dharma from further desecration and destruction.  The brothers were motivated by the perceived need to have a strong Hindu empire, which could effectively check the Muslim invasions, in order to protect Hindu customs and traditions. The brothers took refuge at the court of the Rajah of Anegondi, where Harihara served as minister and Bukka as the treasurer.

It was during this period that Mohd Bin Tughlaq’s nephew Baha Uddin rebelled against him and fled down South, towards Anegondi in 1334. Bahauddin somewhere took refuge in Kampli, now a small town in Karnataka’s Bellary district, close to Anegondi. When it was apparent, that the fortress of Kamipili offered little protection, he sought the protection of the Rajah of Anegondi.

The decision might have to do with Anegondi’s rocky boulders acting as a natural line of defense. When the Sultan’s mighty army attacked Anegondi, the Rajah, could not withstand it. He abandoned the unfortunate Baha Uddin to the Sultan’s tender mercies, who then condemned him to death in the most barbaric manner ever.[i] He was taken to his relatives, where he was spat upon, insulted. After which he was skinned alive, and his flesh was cooked. Part of the cooked flesh was sent to his wife and children, while the other part was fed to the elephants. His skin was stuffed with straw and ordered to be exhibited all over the country as a warning. After the capture of Anegondi, Mohd Bin Tughlaq left Nab Malik in charge of the place. However Malik proved to be ineffective in controlling the rebellion by the Hindus there, and was soon overthrown. Mohd Bin Tughlaq eventually restored Anegondi to the Hindus, which would eventually lead to the foundation of Vijayanagara.

Ratnakar Sadasyula

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