Who was Krishnadeva Raya? Mention his contribution in establishing a strong empire.

Krishnadeva Raya was one of the most famous rulers of Vijayanagar Empire. He was born in 1471 at Hampi, Karnataka. He belonged to Tuluva Dynasty and ruled from 1509 A.D. to 1529 A.D. He was a brave general and skilled warrior.Under his reign, Vijayanagar emerged as the strongest military power in the south. Following are his contributions in establishing a strong empire:

1. As the third ruler of the Tuluva Dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire, he extended the empire to most of South India, which included present-day Karnataka, northern Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, stretching upwards in the northeast to Cuttack.
2. He played a major role in defeating the Bahmani Sultans and Portuguese, forcing them to retreat their plans of expanding their empire beyond their boundaries.
3. He conquered Bahmani’s fortresses of Bidar, Gulbarga, Raichur and Bijapur.
4. He led a major campaign against the Gajpatis of Odisha and captured the fortresses of Udayagiri, Kondavalli and Kondavidu.
5. By virtue of his victories, he ruled the three most powerful territories in the southern peninsula of India and established a strong empire.