January 23, 1565

Battle of Talikota

Deccan coalition defeats Vijayanagara at Rakshasi–Tangadi

The battle remembered as "Talikota" may have been fought about 20 miles away, near two villages whose names also became names for it.

January 1565, near the Krishna River

In January 1565 the combined armies of the Deccan sultanates defeated Vijayanagara's army near Rakshasi and Tangadi, south of Talikota and close to the Krishna River — some 20 miles from the town whose name the battle now carries.

After years of Aliya Rama Raya intervening among the rival Deccan states, the principal sultanates had formed a temporary coalition, advanced south, and brought his field army to battle.

The exact day is unsettled. Sources variously place the decisive action or Rama Raya's death on 23, 24, 25 or 26 January, and some describe a longer campaign rather than a single-day battle.

The commander's death, and the rout

Rama Raya, Vijayanagara's de facto ruler and battlefield commander, was captured and beheaded. The loss of its commander precipitated the army's rout.

In one influential reconstruction he was captured beneath his litter, beheaded, and his head raised on a spear where his soldiers could see it — though the chronicles disagree on the details.

His brothers commanded Vijayanagara's wings. Tirumala survived and withdrew toward the capital with remnants of the army; Sadasiva Raya, the nominal emperor, had not commanded at the battle.

What survived

The defeat left the capital exposed, but the extensive sack followed the battle rather than happening on the battlefield that same day.

Archaeology does not support the old image of uniform destruction. The most severe burning clusters around palaces and state-performance spaces; outside the royal centre, evidence for late-sixteenth-century destruction is much thinner.

An Aravidu-ruled Vijayanagara state survived from other capitals for decades after 1565.

Sources

Researched 24 Aug 2026 5 sources not yet audited Date disputed

How this was checked

Researched from the web into a fact sheet and rewritten from that sheet. This article has not yet had an independent model audit. How the pipeline works →

Date disputed. Sources disagree; the research places it at ~1565-01-23.

What the sources leave uncertain

Sources variously place the decisive action or Rama Raya's death on 23, 24, 25, or 26 January 1565; some describe a longer campaign rather than a single-day battle.
The battlefield is variously called Talikota, Rakshasi–Tangadi, Rakkasagi–Tangadigi, or Bannihatti, and its exact location remains debated.
Persian, Portuguese, and South Indian accounts conflict over the battle's duration, maneuvers, coalition membership, Rama Raya's execution, and alleged defections inside his army.