Vijayanagara military (original) (raw)

The Vijayanagara military supported the Vijayanagara Empire in particular with regard to the empire's long-lasting rivalry with the Bahmani Sultanate. Besides a large standing army, the Vijayanagara rulers also maintained a powerful navy. This helped make the Vijayanagara empire the most centralised polity ever to have emerged in South India. However, a major portion of the imperial income was committed to military purposes, straining the economy.