Vishnuvardhana

Who was Vishnuvardhana?

Vishnuvardhana was an emperor of the Hoysala Empire in present day Indian state of Karnataka. Originally a follower of Jainism and known as Bitti Deva, he came under the influence of the Hindu philosopher Ramanujacharya, converted to Hindu Vaishnavism and took the name Vishnuvardhana. Vishnuvardhana took the first steps in creating an independent Hoysala Empire in South India through a series of battles against his overlord, the Western Chalukya King Vikramaditya VI. He also recovered Gangavadi province from the hegemony of the Chola empire. The Hoysala territory gained the dignity of a kingdom starting from his rule.