I, Krishnadevaraya

I, Krishnadevaraya is a translation of the famous Tamil novel Naan Krishnadevarayan by Ra. Ki. Rangarajan. The Tamil actor Kamal Hassan suggested that Ra. Ki. translate I, Claudius by Robert Graves into Tamil. Instead, Ra. Ki. decided to present first-person narrative of the story of Krishnadevaraya, the emperor of Vijayanagar.

Ra. Ki.’s hero is like any other young man of his age—his romantic attachments overshadowing everything else in his life—until his minister and mentor, Appaji, reminds him that his duty ought to take precedence over his love life. Coming to the throne in difficult circumstances, Krishnadevaraya had to wage relentless battle to preserve the Vijayanagar empire. Circumstances prevented him from marrying the woman he loved or pursuing literature, his true passion. Overcoming all of this, Krishnadevaraya went on to become the greatest emperor of the Vijayanagar Empire.

I, Krishnadevaraya takes you into the inner world of the emperor, providing a vivid picture of his thinking, his insecurities and his decision-making.

Ably translated by Suganthi Krishnamachari, I, Krishnadevaraya is a fascinating look at one of India’s greatest kings.