 The last Hindu empire in South India , the Vijayanagara Empire , was defeated on 23 January 1565 , in the Battle of Talikota by the combined forces of the Muslim states of Bijapur , Golconda , and Ahmadnagar to its north . The battle was fought in Talikota on the doab ( or " tongue " of land ) between the Kistna river and its major left bank tributary , the Bhima , 100 miles ( 160 km ) north of the imperial capital of Vijayanagara ( see Map 2 ) . The invaders later destroyed the capital , and the ruler 's family escaped to Penukonda , 125 miles ( 201 km ) southeast , where they established their new capital . Soon they moved their capital another 175 miles ( 282 km ) east @-@ southeast to Chandragiri , not far from the southeastern coast , and survived there until 1635 , their dwindling empire concentrating its resources on its eastern Tamil and Telugu speaking realms . According to historian Sanjay Subrahmanyam : " ... in the ten years following 1565 , the imperial centre of Vijayanagara effectively ceased to be a power as far as the western reaches of the peninsula were concerned , leaving a vacuum that was eventually filled by Ikkeri and Mysore . " Earlier , in the heyday of their rule , the kings of Vijayanagara had granted tracts of lands throughout their realm to various vassal chiefs on the stipulation that they pay tribute and render military service . The chiefs in the northern regions were supervised directly from the capital . Those in the richer , more distant southern provinces , however , could not be controlled easily and the Vijayanagara emperors were able to collect only part of the annual revenue from them . Overseen by a viceroy — titled Sri Ranga Raya and based in the island town of Seringapatam on the river Kaveri ( also Cauvery ) , some 200 miles ( 320 km ) south of the capital — the southern chiefs bore various formal titles . These included the title Nayaka , assumed by the chiefs of Keladi in the northwestern hills , of Basavapatna , and Chitaldroog in the north , of Belur in the west , and of Hegalvadi in the centre ; the title Gowda , assumed by the chiefs of Ballapur and of Yelahanka in the centre , and of Sugatur in the east ; and Wodeyar , assumed by the rulers of Mysore , of Kalale and of Ummatur in the south . ( See Map 2 . ) 
