KrishnaDevaraya ruled the Vijayanagara Empire at its political and territorial peak, but the "posthumous" attribution here is something of a misnomer worth unpacking: these debased issues were struck not after his death in 1529 but likely toward the latter end of his reign, when mounting military expenditure — particularly the campaigns against the Gajapati kingdom of Odisha and repeated engagements with the Bahmani Sultanates — put sustained pressure on the imperial treasury. The reduction in fineness reflects fiscal strain, not a successor's debasement policy.
Vijayanagara gold pagodas circulated widely enough to appear in Portuguese merchant accounts from Goa, where they were accepted by weight rather than face value.
KrishnaDevaraya ruled the Vijayanagara Empire at its political and territorial peak, but the "posthumous" attribution here is something of a misnomer worth unpacking: these debased issues were struck not after his death in 1529 but likely toward the latter end of his reign, when mounting military expenditure — particularly the campaigns against the Gajapati kingdom of Odisha and repeated engagements with the Bahmani Sultanates — put sustained pressure on the imperial treasury. The reduction in fineness reflects fiscal strain, not a successor's debasement policy.
Vijayanagara gold pagodas circulated widely enough to appear in Portuguese merchant accounts from Goa, where they were accepted by weight rather than face value.