Krishna Deva Raya by Abhijeet Hiliyana

Of all the kings of our country, Krishna Deva Raya is one of the well known. It was under his leadership that Vijayanagara Samrajya reached its peak in terms of prosperity and power. It is said that Krishna Deva Raya was the most learned and talented king of Vijayanagara. He had mastered 64 subjects like administration, military strategy, diplomacy, trade, economics, religion, art & literature, and so on. He had led & fought in countless battles, had seen both triumph and defeat. Poets had dedicated their works to praise Krishna Deva Raya. Travelers from far-off lands have admired Krishna Deva Raya & Vijayanagara Samrajya. Despite a tragic end, the greatness of Krishna Deva Raya lived on well into the XXI Century. A number of books and cinema have been dedicated to the Sri Krishna Deva Raya, making him one of the most read characters.

My knowledge about Krishna Deva Raya was mainly gained from my school text books and Kannada cinema, and a visits to Hampae, Penukonda and other historical monuments of Vijayanagara times. Couple of months ago, I happened to learn about the recently published book "Krishna Deva Raya" by  Abhijeet Hiliyana. As you see in the image below, this is the first part subtitled "the boy who would be king." Before I started reading I guessed this would the younger days of Krishna Deva Raya. Hmm... sounds interesting!

I'm a slow reader, mainly because of my other activities, I rarely read more than 15 minutes at a stretch. However, with this book, I got hooked. It's a gripping story, flows at a steady pace, has sufficient details for a reader to picture the scenes, and character projection is superb. The author has balanced the historical facts and fictional aspects of the story which is what makes it interesting. Suspense, romance, intrigue and twists in the story makes it an ideal read across age groups. As I finished three quarters, I wished the story was longer. Thoroughly enjoyable read. 

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