The Rise of an Empire. The Price of Power.
Five books. A century of ambition. The making—and eventual unmaking—of one of medieval India’s greatest empires.
In the fourteenth century, as old kingdoms crumbled and new powers fought to control southern India, a new empire began to emerge on the banks of the Tungabhadra River.
Its rise was neither inevitable nor peaceful. It was forged through war, political intrigue, shifting loyalties and the ambitions of men who dared to imagine a different future. Behind the battles and royal proclamations lay stories of personal sacrifice, family rivalries, forbidden ambitions and the relentless struggle to hold power.
Chronicles of Vijayanagara is a five-book historical fiction series by Dr Shankar Kashyap, tracing the turbulent journey from the fall of the kingdom of Kampili to the rise, triumph and eventual decline of the Vijayanagara Empire.
Drawing on the history of medieval South India, the series brings to life the rulers, warriors, courtiers, queens, rebels and visionaries who shaped an extraordinary chapter in Indian history.
This is not simply the story of kings and conquests. It is the story of how an empire was born, what its founders had to sacrifice to build it, and how the forces that made it powerful would ultimately contribute to its downfall.
THE BOOKS
Book One
The Serpent and the Lion: The Song of Kampili
A kingdom falls. A legend survives. An empire awaits its birth.
Before Vijayanagara rose to greatness, the small kingdom of Kampili stood against the expanding might of the Delhi Sultanate. Its destruction in the fourteenth century marked a brutal turning point in the history of the Deccan.
Amid the flames of a defeated kingdom, the fortunes of men and dynasties were transformed. Defeat, captivity and survival would leave their mark on the events that followed.
The Serpent and the Lion: The Song of Kampili opens the series with a story of resistance, courage and catastrophe. It explores the human cost of conquest and the fragile line separating defeat from the possibility of renewal.
The fall of Kampili is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of something far greater.
[Buy the book – The Serpent and the Lion: The Song of Kampili: 1 (Chronicle of Vijayanagar Empire) : KASHYAP, Dr SHANKAR: Amazon.co.uk: Books ]
Book Two
The Birth of an Empire
From the ashes of the old world, a new power rises.
The destruction of kingdoms creates opportunities as well as ruins. In the turbulent aftermath of Kampili, the Sangama brothers—Harihara and Bukka—stand at the threshold of a new political order.
Their challenge is formidable: to turn uncertain beginnings into a lasting kingdom, to unite territories and competing interests, and to establish a power capable of withstanding the ambitions of their rivals.
But founding an empire requires more than victories on the battlefield. It demands strategy, diplomacy, alliances and the ability to inspire loyalty in a world where allegiance can change overnight.
The second book follows the emergence of the Sangama dynasty and the early struggles of Vijayanagara, exploring the ambition, uncertainty and political manoeuvring behind the creation of an empire.
[Discover Book Two] | [Publication 1 November 2026]
Book Three
The Saluva Dynasty – title yet to be decided
When a dynasty weakens, who has the right to save the throne?
As the empire evolves, the survival of the state becomes inseparable from the ambitions of those who serve it. Military commanders, royal advisers and powerful families must confront a dangerous question: when the established order falters, is loyalty enough—or must power pass into new hands?
The third book turns to the Saluva dynasty, examining a period of political upheaval in which the struggle to preserve Vijayanagara would reshape the meaning of legitimate rule.
Working title to be announced.
Book Four
The Tuluva Dynasty – title yet to be decided
The empire reaches new heights. The struggle for power never ends.
Under the Tuluva dynasty, Vijayanagara would enter one of the most celebrated periods of its history. Military ambition, political calculation, cultural achievement and royal magnificence would combine to project the empire’s power across southern India.
Yet splendour can conceal danger. The pressures of expansion, the rivalries of powerful men and the demands of governing a vast realm would test the foundations on which the empire rested.
The fourth book explores the rise of the Tuluva rulers and the triumphs and tensions of an empire at the height of its power.
Working title to be announced.
Book Five
The Fall of Vijayanagara – title yet to be decided
One battle can destroy a capital. The end of an empire is rarely so simple.
The series concludes with the catastrophic Battle of Talikota in 1565 and the devastation that followed. A city celebrated for its wealth, architecture and political power would suffer a destruction that became one of the defining tragedies of South Indian history.
But the end of an empire is never merely the story of a single battle. It is also the story of rivalries, strategic miscalculations, shifting alliances and the accumulated consequences of decisions made over generations.
The final book will bring the dynastic struggles of the preceding volumes to their dramatic conclusion, examining both the fall of an imperial capital and the enduring legacy of Vijayanagara.
Working title to be announced.
A WORLD OF POWER, INTRIGUE AND CONFLICT
Across five books, Chronicles of Vijayanagara explores the forces that shape kingdoms and the people who must live with their consequences.
- Dynastic ambition: The rivalries, inheritances and political calculations that determine who rules.
- War and survival: The brutal realities of medieval warfare and the human cost of conquest.
- Court intrigue: Secret alliances, competing loyalties, whispered counsel and the dangerous pursuit of influence.
- Women and power: The women whose choices, intelligence and resilience shape events, even when their contributions are overlooked in conventional accounts.
- Faith and kingship: The relationship between religion, royal legitimacy, sacred architecture and imperial authority.
- The making of history: The fragile boundary between personal ambition and the destiny of a kingdom.
The series combines historical foundations with the imaginative freedom of fiction. Its characters inhabit a world in which courage can change the course of events, loyalty can become a fatal weakness, and victory may carry the seeds of future disaster.
THE HISTORY BEHIND THE FICTION
Vijayanagara was more than a succession of rulers and military campaigns. It was a major political and cultural power whose cities, temples, trade networks and artistic achievements left a lasting imprint on the history of South India.
The series draws inspiration from the historical record while exploring the human stories that lie behind it: the uncertainties faced by rulers, the ambitions of their advisers, the experiences of those caught in war, and the personal costs of building and defending a kingdom.
Historical fiction offers a way to enter that world—not as a list of dates and events, but through the hopes, fears, conflicts and decisions of the people who inhabited it.
The aim is to create a compelling narrative that entertains while inviting readers to discover more about one of the great empires of medieval India.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr Shankar Kashyap is a UK-based author, retired orthopaedic surgeon and painter whose writing spans historical fiction, poetry and narrative non-fiction. His historical novels explore civilisations and turning points that have shaped the Indian subcontinent, bringing together historical research and character-driven storytelling.
With Chronicles of Vijayanagara, he turns to the dramatic history of an empire whose rise and fall offer a rich landscape of political intrigue, personal ambition, conflict and cultural achievement.
ENTER THE WORLD OF VIJAYANAGARA
Begin with The Serpent and the Lion: The Song of Kampili and follow the story through the turbulent birth of an empire, the struggles of its dynasties, and the final catastrophe that changed its history forever.
The empire was built by men. Its destiny was shaped by ambition. Its story deserves to be remembered.
[Read the author’s articles on Vijayanagara]
