The battle of Talikota in 1565 radically altered the contours of the political map of India within a space of a few hours. The Vijayanagara empire, which straddled the whole of South India, collapsed in the face of four minor Sultanates with little resistance, while its capital, one of the most prosperous cities in the world, was plundered, decimated and lay uninhabited for the next few centuries, known to the world outside only as 'the ruins of Hampi'. At the
centre of this cataclysm was 'Aliya' Ramaraya, ambitious, ruthless, brilliant strategist, a son-in-law of the emperor but...