Vishnuvardhana

Vishnuvardhana or Bittideva (r. 1108–1152) was a king of the Hoysala Empire in what is today the state of Karnataka, India. He ascended the Hoysala throne after the death of his elder brother Veera Ballala I in 1108. Originally a follower of Jainism and known as Bitti-deva, he is particularly remembered for his military campaigns against the Cholas, who were responsible for the destruction of Jain Basadis (Jain temple complexes) around Talakadu. He led the counter against the Chola's general Adiyamma near Talakadu and recovered lost territory. After this victory the King earned the title "Talakadugonda" and made significant land grants to Jain Basadis at Shravanbelgola and Kambadahalli. According to historian Coelho, the Hoysalas gained the dignity of the kingdom due to the efforts of Vishnuvardhana, whose rule was filled with "glorious" military campaigns. According to historians Sen, Chopra and Sastri, Vishnuvardhana was a "great soldier" and an "ambitious monarch". He later came under the influence of Ramanujacharya, and began supporting Vaishnavism. Ramanujacharya gave him the name "Vishnuvardhana". His queen Shantala Devi and his family however remained devotees of Jainism.

Several Kannada poets flourished during the rule of Vishnuvardhana. The mathematician Rajaditya wrote Vyavaharaganita, "Lilavati" on mathematics. According to the historian E.P. Rice, the epic poet Nagachandra under Vishnuvardhana's patronage wrote the earliest extant Jain version of the Ramayana in the Kannada language called Ramachandra charita purana, and an epic on the nineteenth Jain Tirthankar titled Mallinathapurana.