Vijayanagara Empire (1336–1646), South India: Founded by brothers Harihara and Bukka (traditionally said to have been inspired/guided by the sage Vidyaranya), with capital at Hampi (Vijayanagara, "City of Victory") on the Tungabhadra river — a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Four ruling dynasties: Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva, and Aravidu.
Greatest ruler: Krishnadevaraya (Tuluva dynasty, r. 1509–1529) — a great patron of Telugu literature (himself the author of Amuktamalyada), art, and architecture; his court had the "Ashtadiggajas" (eight great Telugu poets); he maintained cordial relations with the Portuguese (who supplied horses) and expanded the empire significantly, defeating the Gajapatis of Odisha and the Bahmani successor states.
The empire fought the Bahmani Sultanate (and later its five successor states — the "Deccan Sultanates") for control of the fertile Raichur Doab and Konkan coast.
Vijayanagara's power was decisively broken at the Battle of Talikota (1565), where a confederacy of the Deccan Sultanates (Bijapur, Golconda, Ahmadnagar, Bidar) defeated and killed the regent Rama Raya, leading to the sack of Hampi.
The Portuguese traveller Domingo Paes and Persian traveller Abdur Razzaq left valuable eyewitness accounts of the city's prosperity.
Bahmani Sultanate (1347–1518), Deccan: Founded by Alauddin Bahman Shah (Hasan Gangu), breaking away from Tughlaq control; capital initially at Gulbarga, later shifted to Bidar. Eventually fragmented (by the early 16th century) into five Deccan Sultanates: Bijapur (Adil Shahi), Golconda (Qutb Shahi), Ahmadnagar (Nizam Shahi), Berar (Imad Shahi), and Bidar (Barid Shahi) — these five later combined to defeat Vijayanagara at Talikota.
Ahom Kingdom (Assam): Founded by Sukaphaa (a Tai-Shan prince) in 1228; ruled Assam for nearly 600 years, remarkable for successfully resisting repeated Mughal invasion attempts, most famously at the Battle of Saraighat (1671) under the celebrated general Lachit Borphukan, who fought against the Mughal commander Ram Singh I.
Mewar (Sisodias): Rana Kumbha, and later Rana Sanga and Maharana Pratap (who famously resisted Mughal domination under Akbar, notably at the Battle of Haldighati, 1576, aided by his horse Chetak) — Mewar remained a symbol of Rajput resistance to both the Sultanate and the Mughals.