This thesis quantifies concentrations of coprophilous fungal spores in a sediment core from Kamalapuram Reservoir in South India, near the Vijayanagara Empire’s previous capital city. Analysis of the core, which captured depositional history dating from the 14th century to the present, aims to quantify dung fungal spore concentrations around the reservoir, assessing trends in spore concentrations in order to draw conclusions about herbivory, and comparing with pollen and charcoal records to identify correlation with human activity. As the first application of dung fungi analysis on sedimentary records from South Asia, this study also validates the taxa Sporormiella and Sordaria as indicators of herbivore presence in historical sediments from this region. Results reveal three major sections of the core. The deepest layers, dated to the height of the Vijayanagara empire, contain the highest dung fungi concentrations, suggesting dense local herbivore populations. Spore concentrations then decline, aligning with large-scale depopulation following the abandonment of the capital in the 17th century. Lastly, a resurgence of coprophilous fungi in recent layers, dated to the 18th-20th centuries, correlated with renewed settlement and agriculture in the Colonial and post-Independence eras. This study offers the first application of analysis of preserved dung fungi spores in South Indian sediments, as well as adding the new element of herbivore presence to previous analyses of land use around Kamalapuram Reservoir.