Practice Questions: An Imperial Capital: Vijayanagara

Key concepts in a nutshell

Discovery of Hampi - In 1799, the first British antiquarian Colin Mackenzie, the first Surveyor General of India, visited the ruins of Hampi. He collected some manuscripts, had some watercolours painted on monuments, and made the first map of the site.

• The Rayas, Nayakas, and Sultans - Harihara and Bukka asserted their independence from the Delhi Sultanate and established the kingdom of Vijayanagar in AD 1336.
• Kings and trading class - Warfare depended mainly upon powerful cavalry. The Portuguese settled on the west coast of India and attempted to establish their trading and military stations.
• The climax and decline of Vijayanagar Empire - Krishnadeva Raya was a capable administrator. He built dams for irrigation and constructed magnificent palaces and temples. Its ruler Rama Raya was miserably defeated on the battlefield of (Rakshasi - Tangadi) Talikota in AD 1565. The victorious armies plundered and destroyed the city of Vijayanagar.
• Vijayanagar Hampi Architecture - The Vijayanagar architecture (Hampi Architecture) of the period (1336-1565) was a unique building style evolved by the imperial Vijayanagar Empire.
• Hampi Bazar - Portuguese travellers Paes and Nuniz visited Hampi in the mid-16th century. They gave an account of Hampi Bazar thus: "In this street lived many merchants and there you will find all sorts of rubies, diamonds, pearls, and clothes that you may wish to buy."
• Buildings and places - Our knowledge today about the Vijayanagar palaces and buildings is derived from archaeological excavations at Hampi, as no royal palace structures have survived.
• King's royal enclosure - Another important building at Hampi is the king's royal enclosure. Paes tells that against the gate there were two circles in which there were dancing women richly arrayed with many jewels of gold, diamonds, and pearls.
• Mahanavami Dibba - The Mahanavami Dibba is located on one of the highest points in the city. It is a very large platform rising from a base of about 11,000 square feet to a height of 40 feet. It seems that it is supported by a wooden structure.
• Forts of Vijayanagar - In the constant struggle for power, forts and fortified settlements were potent symbols of authority. The rulers of the Vijayanagar Empire created cities with the main objective of protection against invasions. The city itself was a fortress and designed as such in every manner.

Q.1:- Hampi town is located on the bank of which river?  (2)               
 Ans. It is located on the bank of the Tungabhadra river.

Q.2:- Which goddess is called Pampa?    (2)                              
 Ans. Goddess Pampa is another name for the goddess Parvati.

Q.3:- Who was Colin Mackenzie? Mention his importance in Indian history? (2)                                 
 Ans. Colin Mackenzie worked for the British East India Company. He was born in 1754. He was a famous engineer, surveyor, and humanist. He became the first Surveyor General of British India in 1815 and died in 1821. He began surveying traditional culture and historical sites in India to aid the administration of Colonial India more smoothly and effectively.

Q.4:- Mention the salient features of the temples of Hampi.    (2)                              
 Ans. The temples of Hampi are well articulated with artistic pillar structures. Magnificent buildings with galleries surrounded by pillars around the sanctum and the place of the deity are among the features of these temples. The main temples of Hampi include Vitthala and Hazara Rama.

Q.5:- How were the water requirements solved in the Vijayanagar Empire?  (2)                                
Ans. The natural reservoir providing water for Vijayanagar was the Tungabhadra river, located in the north-east direction of the kingdom. Many rivers from nearby mountain ranges merged into this river. Dams were built on almost all tributaries of rivers. Hauz (water reservoirs) were constructed to cope with the harsh climate during droughts. One such reservoir was built at the beginning of the 15th century at a place called Kamalapuram.

Q.6:- What do you think were the advantages and disadvantages of enclosing agricultural land within the fortified area of the city?    (5)         Ans. There were many advantages and disadvantages of enclosing agricultural land within the fortified area of the Vijayanagar Empire.

• Abdur Razzaq noted that "between the first, second and third walls there are cultivated fields, gardens, and houses."
• These details have been corroborated by present-day archaeologists, who have also found evidence of agricultural tracts between the sacred centre and the urban core.
• Various sources indicate that in the Vijayanagar Empire and other southern kingdoms, agricultural tracts were incorporated within fortified areas. Medieval sieges often aimed to starve defenders into submission, and these sieges could last several months or even years.
• Rulers prepared for adverse situations or natural calamities by building large granaries within fortified areas. The Vijayanagar rulers adopted a more elaborate strategy by protecting the agricultural belt itself.
• When the kingdom was attacked during harvest, enemies could easily burn the dry crops of farmers, but these fields were safe in ordinary situations from wild animals.

Q.7:- What do you think was the significance of the rituals associated with the Mahanavami Dibba?   (5)                               
 Ans. The rituals associated with the Mahanavami Dibba were of great importance. Located on one of the highest points in the city, the "Mahanavami Dibba" is a massive platform rising from a base of about 11,000 sq. ft. to a height of 40 feet. The rituals probably coincided with Mahanavami (literally the great ninth day) of the ten-day Hindu festival during the autumn months of September and October, known variously as Dussehra (northern India), Durga Puja (in Bengal), and Navaratri or Mahanavami (in Peninsular India). The Vijayanagara kings displayed their prestige, power, and suzerainty on this occasion.

• The ceremonies included worship of the image, worship of the state horse, and the sacrifice of buffaloes and other animals.
• Dances, wrestling matches, and processions of caparisoned horses, elephants, chariots, and soldiers, as well as ritual presentations before the king and his guests by the chief nayakas and subordinate kings, marked the occasion.
• These ceremonies were imbued with deep symbolic meanings. On the last day of the festival, the king inspected his army and the armies of the nayakas in a grand ceremony in an open field. On this occasion, the nayakas brought rich gifts for the king as well as the stipulated tribute.

Q.8:- What impression of the lives of the ordinary people of Vijayanagara can you cull from the various descriptions of the Vijayanagara empire?   (5)                               
 Ans. Ordinary people of this empire spoke different languages and followed different religious traditions.

• There were small traders and local merchants who lived in cities, trade centres, port towns, and villages.
• Peasants, workers, slaves, etc. were included among ordinary people. These included ordinary Brahmans, traders, and women.
• In society, there were some low-class people who were non-influential. They were Dombar, Mana, Jogi, Paraiyan, Boi, Kallar, etc. Some low-caste people were converted to Christianity due to the influence of the Portuguese. The evils of the caste system and untouchability were practised in society.
• The ordinary people of the Vijayanagar Empire lived in simple houses. The sixteenth-century Portuguese traveller Barbosa described the houses of ordinary people in society. Men were sold and purchased as slaves and there were some special rules for slaves.

Q.9:- Evaluate the importance of the Amar Nayaka System in the emergence of the Vijayanagara Empire.    (10)                              
 Ans.The Amar Nayaka system played an important role in the emergence of the Vijayanagara Empire, as explained below:

• The Amar Nayaka system was a major political innovation of the Vijayanagara Empire.
• It is likely that many features of this system were derived from the Iqta system of the Delhi Sultanate.
• The Amar Nayakas were military commanders who were given territories to govern by the Raya.
• They collected taxes and other dues from peasants.
• A share of revenue was spent on maintaining irrigation works and temples.
• The Amar Nayakas retained part of the revenue for personal use and for maintaining a stipulated contingent of horses and elephants.
• These contingents provided the Vijayanagara kings with an effective fighting force with which they brought the entire southern peninsula under their control.
• The Amar Nayakas sent tribute to the king annually and personally appeared in the royal court with gifts to express their loyalty.
• Kings occasionally asserted their control over them by transferring them from one place to another.
• Many of these nayakas established independent kingdoms in the 17th century.

Passage-based Question:-

Q.10 Colin Mackenzie born in 1754, Colin Mackenzie became a famous engineer, surveyor, and cartographer. In 1815, he was appointed the first Surveyor General of India, a post he held till his death in 1821. He embarked on collecting local histories and surveying historic sites in order to better understand India's past and make governance of the colony easier. He says that "It struggled long under the miseries of dead management.... Before the south came under the benign influence of the British government." By studying Vijayanagar, Mackenzie believed that the East India Company would gain "much useful information on many of these institutions, laws, and customs whose influence still prevails among the various tribes of natives forming the general mass of the population to this date."
(i) Who was Colin Mackenzie? (2)
Ans. Colin Mackenzie worked for the British East India Company. He was born in 1754. He was a famous engineer, surveyor, and humanist.

(ii) Which ancient city was founded by Colin Mackenzie?  (1)                                
 Ans. Hampi

(iii) Why did he start the surveys?     (2)                             
 Ans. He started the surveys to better understand India's past and make governance of the colony easier.

(iv) In which stages did Colin Mackenzie complete his work?   (3)                               
 Ans. First, he prepared the maps. Then he collected information about local traditions from the priests of Virupaksha and Pampadevi temples.