Vijayanagara Empire

Vijayanagara Empire

Write a note on the travellers who visited the Vijayanagara Empire.

Several travellers visited the city of Vijayanagara and let their travel accounts.Notable among them are Italian trader Nicolo de Conti, an ambassador named Abdur

Razzaq sent by the ruler of Persia and a merchant named  Afanasii Nikitin from Russia.

All of them visited the city in the fifteenth century. And Portuguese travellers like Duarte barbosa, Domingo Paes and Fernao visited the city in the sixteenth century.

Why do we find temples in the royal centre? What is the difference between the temples and other buildings of the royal centre?

Kings of Vijayanagara constructed many temples and also contributed in the extension of the temple and also developed several new features in the temple architecture.

They patronized temple and had constructed  so many temples because by this they wanted to legitimize and assert their authority.

The difference between temples and secular buildings was that temple were constructed entirely masonry way

whereas materials used in the secular building was perishable.

What was the significance of Mahanavmi dibba?

Mahanavmi dibba was one of the hall in the royal center. It was very high, and it is proposed that this hall is used to stage dramas during Mahanavmi festival.

The king

displays their power and prestige on the occassion.

What was the imporatance of the halls in temples? Explain.

The halls in the temple were used for a variety of purposes. Some were spaces in which the images of Gods were placed to witness special programmes of music, dance, drama, etc.

 Others were used to celebrate the marriages of deities, and yet others were meant for the deities to swing in. Special images, distinct from those kept in the small central shrine, were used on these occasions.

In another shrine, the Vitthala temple is also interesting. Here, the principal deity was Vitthala, a form of Vishnu generally worshipped in Maharashtra.

Discuss the various steps involved in the mapping of the site at Hampi.

· The first step was to divide the entire area into a set of 25 squares, each designated by a letter of the alphabet. Then, each of the small squares was subdivided into a set of even smaller squares.

· Each of these smaller squares was further subdivided into yet smaller units. These detailed surveys have been extremely painstaking, and have recovered and

documented traces of thousands of structures – from tiny shrines and residences to elaborate temples.