Vijayanagara: the city and the empire
Vijayanagara means 'city of victory'. It was founded in 1336 by two brothers, Harihara and Bukka. Four dynasties ruled: Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva and Aravidu. The rulers were called rayas. The most famous, Krishnadeva Raya (Tuluva, 1509 to 1529), expanded the empire, built temples and wrote the Telugu poem Amuktamalyada about statecraft.
Neighbours and war
The rayas competed with the Deccan Sultanates and the Gajapati rulers of Odisha for rich river lands and trade. They bought fine horses from Arab and Portuguese traders for their cavalry. In 1565, at the battle of Talikota (Rakshasi-Tangadi), the Sultans defeated Vijayanagara's army and the city was looted and left.
Amara-nayakas
Nayakas were military chiefs. Amara-nayakas were commanders given areas (amaram) to govern. They collected taxes, kept soldiers and horses for the king, and sent a share to the raya. Over time some became strong and independent.
Rediscovery
In 1800 Colin Mackenzie, an engineer with the East India Company, made the first survey map of Hampi. Photographers and scholars later recorded buildings and inscriptions.
City planning: walls, zones and roads
The city was built in a rocky, dry area with a river on one side. Planners used the hills as natural walls.
- Fortifications: the Persian envoy Abdur Razzaq said there were seven lines of forts. Walls were made of dressed stone blocks fitted without mortar.
- Farms inside: the outer walls surrounded fields, gardens and orchards. So the city could feed itself during a siege.
- Gateways: gates had arches and domes, showing influence of Sultanate buildings. This style is called Indo-Islamic.
- Zones: an urban core with roads and houses, a royal centre in the south-west, and a sacred centre near the river in the north.
- Roads wound around the hills and led to gates and markets. Wide bazaars ran in front of temples.
- Houses of ordinary people were not well kept, but pottery and remains show where people lived. Travellers describe crowded markets selling flowers, fruit, cloth and gems.
Water management
The area gets little rain and has a long dry season. So storing water was key.
- The Tungabhadra river flows north-east through a rocky valley. Many streams join it from the hills.
- Builders made embankments across streams to create tanks (reservoirs).
- The Kamalapuram tank (early 15th century) stored water that watered nearby fields and was carried by channels to the royal centre.
- The Hiriya canal took water from a dam on the Tungabhadra to the valley farms. It was probably built by the Sangama kings.
- Krishnadeva Raya built a tank, and Domingo Paes watched it being made, with thousands of workers.
Architecture: the royal centre
The royal centre had more than 60 temples, showing that kings wanted gods' blessings close by.
- King's palace: the largest enclosure, with two big platforms: the audience hall and the Mahanavami Dibba.
- Mahanavami Dibba: a huge platform (about 11,000 square feet at the base, 40 feet high) with carved sides. The king watched the nine-night Mahanavami festival from here, with processions, horses, elephants, music and an inspection of the army. It showed his power and wealth.
- Lotus Mahal: a lovely building with arches. Its use is not certain; it may have been a council hall.
- Hazara Rama temple: probably only for the king and family. Its walls show carved scenes from the Ramayana.
- Elephant stables nearby.
Architecture: the sacred centre and temples
The sacred centre is on the rocky north bank of the Tungabhadra. Local stories say these hills sheltered the monkey kingdom of the Ramayana, and that Pampadevi, a local goddess, married Virupaksha, a form of Shiva.
Temple features
- Raya gopurams: very tall royal gateways, often taller than the central temple. Seen from far away, they showed the king's power.
- Mandapas: pillared halls. Pillars were carved with horses, dancers and gods.
- Long pillared corridors around shrines.
- Chariot streets: wide roads from the temple gopuram, lined with pillared rest houses, used for the temple car festival.
Two famous temples
- Virupaksha temple: grew over centuries. Krishnadeva Raya added a hall and a gopuram to mark his coronation.
- Vitthala temple: for Vitthala, a form of Vishnu worshipped in Maharashtra. It has a stone chariot shrine and 'musical' pillars.
Why build so much? Kings linked themselves to gods (they ruled 'on behalf of' Virupaksha), got support from temple networks, and temples also managed land and trade.
Travellers' accounts of Vijayanagara
- Niccolo de Conti (Italy, 1420s): described a huge, crowded city.
- Abdur Razzaq (Persia, 1440s): envoy; wrote of seven lines of forts and busy markets full of gems and flowers.
- Afanasii Nikitin (Russia, 15th century): wrote about the Deccan and its trade.
- Duarte Barbosa (Portugal, early 16th century): wrote about trade and social life.
- Domingo Paes (Portugal, 1520s): described the royal centre, the Mahanavami festival and a tank being built. He said the city was as big as Rome.
- Fernao Nuniz (Portugal, 1530s): wrote a history of the dynasty and the king's palace.
Historians check these accounts against inscriptions and ruins. Travellers could exaggerate, but many details (like the forts and tanks) match what we still see.
Key formulas and definitions
- Founded 1336 (Harihara, Bukka); battle of Talikota 1565
- Dynasties: Sangama → Saluva → Tuluva → Aravidu
- Krishnadeva Raya: 1509 to 1529, Tuluva dynasty
- Royal centre: Mahanavami Dibba, Lotus Mahal, Hazara Rama temple
- Sacred centre: Virupaksha, Vitthala; raya gopuram = royal gateway
- Water: Tungabhadra river, Kamalapuram tank, Hiriya canal
Worked examples
1. Why did Vijayanagara keep farms inside its walls?
Step 1: enemies laid sieges to starve a city. Step 2: fields and gardens inside the outer walls gave food. Step 3: stored water in tanks watered them. So the city could hold out longer.
2. How long did Vijayanagara last as a capital?
Step 1: founded 1336. Step 2: left after 1565. Step 3: 1565 - 1336 = 229 years.
3. How did the Kamalapuram tank help the city?
Step 1: rain and streams filled the tank. Step 2: channels carried water to fields nearby. Step 3: a channel carried water to the royal centre. So water was available in the dry season.
4. Why were raya gopurams so tall?
Step 1: they were built by kings (rayas). Step 2: seen from far, they signalled a temple and the king's power. Step 3: they were often taller than the shrine inside. So they were a message of royal authority.
Common mistakes
- Thinking Hampi was a different city. Hampi is the name of the ruins of Vijayanagara.
- Saying the Mahanavami Dibba was a temple. It was a platform for the king's festival.
- Mixing the royal centre and sacred centre. Royal centre = palace and platforms; sacred centre = big temples near the river.
- Believing travellers' numbers fully. Check them against ruins and inscriptions.