significance of Mahanavmi dibba

 Who replaced the Saluva dynasty?

The first dynasty of Vijayanagara Empire was replaced by the Saluva dynasty and its

end was same as the end of Sangama dynasty. The Saluva dynasty was replaced by

the Tuluva dynasty. Krishnadeva Raya belonged to the Tuluva dynasty

What was the condition of the Vijayanagara kingdom after the death of

Krishnadeva Raya?

After the death of Krishnadeva Raya in 1529, his successors faced problems created

by rebellious nayakas or military chiefs. By 1542 the control of the empire came

under another ruling lineage, the Aravidu, which continued till the end of the

seventeenth century and in 1565 Vijayanagara Empire vanished as it was defeated in

the Battle of Rakshasi-Tangadi.

Why the agricultural lands were incorporated within the fortified area?

During the medieval period, the main objective of the sieges was to starve the

defenders into submission. These sieges could continue for months and sometimes

even years. Rulers were ready to face it with proper arrangements by building large

granaries within fortified areas. The rulers of Vijayanagara adopted a more expensive

and elaborate method of protecting the agricultural belt itself by incorporating

cultivation land in the fort.

Who were the nayakas in the Vijayanagara Empire?

In the Vijayanagara Empire the nayakas were military chiefs and exercised power and

controlled forts and had armed supporters. Theses chiefs often moved from one place

to another and were accompanied by peasants looking for fertile land in order to

settle. The nayakas spoke Telugu or Kannada. Many nayakas were under the control

of the kings of Vijayanagara but often rebelled and faced military action by the kings.

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 importance of the hall in the temple is as follows:

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.

How far the buildings are useful in knowing the past?

Buildings provide the following details-

· Buildings that survive tell us about the way spaces were organised and used, how

they were built, with what materials and techniques.

· We can assess the defence requirements and military preparedness of a city by

studying its fortifications.

· Buildings also tell us about the spread of ideas and cultural influences if we

compare them with buildings in other places. They convey ideas which the builders or

their patrons wished to project.

Discuss the relationship between rulers and deities.

The relationship between the deities and rulers is imaginary in nature which is

depending upon variety of sources. The relationship between deity and rulers is as

follows:

· The Vijayanagara kings claimed to rule on behalf of the God Virupaksha.

· All royal orders were signed “Shri Virupaksha”, usually in the Kannada script.

Rulers also indicated their close links with the gods by using the title “Hindu

Suratrana”. This was a Sanskritisation of the Arabic term Sultan, meaning king, so it

literally meant Hindu Sultan.

· Even as they drew on earlier traditions, the rulers of Vijayanagara innovated and

developed these.

Royal portrait sculptures were displayed in temples, and the king’s visits to temples

were treated as important state occasions on which he was accompanied by the

important nayakas of the empire.

What are the histories related with the sacred region? What is the significance of

the region in present days?

The various stories related to the sacred region areas follows:

· These hills of northern region sheltered the monkey kingdom of Vali and Sugriva

mentioned in the Ramayana.

· Other traditions suggest that Pampadevi, the local mother goddess, did penance in

these hills in order to marry Virupaksha, the guardian deity of the kingdom, also

recognised as a form of Shiva.

· In the contemporary period, the marriage of deities is celebrated annually in the

Virupaksha temple.

Discuss the significance of Mahanavmi festival in Vijayanagara Empire.

The Mahanavmi festival was celebrated with much zeal in Vijayanagara Empire the

reasons for this zeal are as follows:

The Vijayanagara kings displayed their prestige, power and suzerainty on this

occasion.

The ceremonies performed on the occasion-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 and

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.

What does the account of Abdur Razzaq say about the great fortress walls of the

Vijayanagara Empire?

Abdur Razzaq was an ambassador sent by the ruler of Persia to Calicut in the fifteenth

century was impressed by the fortifications and mentioned seven lines of the forts.

· He says that the forts were encircled not only the city but also its agricultural

hinterlands and forests

· The outer most walls linked the hills surrounding the city.

· The masonry construction was slightly tapered.

· No mortar or cementing agent was employed anywhere in the construction.

· The stone blocks were wedge shaped, which held them in place

· The inner portion of the walls was of earth packed with rubble.

· Square or rectangular bastions projected outwards.

What were the mutual benefits derived by the Portuguese and Vijayanagara by

the trade alliance?

The benefits derived by both were as follows:

· European markets had great demand for the spices and trade was considered as the

benchmark for the status.

· Their superior military technology, especially the use of muskets, enabled them to

become important players in the tangled politics of the period.

· V.N ruler KDR has entered into agreement with Portugese that they will supply

the Arabian horses and gunpowder/ muskets to V.N Empire only.

· Vijayanagara was also noted for its markets dealing in spices, textiles and

precious stones.

· Trade was often regarded as a status symbol for such cities, which boasted of a

wealthy population that demanded high-value exotic goods, especially precious stones

and jewellery.

The revenue derived from trade in turn contributed significantly to the prosperity of

the state.

What do you mean by ‘amaranayakas’? Discuss the duties they had to perform

in the Vijayanagara administration?

Amaranayakas were the military commanders who were given territories in lieu of

their salaries.

The duties performed by them were as follows:

· Economic- They collected taxes and other dues from peasants, crafts persons

and traders in the area.

· Political: These contingents provided the Vijayanagara kings with an effective

fighting force with which they brought the entire southern peninsula under their

control.

· Personal: They retained part of the revenue for personal use and for maintaining a

stipulated contingent of horses and elephants.

· Social: Some of the revenue was also used for the maintenance of temples and

irrigation works.

Who led the army into battle at Rakshasi-Tangadi or the battle of Talikota?

The military ambitions of the rulers of Vijayanagara and the Deccan Sultanates

resulted in shifting alignments. Eventually it resulted in an alliance of the Sultanates

against Vijayanagara. In 1565, the battle of Talikota started and the army was led by

Rama Raya, the chief minister of Vijayanagara. The army of Vijayanagara was

defeated by the combined armies of Bijapur, Ahmadnagar and Golconda. The

victorious armies sacked the city of Vijayanagara. The city was abandoned within a

few years. After the defeat, the Aravidu dynasty shifted its focus to the east and ruled

from Penukonda and later from Chandragiri near Tirupati.

Who were the nayakas in the Vijayanagara Empire?

In the Vijayanagara Empire, the nayakas were military chiefs who exercised power

and controlled forts and had armed supporters. These chiefs often moved from one

place to another and many a times were accompanied by peasants looking for fertile

land in order to settle. The nayakas spoke Telugu or Kannada. Many nayakas were

under the control of the kings of Vijayanagara but often rebelled and faced military

action by the kings. The amara-nayaka system was the great invention of the

Vijayanagara which was like the iqta system of Delhi sultanate. They were military

heads, tax collectors and tribute payers. It was the trouble created by hereditary

nayakas which was one of the cause of weakening and declining of the Vijayanagara

Empire.

Write a short note on the Vijayanagara Empire under the rule of Krishnadeva

Raya.

Krishnadeva Raya belonged to the Tuluva dynasty. His rule was characterised by

fullexpansion and consolidation. He brought under his control the land between the

Tungabhadra and Krishna rivers called - the Raichur doab in the year 1512. He

defeated Pratap Rudra of Gajapati dynasty, the ruler of Orissa in 1514 and the Sultan

of Bijapur in 1520. His rule is credited with building of fine temples and

attractive gopurams to some important south Indian temples e.g. the gopuram of the

Brihadishvara Temple. He also founded the suburban township near Vijayanagara

called Nagalapuram named after his mother.

Write a short note on the relationship between the Sultans and the Rayas.

The Sultans were the reason for destruction of the city of Vijayanagara in the battle of

Talikota in 1565. But the relationship between the Sultans and the Rayas was not

always hostile inspite of religious differences. For example, Krishnadeva Raya

supported some claimants to power in the Sultanates and took pride in the title

“establisher of the Yavana kingdom”. Similarly, the Sultan of Bijapur intervened in an

attempt to resolve the succession disputes in Vijayanagara following the death of

Krishnadeva Raya. According to historians, the Vijayanagara kings were keen to

ensure the stability of Sultanates and vice versa. But due to the adventurous policy of

Rama Raya and his attempt to play off one sultan against another, the Sultans came

together and defeated him decisively.

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

Several travellers visited the city of Vijayanagara and left their travel accounts.

Notable among them are Italian trader Nicolo de Conti, an ambassador named Abdur

Razzaq sent by the ruler of Persiaand 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 Nuniz visited the city in the sixteenth

century. Freddrick Caesar was a traveller who visited the Vijayanagara Empire soon

after the Battle of Talikota and gave the description of all the prevailing scenario in

his account.