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An Imperial Capital : Vijayanagara
Give a brief description of Lotus Mahal, situated in the Royal Centre in the Vijayanagara empire.
Lotus Mahal of Hampi : One of the most beautiful buildings in the Royal Centre is the Lotus Mahal, so named by British travellers in the nineteenth century. While the name is certainly romantic, historians are not quite sure what the building was used for. One suggestion hound in a map drawn by Mackenzie, is that it may have been a council chamber, a place where the king met his advisers. While most temples were located in the sacred centre, there were several in the Royal Centre as well.
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What are the architectural traditions that inspired the architects of Vijayanagara? How did they transform these traditions?
What impression of the lives of the ordinary people of Vijayanagara can you cull from the various descriptions in the chapter?
On an outline map of the world, mark approximately Italy, Portugal, Iran and Russia.Trace the routes the travellers mentioned on p.176 would have taken to reach Vijayanagara.
Find out more about any one of the major cities which flourished in the subcontinent during c. fourteenth-seventeenth centuries. Describe the
architecture of the city. Are there any features to suggest that these were political centres? Are there buildings that were ritually significant? Is there
an area for commercial activities? What are the features that distinguish the urban layout from that of surrounding areas?
Give a brief description of Lotus Mahal, situated in the Royal Centre in the Vijayanagara empire.
Mention two characteristic features of the temple complexes in Vijayanagara.
Mention any two ceremonies performed on the occasion of Mahanavami dibba.
Who were 'amaranayakas1 on Vijayanagara Empire? Mention any one function they performed.
Mention any two features about the location of the city ofVijayanagara.
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