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An Imperial Capital : Vijayanagara

Question
CBSEENHS12027281

Mention any two features about the location of the city ofVijayanagara.

Solution

(a) The most striking feature about the location of Vijayanagara is the natural basin formed by the river Tungabhadra which flows in a north-easterly direction. In almost all cases embankments were built along these streams to create reservoirs of varying sizes.

(b) One of the most prominent waterworks to be seen among the ruins is the Hiriya canal. This canal drew water from a dam across the Tungabhadra and irrigated the cultivated valley that separated the “sacred centre” from the “urban core”. This was apparently built by kings of the Sangama dynasty.

Some More Questions From An Imperial Capital : Vijayanagara Chapter

How were the water requirements of Vijayanagara met?

What do you think were the advantages and disadvantages of enclosing agricultural land within the fortified area of the city?

What do you think was the significance of the rituals associated with the Mahanavami dibba?

Fig. 7.33 is an illustration of another pillar from the Virupaksha temple. Do you notice any floral motifs? What are the animals shown? Why do you think they are depicted? Describe the human figures shown.

Discuss whether the term “royal centre” is an appropriate description for the part of the city for which it is used

What does the architecture of buildings like the Lotus Mahal and elephant stables tell us about the rulers who commissioned them?

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?