An Imperial Capital: Vijayanagara

An engineer and antiquarian Colonel Colin Mackenzie brought the ruins of Hampi to radiance in 1800 C.E. He was an employee in the East India Company. He prepared the first survey map of this site. His initial information were based on the memories of priest of the Virupaksha temple and shrine of Pampadevi. From 1856 C.E. onwards photographers started to record the pictures of monuments of this site which helped the scholars to study them. Dozens of inscriptions were collected from here and other temples of Hampi. Historians collected information from these sources, accounts of foreign travellers and other literature written in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Sanskrit language so that history of the city could be reconstructed.

The Kingdom of Vijayanagara was located in the natural basin formed by river Tungabhadra which flowers in a north – easterly direction, the surrounding landscape is characterised by granite hills from which a number of streams flow down to the river from these rocky outcrops.

TANKS – The rulers of Vijayanagara got the embankments built along these structures to create tanks of varying sizes.

NETWORK OF PIPES – The reservoirs were also used to collect rain water and then through a well laid out system of pipes (approx 15 k.m) the water was transported to the adjacent fields and to the city.

The most important of such tanks was the ‘Kamalapuram Tank’ which not only irrigated nearby fields but also provided water to the Royal centre.

CANALS – The king of the Sangama Dynasty got a canal made – the Hiriya canal. It drew water from a drain across the Tungabhadrs.

According to domingo paes; a foreign travellers who visited India in the 16^th century wrote that the king Krishnadeva Raya made a tank after breaking two hills.

Vijayanagara was a fortified city with enclosed agriculture with its own advantages and disadvantage:

There were seven lines of fort walls which encircled not only the city but also agriculture hinterland and forest.

Abdur Razzaq voted that ‘between the first, second and third walls, there are cultivated fields, gardens and houses. Rice was grown in the fields and to irrigate these fields there was an elaborate network of water from the Tungabhadra to provide irrigation facilities. This enclosure saved the crops by the animals.

The main reason behind enclosing the agricultural land was –“The Medieval sieges”. The objectives of the medieval sieges were to starve the defenders into submission. So, the rulers of Vijayanagara adopted a more expensive and elaborate strategy for protecting the agriculture belt itself.

Disadvantages were:

It was an expensive system.

It the crops failed for same reason in case of serge, there was no alternative arrangement.

The Mahanavami Dibba was the king’s palace in Vijayanagara though there is no definite evidence. It had a distinctive structure. It had the largest enclosures and an impressive platform called as ‘the audience hall’. It was surrounded by high double walls with a street running between them.

There were many rituals associated with the Mahanavami Dibba. Literally Mahanavami meant the great ninth day of the ten-day, Hindu festival during the autumn months of September and October. This period had Dussehra in the northern India, Durga Pooja In Bengal and Navaratri or Mahanavami in peninsular India. The rulers of Vijayanagara displayed their power and prestige on this occasion.

The ceremonies performed on this occasion included:

a. Worship of the image.

b. Worship of the State horse

c. The sacrifice of buffaloes and other animals.

d. The main attractions of this occasion were:

1. Dances

2. Wrestling matches

3. Processions of caparisoned horses, elephants, chariots and soldiers.

All these ceremonies had deep symbolic meanings. Most of them were presented before the king and his guests. On the last day of the festival, the king inspected his army as well as the armies of the Nayaks. He also accepted rich gifts from the Nayaks. There was a grand ceremony in an open ield.

Given illustration of the pillar from the Virupaksha temple depicts some floral motifs like the plants bearing beautiful flowers and we also notice animals engraved like horse, duck, etc. It also has bird’s motifs including peacock. These pictures were probably carved out on gateways to attract people. These pictures also act as a representative of the devotional expression, religiousness and love for of art-patronage ruler. These various kinds of animals and birds were associated with different gods and goddesses.

That’s why these pillars were worshipped. In the pillar a god is shown wearing malas and crown. He also has a gadda in his hands which indicated that he must be a destroyer of Rakshashas. In another picture devotee is shown near the ‘Shivlinga’ his method of worship is unique and not applicable in any form.

The Royal Centre was located in the South- Western past of the settlement. There were two types of structures in the Royal Centre – The secular structures and the Religious structures, the religious structure were constructed entirely of stone parts of building the Secular building were made of perishable material.

SECULAR STRUCTURES-

1. There were about thirty buildings which have been identified as Palaces.

2. The largest building has been identified as the Kings Palace. It has two platforms called ‘the audience hall and the Mahanavami Dibba’.

3. There is no definite evidence whether the king actually lived in the so called king’s palace and it is also not clear what the audience hall was used for. The Mahanavami Dibba was probably used to celebrate the festival of Mahanavami or Navratri or Dussehra.

4. One of the most beautiful buildings in the Royal Centre is the “Lotus Mahal”. It may have been a Council Chamber, where the king met his advisors.

5. Another important structure in the Royal Centre was the “Elephant Stable” its architecture shows Indo- Islamic influence. RELIGIOUS STRUCTURES

6. In the Royal Centre there were about 60 temples, the patronage of temples and cults was important for rulers because they were trying to establish and legitimise there authority through association with the divinities housed in the shrines.

7. The most spectacular temple in this area is known as the “Hazara Rama temple”. The images of the central shrine are missing, but the sculpted Ramayana scenes on the inner walls of the shrine have survived. This temple was probably meant to the used only by the king and his family.

8. Thus , the term “Royal Centre” is appropriate for the part o the city for which it is used because it the king’s palace, lotus Mahal, the Elephant stable and the Hazara Ram temple. All these places were for exclusive use by the king and his administrative centre.

Lotus Mahal was one of the most beautiful buildings in royal centre. It was given this name by British travellers in the 19 century. Historians are not quite sure that for which function this building was build. But the map drawn by Mackenzie suggests that it may have been a council chamber where the king used to meet her advisers.

There was an elephant stable near the lotus Mahal in which a numbers of elephants over here suggesting that the rulers had adopted Indian traditional symbols, signs and totems.

Architecture style of lotus Mahal and nearby stable reminds us about indo-Islamic style. The pillars and arch were built in Muslim style while the wall and roof constructed in Indian style wood and stone figures were engraved on the walls and roof to give them a decorative appearance. With the passage of time the most important elements were destroyed. Hence it became difficult to analyse its beautiful grandeur. .Ruler of Vijayanagara kingdom used to built such elaborate buildings and spend a lot of money on them. They were of the view that beauty of these palaces will increase their prestige among masses.

Elephants tables – The rulers of the Vijayanagara organized and maintained a very large army and troops. There were large number of elephants in the army to keep these elephants, elephants stable was constructed near the Lotus Mahal.

The rulers of Vijayanagara were known for their innovations and beautifully carved in the sphere of architectural traditions.

1. Temple building had a long history in the region where Vijayanagara kingdom came up. Rules very often encouraged temple building as a means of associating themselves with the divine often the deity was explicitly or implicitly identified with the king.

2. In fact, the Vijayanagara kings also claimed to rule on behalf of the God Virupaksha- the guardian royal orders were signed “Shri Virupaksha”.

3. Rulers also indicated their close links with God by using the title “Hindu Suratrana” which meant Hindu Sultan.

4. But Vijayanagara rulers also transformed some traditions.

5. Royal portrait sculpture was now displayed in temple and the king visit to the temples were treated as Important state occasions on which he was accompanied by the Royal Nayakas of the Empire.

6. In terms of temple architecture certain new features were added these included “the Gopurams” or the royal gateways. These gopurams were very tall structures which even dwarfed the towers on the central shrine. It signalled the presence of the temple from a great distance. They were probably a mark of Imperial Authority and power of the king. For EG: Raja Krishnadeva Raya built the eastern gopurams of the Virupaksha temple.

7. Other distinctive textures that were added were the Mandapas or pavilions and long, pillared corridors that often ran around the shrines within the temple complex.

8. Raja Krishnadeva Raya to mark his accession also got a hall built in front the main shrine. This hall was decorated with delicately carved pillars. These halls were used for a variety of deities.

9. A characteristic complexes is the “Chariot Street “that extended from the temple Gopurams in a straight line. These streets were paved with stone slabs and lined with pillared pavilions in which the merchants set up their shops.

The meaning of ordinary people is by those people who did not participate in power structure. They spoke different languages and followed different religious traditions. They consisted of small traders and local merchants with peasants and craftsmen. They used to reside in cities, trade centres, ports, towns and villages. Local community of merchants known as Kudirai Chettis or horse merchants participated in several exchanges.

Rich merchants were also included among them. Following were the main features of their lies.

1. Archaeologist has found some fine Chinese porcelain in certain areas. They are of the view that rich traders probably lived over here .this was also the Muslim residential quarter .tombs and mosques located over here are distinctive features of art ,but still their architecture style resembles with that of the architecture of Mahajanpadas found in the temples of Hampi

2. Portuguese traveller Barbosa of 16^th century describes the houses of ordinary people like this, “the other houses of the people are thatched, but nonetheless well built and arranged according to the occupations, in long streets with many open places.”

3. Filed surveys suggest that there were many shrines and small temples in the entire area which belonged to vivid cults. They probably were supported by different communities. Survey also indicates that wells, rainwater tanks and temple tanks were probably the main sources of water for ordinary town people.

4. Peoples such as present, worker, slaves, etc. were also included in the group of ordinary people. The workers were known as “Vipra Viodian”. This group of ironsmiths and goldsmiths, carpenters, sculptures makers, etc. They often quarrelled mutually for their right. It seems that during the period, need was felt to frame laws for the society to execute social justice.

5. Kaikkol known as the weavers lived near temples and had a significant role in administering the temple.

6. There was an orthodox extremist section in Vijayanagara called as redis who own the land. They had enough influence in the Telegu region of the empire.

7. In the society there were a few low class people, who were non influential they were dumber, marva, jogi, praiyan, etc.

8. Some low caste people converted into Christianity under the influence of Portuguese.