New Architecture (Vijayanagar Period) Test - 1

The correct answer is Colonel Colin Mackenzie.

Key Points

• Colonel Colin Mackenzie
  • The ruins at Hampi were brought to light in 1800 by an engineer and antiquarian named Colonel Colin Mackenzie. Hence, Option 1 is correct.
  • An employee of the English East India Company, he prepared the first survey map of the site.
  • Most of the initial information he received was based on the memories of priests of the Virupaksha temple and the shrine of Pampadevi.
  • Subsequently, from 1856, photographers began to record the monuments which enabled scholars to study them.
  • As early as 1836 epigraphists began collecting several dozen inscriptions found at this and other temples at Hampi.
  • Colin Mackenzie was appointed as the first Surveyor General of India in 1815.

Additional Information

• James Prinsep
  • He was the founding editor of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.
  • He was known for deciphering the Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts.
• James Renell
  • He was an English Geographer known for constructing the first accurate map of India.
• William Jones
  • Asiatic Society of Bengal, a scholarly society founded on Jan.15, 1784, by Sir William Jones.

The correct answer is Amara- Nayakas.

Key Points

• The kingdom of Vijayanagar was founded by Harihara and Bukka of the Sangam dynasty in 1336 AD.
• The Amara-Nayakas were military commanders who were given territories to be governed by the Rayas or the rulers of Vijayanagara.
  • Many features of this system were derived from the Iqta system of the Delhi sultanate.
  • Amara-Nayakas collected taxes and other dues from peasants, craftsmen, and traders in the area. 

Additional Information

• Anegundi was the first capital of the Vijayanagara empire.
• The other capitals of Vijayanagara were Hampi, Penukonda & Chandragiri.
• Present-day Hampi in Karnataka State is a world heritage site.

The correct answer is Hampi.

Key Points

• Hampi:
  • Hampi is located in the Krishna-Tungabhadra basin, which formed the nucleus of the Vijayanagara Empire, founded in 1336.
  • The magnificent ruins at Hampi reveal a well-fortified city.
  • No mortar or cementing agent was used in the construction of these walls and the technique followed was to wedge them together by interlocking.
    • Muslim merchants, Chettis and agents of European traders such as the Portuguese, thronged the markets of Hampi.
  • Temples were the hub of cultural activities and devadasis (temple dancers) performed before the deity, royalty and masses in the many-pillared halls in the Virupaksha (a form of Shiva) temple.
  • The Mahanavami festival, known today as Navaratri in the south, was one of the most important festivals celebrated at Hampi.
    • Archaeologists have found the Mahanavami platform where the king received guests and accepted tribute from subordinate chiefs.
    • From here he also watched dance and music performances as well as wrestling bouts.
  • Hampi fell into ruin following the defeat of Vijayanagara in 1565 by the Deccani Sultans – the rulers of Golconda, Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, Berar and Bidar.

The correct answer is Vijaynagar.

Key Points

• Vijaynagar Empire was located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River.

Important Points

• Vijayanagara was the capital city of the famous Vijayanagara Empire.
• It spread across a large area and incorporates the Group of Monuments at Hampi site in Vijayanagara district.
• Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Vijayanagara was founded by the Sangama brothers who were serving as soldiers in the Kampli Kingdom.
• It grew as the world's second-largest city, after Beijing, around 1500 CE.

The correct answer is Banking.

Key Points

• Banking is the main occupation of the merchants known as Shroffs, Seths, Sahukars, Mahajans and Chheti since ancient times.
  • The Arthashastra of Kautilya mentions the presence of bankers during the Maurya era.
  • There were instruments in the Maurya Era known as “Adesha” which are equivalent to the Bill of exchange of current times.
  • There are plenty of references available in the ancient Indian literature regarding an indigenous banking system that financed the trade and commerce in the country.
  • The businessmen called Shroffs, Seths, Sahukars, Mahajans, Chettis, etc. had been carrying on the business of banking since ancient times.
  • These indigenous bankers included very small money lenders to shroffs with huge businesses, who carried on the large and specialized business even greater than the business of banks.

Additional Information

• The History of Banking in India is as old as Vedic Civilization.
  • For example, in the Vedic age, the loan deeds called rnapatra or rnalekhya were prevalent. Interest rates, as well as usury, were prevalent in Vedic India.
• The Vedic word Kusidin refers to a usurer.
  • Manusmriti condemns usury and calls it an acceptable means of acquiring wealth.
• The existence of institution money lending is proved by the fact that Manusmriti fixes minimum and maximum rates of interest and considers money lending above a certain rate as a grave sin.
• However, it fixes different ceiling rates for different caste.
  • For example, the rate of interest for Brahmins was 24% while it was 36%, 48%, and 60% for Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras.
• Akin to the Vedic era, the Buddhist, Mauryan, and Mughal periods are also known for various types of such instruments.

• The correct answer is Mahanavami Dibba.​

Key Points

• Mahanavami Dibba is a beautiful stone platform located within the Royal Enclosure of Hampi.

• Mahanavami Dibba is also called as Dasara Dibba.
• It was built during the Vijayanagara period by King Krishnadevaraya to commemorate his victory over Udaygiri.
• It was the place where the King of Vijayanagar used to celebrate the festival of Dasara (Dussehra). 
• The Dasara Dibba is in a ruined state now with damaged carvings on the side of the platform. Hence statement 2 is correct.

Additional Information 

• The 12 meters high Dasara Dibba consists of a massive square granite-faced base in three diminishing tiers, the lowest being 40-meter square and the topmost 24-meter square. 
• The walls are covered with auspicious carvings of horses, elephants, warriors, caravans, hunting games scenes, dancers, musicians, and many other royal cultural scenes of the by-gone culture.
• UNESCO and the Government have taken proper steps in preserving the heritage for future generations.

•  

The correct answer is Gopuram.

Important Points

• In South India, the most famous temples are built in the Dravidian style.
• Features of south Indian temple architecture:
  • The temples are enclosed within a compound wall.
  • Gopuram: The entrance gateway of the temples.
  • Shikhara is a crowning element at the top of the temple that is shaped like a stupika or octagonal cupola.
  • Mandapas very often lie between the sanctuary and the temple entrance.
  • Garbhagriha (Sanctum Sanctorum) where the main deity is located.
  • Kanchipuram, Thanjavur (Tanjore), Madurai temples are famous examples of the Dravidian style of temple architecture.

The correct answer is Ala-ud-din Bahman Shah.

Key Points

• The Bahmani Sultanate, or the Bahmani empire, was established in 1347 by a Turkish general named Alauddin Bahman Shah.
  • He had revolted against Mohammed bin Tughlaq of the Delhi Sultanate.
  • Bahman Shah made Kalaburgi (or Gulbarga) his capital in Karnataka.
  • He set up an empire that would rule the Deccan for nearly 200 years.
  • The Kingdom later split into five successor states that were collectively known as the Deccan sultanates.

Additional Information

Some important Dynasties and their founders: 

The correct answer is Domingo Paes.

• Domingo Paes compared medieval Vijayanagara with Rome. He was a Portuguese traveller.
• Domingo had visited the Vijayanagara Empire around 1520 during the rule of King Krishna Deva Raya.
• He had extensively recorded his views on Vijayanagara state in “Chronicle of the Vijayanagar kings” (Chronica dos Reis de Bisnaga).
• He was particularly impressed by the advanced irrigation technology of that time. The irrigation system allowed the kingdom to produce high yields of crops at very reasonable prices, and a wide variety of cultures. He also described that markets were flooded with precious stones.
• As the city was prospering with abundant vegetation, aqueducts and artificial lakes, Domingo compared it to Rome.

Additional Information

• Nicolo Conti (Italian traveller) visited Vijayanagar empire during the reign of Devaraya-I. Conti had given a comprehensive account of the Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar.
• Afanasy Nikitin was the first Russian traveller to India. He arrived in India in 1469 and lived in the country for three years, travelling all the way to Kerala and Sri Lanka. He had given a detailed account of his experience in India in his book "Voyage Beyond Three Seas".
• Fernao Nuniz was a Portuguese traveller. He visited Vijayanagar empire during the reign of Achyuta Raya and stayed there for three years.

The correct answer is Lord Shiva.

Key Points

• The Virupaksha Temple:
  • It is the largest monument of Chalukyas of Badami.
  • This was later improvised in the Vijayanagar empire.
  • This temple is special because it has a Panchayat hall kind of design with 12 pillars.
  • This was the earliest experiment for a pillar-based structure in temple architecture.
  • It is located in Hampi and, is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Hence, Option 3 is correct.
  • The distance from Bangalore to Hampi is about 350 km.
  • Hampi is a temple town in South India and is acknowledged as one of the World Heritage Sites of UNESCO.
  • This temple was constructed in Lakkana Dandesha’s assistance who was a commander under King Deva Raya II.

Additional Information

• Hampi:
  • It comprises mainly the remnants of the Capital City of the Vijayanagara Empire. It is located in the Tungabhadra basin in central Karnataka.
  • It was founded by Harihara and Bukka in 1336.
  • Classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (1986), it is also the World’s Largest Open-air Museum.
  • Famous places include the Krishna temple complex, Narasimha, Ganesa, Hemakuta group of temples, Achyutaraya temple complex, Vitthala temple complex, Pattabhirama temple complex, Lotus Mahal complex, etc.
  • The Battle of Talikota (1565 CE) led to massive destruction of its physical fabric.
  • Battle of Talikota, confrontation in the Deccan region of southern India between the forces of the Hindu King of Vijayanagar and the four allied Muslim sultans of Bijapur, Bidar, Ahmadnagar, and Golconda.