Question

Explain any five features of Vijayanagara city.

Answer 1

Five features of this city were as follows:

1. Gopurams were the tall gateways that led to temple complexes and were frequently embellished with intricate carvings and sculptures.
2. Mandapas, or pavilions, and lengthy, pillared passageways that usually encircle the shrines inside the temple complex are further distinctive features. Rayas such as Krishnadeva Raya constructed ornate gopurams and mandapas for the shrine of Virupaksha.
3. Despite lacking central shrine images, the Hazara Rama temple, which is probably reserved for the monarch and his family, has sculpted panels on its inner walls that depict scenes from the Ramayana.
4. The Vijayanagara seven layered fortress walls, admired for their massive masonry construction, enclosed not only the city but also agricultural tracts, showcasing a strategic defence approach that prioritized protecting the agricultural belt and urban core.
5. The building of reservoirs and water systems was made easier by Vijayanagara's advantageous location in a naturally occurring basin created by the Tungabhadra River and encircled by granite hills. The city's irrigation and water supply depended heavily on the 15th-century Kamalapuram tank and the Sangama dynasty-built Hiriya canal.