Question

Examine the feature of Royal Centre of the Vijayanagar Empire.

Answer 1

1. The royal centre was located in the south-western part of the settlement.
2. Although designated as a royal centre, it included over 60 temples. Clearly, the patronage of temples and cults was important for rulers who were trying to establish and legitimise their authority through association with the divinities housed in the shrines.
3. About thirty building complexes have been identified as palaces.
4. These are relatively large structures that do not seem to have been associated with ritual functions.
5. The difference between these structures and temples is that the latter were constructed entirely of masonry, while the superstructure of the secular buildings was made of perishable materials.
6. The “king’s palace” is the largest of the enclosures but has not yielded definitive evidence of being a royal residence.
7. One of the most beautiful buildings in the royal centre is the Lotus Mahal, so named by British travellers in the nineteenth century.
8. One of the most spectacular of these is one known as the Hazara Rama temple. This was probably meant to be used only by the king and his family.