Question

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?

Accepted Answer

Vijayanagara: A Major City of the Fourteenth-Seventeenth Centuries Vijayanagara, the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, flourished as one of the most significant cities in the subcontinent during the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries. Like most capitals, it was characterised by a distinctive physical layout and building style. (i) Architecture of the City: The architecture of Vijayanagara reflects a blend of traditions. While stone structures have survived, we must imagine a whole series of vanished wooden elements – columns, brackets, beams, ceilings, overhanging eaves, and towers – which were decorated with plaster and painted, perhaps brightly. The temples feature gopurams, halls, colonnades, and central shrines. Interestingly, tombs and mosques in the Muslim residential quarter have architecture that resembles the mandapas found in the temples of Hampi. The houses of ordinary people were thatched, but well built and arranged according to occupations, in long streets with many open places. (ii) Features Suggesting Political Centres: Vijayanagara had a designated Royal Centre, indicating its political significance. A large number of inscriptions of the kings of Vijayanagara and their nayakas have been recovered, recording donations to temples and describing important events. The presence of the Lotus Mahal and elephant stables in the Royal Centre reflects the power and prestige of the rulers who commissioned them. (iii) Ritually Significant Buildings: The city was…

Explanation

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