Page 4 - #1812070101

‘Rayas’ gopurams or royal gateways and mandapas or pavilions were developed
by the rulers of Vijayanagara.
• Krishnadeva Raya built the hall in front of the main shrine in Virupaksha temple
and he also constructed the Eastern gopuram. The halls in the temple were used
for special programmes of music, dance, drama and marriages of deities.
• The rulers of Vijayanagara established Vitthala temple. Vitthala, a form of Vishnu,
was generally worshipped in Maharashtra. Some of the most spectacular
gopurams were built by the local Nayakas.

Hampi: As a site of National Importance:

• In 1976, Hampi was recognised as a site of national importance. Over nearly
twenty years, dozens of scholars from all over the world worked to reconstruct the
history of Vijayanagara.
• In the early 1980s detailed survey, using a variety of recording techniques was
done by the Archaeological Survey of India which led to the recovery of traces of
roads, paths, bazaars, etc.
• John M Fritz, George Nichell and MS Nagaraja Rao worked for years and gave
important observation of the site.
• The descriptions left by travellers allow us to reconstruct some aspects of the
vibrant life of that times.

Continuing Research About Vijayanagara:

• Buildings that survive convey ideas about the materials and techniques, the
builders or patrons and cultural context of Vijayanagara empire. Thus, we can
understand by combining information from literature, inscriptions and popular
traditions.
• But the investigation of architectural features do not tell us about the places where
ordinary’ people live, what kind of wages did the masons, stonecutters, sculptors
get, how was the building material transported and so many other questions.
• Continuing research using other sources that available architectural examples
might provide some further clues about Vijayanagara.

Class 12 History Notes Chapter 7 Important Terms:

• Karnataka Samrajyamu: Historians used the term Vijayanagara Empire,
contemporaries described it as the
• Karnataka Samrajyamu.
• Gajapati: Literally means the lord of elephants. This was the name of a ruling
lineage that was very powerful in Odisha in the fifteenth century.
• Ashvapati: In the popular traditions of Vijayanagara the Deccan Sultans are
termed as ashavapati of the lord of horses.
• Narapati: In Vijayanagara Empire, the Rayas are called narapati or the lord of
men.