Vijayanagar — Set 6

Correct Answer: B. Hindu Culture

• **Vijayanagar Empire** = historically famous for preserving **Hindu culture** in South India. • Acted as a **bulwark against Sultanate expansion** for over 200 years (1336–1565). • Led revival of **temple building, Sanskrit scholarship, and Dravidian arts** across the south. • 💡 Jain culture = tolerated but not the empire's identity; Islamic/Buddhist = not the defining legacy — Hindu cultural preservation is Vijayanagar's core historical significance.

Correct Answer: D. Karnataka

• **Hampi** = located in **Bellary district, Karnataka** — site of Vijayanagar ruins. • Declared **UNESCO World Heritage Site** in 1986 — known for its group of monuments. • Hampi is now in Vijayanagara district (newly carved from Ballari district in **2021**). • 💡 Andhra Pradesh = shares border but Hampi is in Karnataka; Kerala/Tamil Nadu = wrong states entirely — Hampi is specifically in Karnataka.

Correct Answer: D. Italy

• **Nicolo Conti** = **Italian** merchant-explorer who visited Vijayanagar in early 15th century (~1420 AD). • Gave early European perspective on Hindu kingdom — described its festivals and royal court. • His accounts were compiled by Papal Secretary Poggio Bracciolini in 'De Varietate Fortunae'. • 💡 Morocco = Abdur Razzak's origin country; China = Zheng He visited India but not Vijayanagar; Russia = no major Vijayanagar traveler — Nicolo Conti was Italian.

Correct Answer: D. First

• **Sangama dynasty** = **first** dynasty of Vijayanagar, named after father of Harihara and Bukka. • Ruled **1336–1485 AD** — about 150 years; greatest Sangama ruler was Devaraya II. • Sangama dynasty ended when Saluva Narasimha usurped the throne to save the weakening empire. • 💡 Memory trick: order = **S**angama → **S**aluva → **T**uluva → **A**ravidu = **'SSTA'** — Sangama was first.

Correct Answer: C. Babur

• **Babur** = Mughal Empire founder, contemporary of Krishnadevaraya — both ruled same period. • In **'Baburnama'**, Babur called Krishnadevaraya the **most powerful ruler in the south**. • Krishnadevaraya ruled **1509**–**1529**; Babur established Mughal Empire in **1526** — overlapping timelines. • 💡 Akbar = ruled **1556**–**1605** (post-Krishnadevaraya); Humayun = ruled **1530**–**1556** (after Krishnadevaraya died); Shah Jahan = **1628**–**1658** — Babur alone was Krishnadevaraya's contemporary.

Correct Answer: B. Bahmani Kingdom

• **Bahmani Kingdom** = principal rival of Vijayanagar in the Deccan — constant wars over Raichur Doab. • Bahmani disintegrated by 1518 into **5 successor Sultanates**: Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, Golconda, Bidar, Berar. • These 5 Sultanates (minus Berar) united in **1565** to defeat Vijayanagar at Talikota. • 💡 Maratha Empire = emerged later (17th century); Chola/Pandya = ancient South kingdoms — Bahmani Kingdom was Vijayanagar's main medieval Deccan rival.

Correct Answer: A. Telugu

• **Ashtadiggajas** = eight great **Telugu** poets in Krishnadevaraya's court. • Produced major works: **'Manucharitam'** (Peddana) and **'Parijatapaharanam'** (Nandi Timmana). • Their era = golden age of Telugu — called the **Prabandha period** of classical Telugu poetry. • 💡 Sanskrit = Krishnadevaraya also wrote in it ('Jambavati Kalyanam'); Tamil/Kannada = regionally used — Ashtadiggajas' primary literary medium was Telugu.

Correct Answer: B. Domingo Paes

• **Domingo Paes** = Portuguese traveler who called Mahanavami Dibba the **'House of Victory'**. • Gave vivid description of **Dasara (Mahanavami) festivals** — awestruck by the grand ceremonies. • Paes visited Vijayanagar during Krishnadevaraya's reign (early 16th century) — key primary source. • 💡 Barbosa = described social customs; Conti = 15th century Italian; Nuniz = wrote chronicle under Achyuta Raya — Domingo Paes specifically called it 'House of Victory'.

Correct Answer: C. The King

• **'Raya'** = royal title used by Vijayanagar rulers, meaning **King** — variant of Sanskrit 'Raja'. •. • Rulers also used Sanskrit titles like 'Maharajadhiraja' for supreme sovereignty. • 💡 Priest = 'Purohita'; Army Chief = 'Senapati'; Currency = 'Varaha/Pagoda' — 'Raya' was specifically the royal/kingly title.

Correct Answer: D. Rashtrakuta

• **Rashtrakuta** = NOT a Vijayanagar dynasty — it was an earlier Deccan power (8th–10th century). • Four Vijayanagar dynasties: **Sangama → Saluva → Tuluva → Aravidu**. • Rashtrakuta ended ~975 AD — over 350 years before Vijayanagar's founding in 1336. • 💡 Memory trick: **'SSTA'** — Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva, Aravidu — only these four ruled Vijayanagar; Rashtrakuta belongs to an older Deccan era.