1) The Vijayanagar Empire was founded in 1336 by Harihara and Bukka and lasted until 1565, ruling much of southern India. 2) Society followed the caste system strictly, with Brahmins honored and holding important roles. Kshatriyas served in the army, while Vaishyas and Sudras worked in trades and agriculture. 3) The empire was known for its grand architecture, including ornate temples built in the Dravidian style with gopuras, mandapas, and sculptures depicting Hindu gods. Hampi served as the capital with its royal palace complex.

1. Vijayanagar Empire
Nearest to ‘War State’
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2. • Harihar & Bukka ( converted & reverted)
• 1336- Harihara crowned himself at Hampi;
• Belonged to sangam dynasty
• Harihar ( 1336-56)
• Bukka- 1356-77) he was engaged in aggression
and series of attacks; on Bahamani Sultans;
• Krishna Deva Raya (1509-1530)
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3. Society
Brahaman
Kshatriya
Vaishya
Sudra
Chandala
Others
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4. Society
• Caste system was enforced in letter & spirit
• Brahmans- honoured, granted Agrahara,
occupied key posts, ministers, army officers,
accountants
• Kshatriya- serving in the army
• Vaishya- trading
• Sudras- cultivate land; some like Blanjas rose
to prominence
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5. Society
• Women-women became slave as ‘devdasi’ in
temples; elite women enjoyed better position;
Gangadevi w/o Kumara Kampana wrote
‘Madura Vijayam’ ; Tirumalamba author of
‘Varadmika Parinayam’.
• Sati- common often among upper classes;
Memorial stones were raised for sati women
as Satikal & Sati Virakal
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6. • Food- Rice, millet, grain, veg & Non-veg food
• Dress- Cotton, silk colthes in vogue, majority
of people wore shoes
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7. Architecture
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8. Architecture
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9. Hampi
• Palace fortified and protected by seven walls;
middle class live in flat roofed house, lower
classes lived in thached houses
• Temple- South Viman Style : 1) Adhisthana
Base 2) Pada ( enclosure of deity) 3)Prastara –
Prastara –Horizontal 4) Greebha – Neck 5)
Shikhara (Spire) 6) Crown (Stupi)
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10. • Temples, palaces, forts ; Gopuras (tower at
entrace) replaced Vimana (structure over
sanctum sanctorum); main deity accompanied by
subordinate deities
Mandap- pillared hall created ; temples at Madurai,
Srirangam, Chidambaram, Kanchi, Tadipatri,
Vittala temple & Hazarnama
Figures of Narsimha is found in Vaishnav temple;
Two feminine Dwarapalikas at the entrance are
figured- identified as Ganga & Yamuna; figure of
animals women used to decorate
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11. • Virbhadra at Lepakshi & Bhimesvara (Tanjore)
famous for painting decorations; Tepakshi
temple has scene from Ramayana & figures of
Vishnu; pigments mixed with lime water to
dry the wall
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12. • Amaram System
NAYAK was granted a piece of land , and in
return of which he was to maintain a number
of troops, horses and elephants for the ruler;
There were around 200 Nayaks in the
Vijayanagar Kingdom
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13. Commerce & Trade
• Merchants formed guild, head was called as
Setti or PattnaSwami; maintained financial
stability and granted donations to charities /
temples; decide & regulate wholesale price;
They helped in collection of taxes ; Export-
cloth, rice, iron, spice; import-horses; ports-
West-Bhatkal, Calicut; East – Motupalli,
Pullicot, Madras, Nagapattam
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14. • Taxes- ¼ to 1/3 collected as taxes; Land
Revenue, Marriage Tax, Grazing Tax, custom
duties, tax on prostitutes; tax collection was
given to highest bidder; tax burden heavy and
people migrated due to it
• Culture- Students were offered free eduction,
boarding, and lodging; patron of literature,
taxfree land to scholars granted,
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15. • Precious stones uses and sold
• Agriculture- Main occupation; canals and
tanks dugged; Porumamila Tank in Cuddapah
district built during this period ; Also tank at
Hampi with the help of Portuguese; New lands
was brough under cultivation; rice, wheat,
grains, cotton, & other products grown
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16. • Telgu,
• Kannada and
• Tamil language developed
• Krishnadeva Raya patronised 8 Telgu poets;
Astadiggajams’; He wrote Aruukta Malayda’.
Kannada literature relates to Jain, Vira Saiva
religion; Tamil literature relates to Saivism
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17. Foreign Accounts
• Niccolo Conti, Paes, Nuniz, Abdur Razzak
• Paes (Italian) ‘ He (Krishna Deva Rai) is a great
ruler and a man of much justice, but subject
to sudden fits of anger’.
• Abdur-Razzak (Iran); ‘Near the palance was
Chihal-Satun or forty pillared hall’
• The King was very wealthy, most splendid in
world’
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18. What they say
• Conti- ‘ The king is more powerful than all other
kings of India’
• Ferishta ‘In power, wealth, and extent the Rayas
of Bijanagar ( Vijayanagar) greatly exceeded the
Bahmanis’
• Barbosa- talks of justice, equity, and religious
tolerance prevailing within empire
• Nikitin- ‘People in the country are very miserable,
while the nobles are extremely rich’
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