NCERT Solutions for Class 12 History Chapter 7: An Imperial Capital: Vijayanagara (NCERT 2026–27)
These Class 12 History Chapter 7 solutions cover An Imperial Capital: Vijayanagara from Themes in Indian History – Part II, updated for the 2026–27 session. The theme studies the city and empire of Vijayanagara (c. fourteenth to sixteenth century), how its ruins at Hampi were rediscovered, how its rulers — the rayas — balanced power with nayakas and the Deccan Sultans, and how the capital’s water works, fortifications, royal centre and sacred centre were planned. Below you get step-by-step answers to every NCERT exercise question, key terms, extra practice, MCQs, Assertion–Reason and FAQs — written in exam-ready style for the board examination.
Class: 12Subject: HistoryBook: Themes in Indian History – Part IIChapter: 7 (Theme Seven)Period: c. 14th–16th centurySession: 2026–27
Vijayanagara, the “city of victory”, was the name of both a city and an empire founded in 1336 by two brothers, Harihara and Bukka. At its height the empire stretched from the river Krishna in the north to the far south of the peninsula, and contemporaries called it the karnataka samrajyamu. Its rulers competed with the Deccan Sultans and the Gajapatis of Orissa, traded in horses, spices, textiles and gems, and reached a peak under Krishnadeva Raya (1509–29) of the Tuluva dynasty. In 1565 the city was sacked after the battle of Rakshasi-Tangadi (Talikota) by the combined armies of Bijapur, Ahmadnagar and Golconda, and was soon abandoned. The chapter reconstructs the capital from archaeology, inscriptions and travellers’ accounts (Abdur Razzaq, Nicolo de Conti, Domingo Paes, Fernao Nuniz and others), tracing its water works, seven lines of forts, the amara-nayaka system, the royal centre with the mahanavami dibba and Lotus Mahal, and the sacred centre with the Virupaksha and Vitthala temples. Its ruins at Hampi were brought to light in 1800 by Colin Mackenzie and declared a World Heritage site in 1986.
Key Terms & Concepts
Vijayanagara / Hampi: “City of victory” was the name of both the city and the empire; the local name Hampi is derived from Pampadevi, the local mother goddess. The site lies in the Krishna-Tungabhadra doab.
Rayas: the title by which the rulers of Vijayanagara called themselves. In popular tradition the Deccan Sultans were ashvapati (lords of horses), the Gajapatis gajapati (lords of elephants) and the rayas narapati (lords of men).
The four dynasties: Sangama (to 1485), Saluva (to 1503), Tuluva (Krishnadeva Raya’s line) and Aravidu (from 1542 to the end of the seventeenth century).
Nayakas: military chiefs who controlled forts and armed supporters, usually spoke Telugu or Kannada, and often moved with peasants seeking fertile land; they submitted to the rayas but frequently rebelled.
Amara-nayaka system: a major political innovation, likely derived from the iqta system of the Delhi Sultanate. Amara-nayakas were military commanders given territories to govern; they collected revenue, kept part for themselves and for maintaining horses and elephants, and sent tribute annually to the king.
Mahanavami dibba: a massive platform (base about 11,000 sq. ft, height about 40 ft) in the royal centre, linked to the rituals of the ten-day Mahanavami (Navaratri/Dussehra) festival where the kings displayed their power and prestige.
Indo-Islamic architecture: a style combining Turkish/Islamic features (arches, domes over gateways) with local building practices, seen in the gateways of the fortification.
Raya gopurams: royal gateways of immense scale built by the rayas that often dwarfed the towers of the central shrine and signalled the temple from a distance — a mark of imperial authority.
Hindu Suratrana: a title used by Vijayanagara rulers, a Sanskritisation of the Arabic Sultan, literally meaning “Hindu Sultan”; royal orders were signed “Shri Virupaksha”.
Key sources: Colin Mackenzie’s 1800 survey; inscriptions in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Sanskrit; Krishnadeva Raya’s Amuktamalyada; and accounts of foreign travellers such as Abdur Razzaq (Persia), Nicolo de Conti (Italy), Afanasii Nikitin (Russia), Duarte Barbosa, Domingo Paes and Fernao Nuniz (Portugal).
NCERT Exercise — Full Solutions
All questions below are reproduced verbatim from the NCERT textbook’s end-of-chapter exercise. Answers are original, written in exam-ready style. Questions 1–5 are to be answered in 100–150 words; Questions 6–9 are short essays of about 250–300 words; Questions 10–12 are map-work and project tasks done by the student.
Answer in 100–150 words
1. What have been the methods used to study the ruins of Hampi over the last two centuries? In what way do you think they would have complemented the information provided by the priests of the Virupaksha temple?
ANSWERThe ruins of Hampi have been studied through a range of methods over two centuries. In 1800 Colonel Colin Mackenzie, an engineer and antiquarian of the East India Company, prepared the first survey map of the site. From 1856 photographers, beginning with Alexander Greenlaw, recorded the monuments so that scholars could study them.From 1836 epigraphists collected and read dozens of inscriptions found at the temples, and from 1876 J.F. Fleet documented inscriptions on the temple walls. Historians collated this material with the accounts of foreign travellers and with literature in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Sanskrit. In the early 1980s an intensive project mapped the site square by square.The priests of the Virupaksha temple and the shrine of Pampadevi preserved oral traditions and memories of the place. These memories, though valuable, were limited and could be inaccurate. Surveys, photographs and inscriptions provided dates, names and physical detail that corroborated, corrected and greatly enriched the priests’ oral information, giving a fuller and more reliable history.
2. How were the water requirements of Vijayanagara met?
ANSWERVijayanagara stood in one of the most arid zones of the peninsula, so elaborate arrangements were made to store and supply water. The most striking natural feature was the basin formed by the river Tungabhadra, which flowed in a north-easterly direction, surrounded by granite hills from which a number of streams ran down to the river.In almost all cases embankments were built across these streams to create reservoirs of varying sizes. The most important tank, built in the early fifteenth century, is now called the Kamalapuram tank; its water irrigated nearby fields and was conducted through a channel to the “royal centre”.The most prominent waterwork among the ruins is the Hiriya canal, which drew water from a dam across the Tungabhadra and irrigated the cultivated valley separating the “sacred centre” from the “urban core”; it was apparently built by the Sangama dynasty. Krishnadeva Raya also built a large tank, described by Paes, fed by pipes carrying water from over fifteen kilometres away. Wells and temple tanks served ordinary town dwellers.
3. What do you think were the advantages and disadvantages of enclosing agricultural land within the fortified area of the city?
ANSWERAbdur Razzaq noted seven lines of forts that enclosed not only the city but also its agricultural hinterland and forests, with cultivated fields, gardens and houses between the walls.Advantages: The main objective of medieval sieges was to starve the defenders into submission, and such sieges could last months or even years. By enclosing the agricultural belt, the rulers of Vijayanagara could grow their own food and remain self-sufficient during a long siege, instead of relying only on granaries. The protected fields, gardens and water from canals and lakes ensured a continuous supply of grain and provisions, making the city far better prepared to withstand a blockade.Disadvantages: This was a far more expensive and elaborate strategy than simply storing grain in granaries. It required building and maintaining very long, massive fortification walls enclosing a vast area, along with an elaborate canal system to water the enclosed fields. A great deal of labour, money and resources had to be invested, and defending such a long perimeter demanded a large garrison. Thus the security gained came at a high cost in construction and upkeep.
4. What do you think was the significance of the rituals associated with the mahanavami dibba?
ANSWERThe mahanavami dibba was a massive platform in the royal centre, rising from a base of about 11,000 sq. ft to a height of about 40 ft, located on one of the highest points in the city. The rituals performed here probably coincided with Mahanavami, the great ninth day of the ten-day Hindu festival of autumn, known as Dussehra, Durga Puja or Navaratri.The ceremonies were occasions on which the Vijayanagara kings displayed their prestige, power and suzerainty. They included worship of the image, worship of the state horse, and the sacrifice of buffaloes and other animals, along with dances, wrestling matches and processions of caparisoned horses, elephants, chariots and soldiers.The chief nayakas and subordinate kings made ritual presentations before the king and his guests, and on the last day the king inspected his army and the armies of the nayakas in a grand ceremony, where the nayakas brought rich gifts and the stipulated tribute. These rituals were imbued with deep symbolic meaning: they renewed the loyalty of the nayakas, reaffirmed the king’s sovereignty and bound the empire together through display and ceremony.
5. Fig. 7.33 is an illustration of another pillar from the Virupaksha temple. Do you notice any floral motifs? What are the animals shown? Why do you think they are depicted? Describe the human figures shown.
ANSWERThis is a figure-based observation question, so the answer should describe what is seen on the carved pillar of the Virupaksha temple. A model answer, based on the kind of sculpture found in such temples, is given below.Floral motifs: Yes, the pillar is richly decorated with floral and creeper-like motifs — carved lotus designs, leaves, buds and intertwining vines that fill the spaces between the figures, showing the skill of the sculptors and the temple’s decorative tradition.Animals: The pillar shows animals such as yalis (mythical lion-like creatures), horses, elephants and birds. They are depicted both for their decorative and symbolic value — elephants and horses suggest royal power, military strength and prosperity, while mythical creatures convey divine guardianship; such animals were also linked to the deities and to processions associated with the temple.Human figures: The human figures are carved in elegant poses — some appear to be dancers and musicians, others attendants or devotees, and some may represent royal or divine figures. Shown with detailed ornaments, headgear and graceful postures, they reflect the music, dance and rituals that the temple halls were built to host, and the high quality of Vijayanagara craftsmanship.
Write a short essay (about 250–300 words) on the following:
6. Discuss whether the term “royal centre” is an appropriate description for the part of the city for which it is used.
ANSWERThe “royal centre” lay in the south-western part of the settlement and is so named because it contained the most important secular and ceremonial structures of the kingdom. To a large extent the name is appropriate, because this area held about thirty building complexes identified as palaces, the “king’s palace” (the largest enclosure), the “audience hall” and the mahanavami dibba, where the great state ceremonies of the Mahanavami festival were performed. Buildings like the Lotus Mahal, possibly a council chamber where the king met his advisers, and the “elephant stables” further point to royal and administrative functions. The display of royal power on the mahanavami dibba strongly supports the idea of a royal centre.However, the term is not wholly accurate. Although designated a royal centre, the area included over sixty temples, such as the Hazara Rama temple meant for the king and his family, showing that it was as much a religious as a royal space. The patronage of temples and cults was important for rulers seeking to legitimise their authority. Moreover, the functions of several structures remain uncertain: the “king’s palace” has not yielded definitive evidence of being a royal residence, the use of the closely pillared audience hall is unclear, and even the mahanavami dibba is described by scholars as an enigma, since the surrounding space seems too small for the great processions.Many of the names — “Lotus Mahal”, “elephant stables” — were given by later British travellers, not by contemporaries. Thus “royal centre” is a convenient and broadly appropriate label, but it is a modern term that simplifies a complex area combining royal, ceremonial and sacred functions whose exact uses are still debated.
7. What does the architecture of buildings like the Lotus Mahal and elephant stables tell us about the rulers who commissioned them?
ANSWERThe Lotus Mahal and the “elephant stables” are among the most distinctive buildings in the royal centre, and their architecture reveals much about the rulers of Vijayanagara. The Lotus Mahal, so named by nineteenth-century British travellers, is one of the most beautiful structures; a map drawn by Mackenzie suggests it may have been a council chamber where the king met his advisers. Its arches were probably inspired by Indo-Islamic techniques, while its overall form drew on indigenous traditions.The “elephant stables”, a row of grand chambers, similarly combine arched and domed elements with local building practices. The very fact that elephants — symbols of royal power and prestige — were housed in such an elaborate, well-built structure shows the wealth and grandeur the rulers wished to display.Together these buildings tell us several things. First, the rulers were open and cosmopolitan: they freely borrowed Indo-Islamic features such as arches and domes from the Turkish Sultans and combined them with local styles to create a distinctive imperial architecture. This reflects the constant interaction, despite religious differences, between Vijayanagara and the Deccan Sultanates. Second, the scale, fine workmanship and use of durable masonry show the rulers’ command over resources, skilled labour and techniques, and their wish to project power, prestige and refinement. Third, the buildings indicate a sophisticated court life with halls for council and ceremony. In short, the architecture reveals rulers who were powerful, wealthy, culturally confident and willing to absorb diverse traditions to express and legitimise their imperial authority.
8. What are the architectural traditions that inspired the architects of Vijayanagara? How did they transform these traditions?
ANSWERThe architects of Vijayanagara drew on several earlier traditions. The most important was the long Dravidian temple tradition of southern India developed by dynasties such as the Pallavas, Chalukyas, Cholas and Hoysalas, seen in temples like the Brihadishvara temple at Thanjavur and the Chennakeshava temple at Belur. The rulers, who called themselves rayas, built on these traditions of temple building, gopurams, pillared mandapas and corridors.A second important influence was the Indo-Islamic tradition introduced by the Turkish Sultans. Through interaction with the Deccan Sultanates — which also led to sharing of ideas in architecture — the rulers borrowed concepts and building techniques such as the arch and the dome, which they used in the gateways of the fortification and in secular buildings like the Lotus Mahal and elephant stables.The architects did not simply copy these traditions; they transformed and developed them further, literally to new heights. They built temple gateways, the raya gopurams, of immense scale that often dwarfed the towers on the central shrines and signalled the temple from a great distance, marking imperial authority. They added long pillared corridors and mandapas around shrines, chariot streets lined with bazaars extending from the gopurams, and unique shrines such as the chariot-shaped shrine of the Vitthala temple. They introduced royal portrait sculpture in temples and treated the king’s visits as state occasions. They also blended Indo-Islamic arches and domes with local masonry to create an Indo-Islamic style. Thus the architects combined Dravidian and Indo-Islamic traditions and innovated upon them to produce a grand, distinctive imperial architecture.
9. What impression of the lives of the ordinary people of Vijayanagara can you cull from the various descriptions in the chapter?
ANSWERAlthough the surviving stone monuments tell us mainly about kings, temples and palaces, the descriptions in the chapter allow us to glimpse the lives of ordinary people. There is relatively little archaeological evidence of the houses of ordinary people, since the houses of the poor have not survived. Barbosa described them as thatched, but nonetheless well built and arranged according to occupations, in long streets with many open places, suggesting an organised settlement where people lived in occupational groups.Fine Chinese porcelain found in the north-eastern part of the urban core suggests that rich traders lived there; this was also the Muslim residential quarter, with tombs and mosques, pointing to a diverse population of different communities and faiths. The numerous shrines and small temples found across the area point to a variety of cults supported by different communities. Wells, rainwater tanks and temple tanks served as sources of water for the ordinary town dwellers.The vivid accounts of the bazaars by Paes and Nuniz show a busy commercial life: broad, beautiful streets where merchants sold rubies, diamonds, pearls and cloths, and markets “overflowing” with rice, wheat, grams, fruits, vegetables and abundant meat — all cheaply and plentifully available, indicating prosperity. The mahanavami festival, with its dances, wrestling matches and processions, shows that ordinary people shared in public festivities. Yet, as the chapter asks, we cannot know what these people thought of the colossal buildings, whether they could enter the royal or sacred centres, or what wages the masons and sculptors received. The impression is of a busy, prosperous and diverse population whose inner lives remain largely hidden.
Map work
10. On an outline map of the world, mark approximately Italy, Portugal, Iran and Russia. Trace the routes the travellers mentioned on p.176 would have taken to reach Vijayanagara.
ANSWERThis is a map-work activity to be done by the student on an outline map of the world. Guidance:Locate and mark the four countries:Italy (south-central Europe, the boot-shaped peninsula — home of Nicolo de Conti); Portugal (south-western tip of Europe on the Atlantic — home of Duarte Barbosa, Domingo Paes and Fernao Nuniz); Iran/Persia (south-west Asia — from where Abdur Razzaq was sent); and Russia (northern Eurasia — home of Afanasii Nikitin).Trace the routes to Vijayanagara (in the Krishna-Tungabhadra doab, south India): the European and Russian travellers of the fifteenth century would have travelled overland and by sea through West Asia and across the Arabian Sea, while the Portuguese of the sixteenth century, after reaching India’s west coast in 1498, came by the sea route round Africa to the western ports (such as Goa) and then inland. Draw arrowed lines from each country towards the west coast of India and on to Vijayanagara. (Use an atlas to plot the exact positions.)
Project (choose one)
11. 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?
ANSWERThis is a project to be researched and written by the student; choose one city and answer the listed points. A model outline (for example, Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar’s capital, c. sixteenth century) is given below.Architecture: describe the city’s buildings — for Fatehpur Sikri, the red sandstone palaces, the Diwan-i-Khas, Panch Mahal, Buland Darwaza and Jama Masjid, blending Indo-Islamic and indigenous styles. Political centre: note features that show it was a seat of power, such as audience halls (Diwan-i-Am and Diwan-i-Khas) where the ruler met officials and the public. Ritually significant buildings: the Jama Masjid and the tomb of Shaikh Salim Chishti show its religious importance. Commercial area: describe markets and bazaars near the gateways and main streets. Distinctive urban layout: the planned division into royal, sacred and public zones, fortification, water arrangements and broad streets set the city apart from surrounding villages. Compare these features, where useful, with Vijayanagara. (Other valid cities: Delhi, Agra, Bijapur, Golconda, Madurai or Thanjavur.)
12. Visit a religious building in your neighbourhood. Describe, with sketches, its roof, pillars and arches if any, corridors, passages, halls, entrance, water supply, etc. Compare these features with those of the Virupaksha temple. Describe what each part of the building is used for. Find out about its history.
ANSWERThis is a field-based project to be done by the student. Guidance on how to do it:Visit and observe: choose a temple, mosque, church or gurudwara near your home. Make sketches and note its roof (flat, domed, or with a tower/gopuram), pillars and arches (plain or carved; round, pointed or no arches), corridors and passages, halls (prayer hall or mandapa), entrance (gateway or porch) and its water supply (tank, well, tap or ablution area).Compare with the Virupaksha temple: note how the Virupaksha temple has a towering gopuram, a pillared hall in front of the main shrine built by Krishnadeva Raya, mandapas, corridors and a tank, with halls used for music, dance, divine marriages and swing ceremonies. Point out similarities and differences with your chosen building — for example, whether yours has a gopuram or a dome, carved or plain pillars, and how its halls are used. Function: explain what each part is used for (worship, gatherings, processions, storage of images, etc.). History: find out who built it and when by asking the caretakers or priests and reading any inscriptions or records. (Answers will vary with the building chosen.)
Extra Practice Questions
Short Answer Type Questions
Q1. Who founded the Vijayanagara Empire, and when?
ANSWERAccording to tradition and epigraphic evidence, the Vijayanagara Empire was founded in 1336 by two brothers, Harihara and Bukka. Vijayanagara, the “city of victory”, was the name of both the city and the empire, which contemporaries called the karnataka samrajyamu.
Q2. Why is Colin Mackenzie important to the history of Vijayanagara?
ANSWERColin Mackenzie, an engineer, surveyor and antiquarian of the East India Company, brought the ruins of Hampi to light in 1800 and prepared the first survey map of the site. Appointed the first Surveyor General of India in 1815, he collected local histories and surveyed historic sites, laying the foundation for the rediscovery of the empire.
Q3. What was the amara-nayaka system?
ANSWERThe amara-nayaka system was a major political innovation of Vijayanagara, probably derived from the iqta system of the Delhi Sultanate. Amara-nayakas were military commanders given territories to govern; they collected revenue, kept part for themselves and for maintaining horses and elephants, and sent annual tribute, appearing personally before the king with gifts.
Q4. Why was the import of horses important to Vijayanagara?
ANSWERWarfare in this period depended on effective cavalry, so the import of horses from Arabia and Central Asia was vital for rival kingdoms. The trade was initially controlled by Arab traders, with local kudirai chettis (horse merchants) also taking part; from 1498 the Portuguese, with superior military technology, became important players.
Q5. What happened to Vijayanagara in 1565?
ANSWERIn 1565 Rama Raya, the chief minister of Vijayanagara, led the army into battle at Rakshasi-Tangadi (also called Talikota), where his forces were routed by the combined armies of Bijapur, Ahmadnagar and Golconda. The victorious armies sacked the city, which was totally abandoned within a few years; the focus of the empire then shifted east under the Aravidu dynasty.
Long Answer Type Questions
Q1. Describe the system of fortification at Vijayanagara as recorded by travellers and archaeologists.
ANSWERAbdur Razzaq, the Persian ambassador, was greatly impressed by the fortifications and mentioned seven lines of forts that encircled not only the city but also its agricultural hinterland and forests. The outermost wall linked the surrounding hills. The massive masonry was slightly tapered and used no mortar or cementing agent: the stone blocks were wedge-shaped and held in place by their own weight, with the inner portion of earth packed with rubble; square or rectangular bastions projected outwards. A second line of fortification went round the inner urban core, and a third surrounded the royal centre, within which major buildings had their own high walls. Most significantly, the fortification enclosed cultivated fields, gardens and houses, as Razzaq and Paes both noted and as archaeologists have confirmed, so that the city could survive a long siege. The fort was entered through well-guarded gates that linked the city to major roads; the arches and domes of these gateways are typical of Indo-Islamic architecture. This shows the rulers’ expensive and elaborate strategy of protecting the agricultural belt itself.
Q2. Explain the relations between the rayas of Vijayanagara and the Deccan Sultans.
ANSWEROn their northern frontier the rayas competed with the Deccan Sultans and the Gajapatis of Orissa for control of fertile river valleys and the resources of overseas trade. This rivalry was real: Krishnadeva Raya inflicted a severe defeat on the Sultan of Bijapur in 1520, and ultimately, in 1565, the combined Sultanates sacked the city. Yet relations were not always or inevitably hostile, in spite of religious differences. The interaction between these states led to a sharing of ideas, especially in architecture. Krishnadeva Raya supported some claimants to power in the Sultanates and took pride in the title “establisher of the Yavana kingdom”, while the Sultan of Bijapur intervened to resolve succession disputes in Vijayanagara after Krishnadeva Raya’s death. In fact each side was keen to ensure the stability of the other. It was the adventurous policy of Rama Raya, who tried to play one Sultan against another, that finally led the Sultans to combine and decisively defeat Vijayanagara. Thus the relationship was one of shifting alignments, mixing rivalry, alliance and cultural exchange.
Q3. How did the choice of the site and the temples of the sacred centre help the rulers legitimise their authority?
ANSWERThe sacred centre lay on the rocky northern end of the city on the banks of the Tungabhadra. According to local tradition these hills sheltered the monkey kingdom of Vali and Sugriva from the Ramayana, and Pampadevi did penance here to marry Virupaksha, the guardian deity recognised as a form of Shiva. Jaina temples of the pre-Vijayanagara period were also found here, so the area carried several sacred traditions. The very choice of the site was likely inspired by the shrines of Virupaksha and Pampadevi. The rulers used this religious prestige to legitimise their power: they claimed to rule on behalf of the god Virupaksha and signed all royal orders “Shri Virupaksha”, usually in the Kannada script. They also used the title Hindu Suratrana (“Hindu Sultan”) to show their close links with the divine. Constructing, repairing and maintaining temples won them support and recognition for their power, wealth and piety. They innovated by displaying royal portrait sculpture in temples and treating the king’s temple visits as important state occasions. In these ways association with the divine helped establish and legitimise royal authority.
MCQs & Assertion–Reason
1. Who founded the Vijayanagara Empire in 1336?
(a) Krishnadeva Raya (b) Harihara and Bukka (c) Rama Raya (d) Colin Mackenzie
2. The local name “Hampi” is derived from the name of which goddess?
(a) Durga (b) Lakshmi (c) Pampadevi (d) Parvati
3. The ruins of Hampi were brought to light in 1800 by:
(a) Abdur Razzaq (b) Domingo Paes (c) Colin Mackenzie (d) J.F. Fleet
4. Krishnadeva Raya belonged to which dynasty?
(a) Sangama (b) Saluva (c) Tuluva (d) Aravidu
5. The work on statecraft composed by Krishnadeva Raya in Telugu was called:
For each Assertion–Reason question, choose: (A) Both true and the Reason correctly explains the Assertion; (B) Both true but the Reason is not the correct explanation; (C) Assertion true, Reason false; (D) Assertion false, Reason true.
A-R 1. Assertion: The agricultural land of Vijayanagara was enclosed within the fortification walls.
Reason: Enclosing fields helped the city survive long sieges whose aim was to starve the defenders into submission.
A-R 2. Assertion: The Vijayanagara rulers used the title “Hindu Suratrana”.
Reason: “Suratrana” was a Sanskritisation of the Arabic term Sultan, meaning king.
A-R 3. Assertion: Relations between the rayas and the Deccan Sultans were always hostile.
Reason: The two sides never shared ideas or intervened in each other’s affairs.
A-R 4. Assertion: The massive fortification walls of Vijayanagara used no mortar or cementing agent.
Reason: The stone blocks were wedge-shaped and held in place by their own weight.
A-R 5. Assertion: The Virupaksha temple shows that the rulers associated themselves with the divine.
Reason: The Vijayanagara kings claimed to rule on behalf of the god Virupaksha and signed orders “Shri Virupaksha”.
Answer key: 1-(A), 2-(A), 3-(D), 4-(A), 5-(A).
Exam Tips & Common Mistakes
How to score full marks in this chapter
Memorise the key dates and names: foundation 1336 (Harihara and Bukka), the four dynasties (Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva, Aravidu), Krishnadeva Raya (1509–29) of the Tuluva line, the sack of 1565 at Talikota, Mackenzie’s 1800 survey and the 1986 World Heritage listing. For source-based questions, link each fact to its source — Abdur Razzaq on the seven forts, Paes and Nuniz on the bazaars, the Amuktamalyada on trade. For the long essays, write in clear paragraphs with a brief intro, points and a short conclusion, and always quote the textbook’s own examples (mahanavami dibba, Lotus Mahal, raya gopurams, Virupaksha and Vitthala temples, amara-nayaka system). For figure-based and map questions, answer in words: describe what is seen and explain its significance.
Common mistakes to avoid
Confusing the four dynasties or their order — Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva, then Aravidu.
Saying Krishnadeva Raya destroyed Vijayanagara — the city was sacked in 1565, long after his death in 1529, under Rama Raya.
Calling the relations between rayas and Sultans always hostile — there was also alliance and cultural exchange.
Mixing up the “royal centre” (palaces, mahanavami dibba) with the “sacred centre” (Virupaksha and Vitthala temples).
Forgetting that the fortification enclosed agricultural land, not just buildings.
Leaving figure-based (Q5) and map/project questions (Q10–12) blank — write a described answer or a model response.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Chapter 7 of Class 12 History about?
Chapter 7, An Imperial Capital: Vijayanagara, studies the city and empire of Vijayanagara (c. fourteenth to sixteenth century). It covers the rediscovery of the ruins at Hampi, the rayas and their relations with nayakas and the Deccan Sultans, the amara-nayaka system, the city’s water works and fortifications, and the royal and sacred centres reconstructed from archaeology, inscriptions and travellers’ accounts.
Why was the city of Vijayanagara abandoned?
In 1565 Rama Raya led the Vijayanagara army into battle at Rakshasi-Tangadi (Talikota), where it was routed by the combined armies of Bijapur, Ahmadnagar and Golconda. The victorious armies sacked the city, and it was totally abandoned within a few years, after which the empire’s focus shifted east under the Aravidu dynasty.
How many questions are there in the NCERT exercise of Chapter 7?
The end-of-chapter exercise has 12 questions: Questions 1–5 are answered in 100–150 words, Questions 6–9 are short essays of about 250–300 words, Question 10 is map work, and Questions 11–12 are project tasks. All are answered or guided step by step on this page.
