Read the passage and answer the questions:
Among those who exercised powers in the Vijayanagara Empire were military chiefs who usually controlled forts and had armed supporters. These chiefs often moved from one area to another, and in many cases were accompanied by peasants looking for fertile land on which to settle and cultivate. These chiefs were known as nayakas (or amara-nayakas) and they usually spoke Telugu or Kannada. Many nayakas submitted to the authority of the kings of Vijayanagar, but they often rebelled and had to be subdued by military action.
Which of the following statement is NOT true about 'amara-nayakas'?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → The amin collected taxes and other dues from peasants, craftspersons, and traders in the area for the amara-nayakas.
Option (1) The amara-nayakas were military commanders who were given territories to govern by the rayas. Correct statement. The amara-nayaka system was a major political innovation of the Vijayanagara Empire, and the amara-nayakas were military commanders given territories to govern by the raya.
Option (2) The amin collected taxes and other dues from peasants, craftspersons, and traders in the area for the amara-nayakas. Incorrect statement. The amara-nayakas themselves collected the taxes and other dues from the peasants, craftspersons and traders of their area. The amin was an official of the Mughal state, responsible for ensuring that imperial regulations were carried out in the provinces; he had no place in the Vijayanagara system.
Option (3) The amara-nayakas retained part of the revenue for personal use and for maintaining a stipulated contingent of horses and elephants. Correct statement. These contingents gave the Vijayanagara kings an effective fighting force with which they brought the entire southern peninsula under their control.
Option (4) The amara-nayakas used some of the revenue for the maintenance of temples and irrigation works. Correct statement. Some of the revenue was also used for the maintenance of temples and irrigation works.
NCERT (2026-27): “2.3 The rayas and the nayakas … The amara-nayaka system was a major political innovation of the Vijayanagara Empire. It is likely that many features of this system were derived from the iqta system of the Delhi Sultanate. The amara-nayakas were military commanders who were given territories to govern by the raya. They collected taxes and other dues from peasants, craftspersons and traders in the area. They retained part of the revenue for personal use and for maintaining a stipulated contingent of horses and elephants. These contingents provided the Vijayanagara kings with an effective fighting force with which they brought the entire southern peninsula under their control. Some of the revenue was also used for the maintenance of temples and irrigation works.… Peasants, Zamindars and the State … Amin was an official responsible for ensuring that imperial regulations were carried out in the provinces.” |