A history student visiting Hampi reads about the wars of the Deccan in the sixteenth century. She learns that the city of Vijayanagara was finally destroyed by the armies of the Sultans. Her classmate argues that the rayas and the Sultans must have been enemies at every moment because they followed different religions. The student is not convinced. She collects cases in which the rulers of the two sides helped each other, and then tries to find out what broke this pattern of mutual support.
Which of the following finally broke this pattern of mutual support and made the Sultans unite to defeat Vijayanagara?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → The adventurous policy of Rama Raya, who tried to play off one Sultan against another
Option (1) The title "establisher of the Yavana kingdom" taken by Krishnadeva Raya — Incorrect. Krishnadeva Raya took pride in this title because he supported some claimants to power in the Sultanates. Yavana meant the Greeks and other peoples from the north west, so the title marks help to the Sultanates.
Option (2) The intervention of the Sultan of Bijapur in the succession disputes of Vijayanagara — Incorrect. The Sultan of Bijapur stepped in to settle the succession disputes after Krishnadeva Raya's death. This was an act of support that helped keep Vijayanagara stable.
Option (3) The adventurous policy of Rama Raya, who tried to play off one Sultan against another — Correct. Rama Raya tried to play off one Sultan against another. This adventurous policy led the Sultans to combine together and decisively defeat him, ending the old pattern of mutual support.
Option (4) The competition with the Sultans for control of the fertile river valleys — Incorrect. Rivalry over fertile river valleys was a long-running cause of wars in the region. The final union of the Sultans came from Rama Raya's policy of setting them against each other.
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