Choose the correct statements among the following:(A) The ‘amara-naya…

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The Rayas and the Nayakas

Among those who exercised power in the 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. These chiefs were known as nayakas and they usually spoke Telugu or Kannada. Many nayakas submitted to the authority of the kings of Vijayanagara but they often rebelled and had to be subdued by military action. 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. The amara-nayakas sent tribute to the king annually and personally appeared in the royal court with gifts to express their loyalty. Kings occasionally asserted their control over them by transferring them from one place to another. However, during the course of the seventeenth century, many of these nayakas established independent kingdoms. This hastened the collapse of the central imperial structure. Amara is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word samara, meaning battle or war. It also resembles the Persian term amir, meaning a high noble.

Choose the correct statements among the following:

(A) The ‘amara-nayaka’ system was a major political innovation of the Vijayanagara Empire.

(B) The ‘amara-nayakas’ were military commanders who were given territories to govern by the raya.

(D) The ‘amara-nayakas’ sent tribute to the king half-yearly and personally appeared in the royal court with such tributes to express their loyalty.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → (A), (B) and (C) only

(A) The ‘amara-nayaka’ system was a major political innovation of the Vijayanagara Empire. Correct. The passage calls the amara-nayaka system a major political innovation of the Vijayanagara Empire. Many of its features were probably derived from the iqta system of the Delhi Sultanate.

(B) The ‘amara-nayakas’ were military commanders who were given territories to govern by the raya. Correct. The amara-nayakas were military commanders given territories to govern by the raya, the king.

(C) The ‘amara-nayakas’ collected taxes and other dues from peasants, craftspersons and traders in the area. Correct. They collected taxes and other dues from peasants, craftspersons and traders, and kept part of the revenue for themselves and their troops.

(D) The ‘amara-nayakas’ sent tribute to the king half-yearly and personally appeared in the royal court with such tributes to express their loyalty. Incorrect. The amara-nayakas sent tribute to the king annually, not half-yearly, and appeared in the royal court with gifts to express their loyalty.

NCERT (2025-26): “2.3 The rayas and the nayakas … Among those who exercised power in the 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. These chiefs were known as nayakas and they usually spoke Telugu or Kannada. Many nayakas submitted to the authority of the kings of Vijayanagara but they often rebelled and had to be subdued by military action. 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. The amara-nayakas sent tribute to the king annually and personally appeared in the royal court with gifts to express their loyalty. Kings occasionally asserted their control over them by transferring them from one place to another. However, during the course of the seventeenth century, many of these nayakas established independent kingdoms. This hastened the collapse of the central imperial structure.”