Meera, a history student from Bengaluru, visits a museum gallery on the Vijayanagara Empire. The first panel shows an old copy of a portrait of the surveyor Colin Mackenzie, with his helpers standing around him. The second panel has photographs of two old temples in the south, from areas that later came within the empire. The third panel tells her that rival kingdoms of the time needed horses for their armies and brought them from Arabia and Central Asia. The last panel describes the markets of the city, where spices, textiles and precious stones were sold.
The third panel adds that local communities of merchants also took part in this trade in horses. What were these merchants known as?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Kudirai chettis
Option (1) Nayakas — Incorrect. Nayakas were military chiefs. The successors of Krishnadeva Raya were troubled by rebellious nayakas.
Option (2) Amara-nayakas — Incorrect. Amara-nayakas were military commanders of the Vijayanagara state.
Option (3) Ashvapatis — Incorrect. Ashvapati, or lord of horses, was the name popular traditions gave to the Deccan Sultans.
Option (4) Kudirai chettis — Correct. <strong>Kudirai chettis</strong> means <strong>horse merchants</strong>. These local merchants joined the horse trade that Arab traders first controlled.
NCERT (2026-27): “2.1 Kings and traders |