Consider the following statements about the urban core of Vijayanagara city. Mark the correct statements.
A. There is little evidence of houses of ordinary people.
B. Fine Chinese porcelain have been found in some areas.
C. Tombs, Mosques and Muslim residential quarters have been found.
D. Field excavations do not indicate prevalence of local cults.
E. Wells and tanks were absent.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → A, B, C only
A. There is little evidence of houses of ordinary people. Correct statement. Moving into the urban core, there is relatively little archaeological evidence of the houses of ordinary people.
B. Fine Chinese porcelain have been found in some areas. Correct statement. Archaeologists have found fine Chinese porcelain in some areas, including the north-eastern corner of the urban core, which may have been occupied by rich traders.
C. Tombs, Mosques and Muslim residential quarters have been found. Correct statement. The same area was also the Muslim residential quarter, and its tombs and mosques have architecture that resembles the mandapas of the temples of Hampi.
D. Field excavations do not indicate prevalence of local cults. Incorrect statement. Field surveys show that the area was dotted with numerous shrines and small temples, pointing to the prevalence of a variety of cults.
E. Wells and tanks were absent. Incorrect statement. The surveys indicate that wells, rainwater tanks as well as temple tanks may have served as sources of water to the ordinary town dwellers.
NCERT (2026-27): “3.3 The urban core … Moving along the roads leading into the urban core, there is relatively little archaeological evidence of the houses of ordinary people. Archaeologists have found fine Chinese porcelain in some areas, including in the north-eastern corner of the urban core and suggest that these areas may have been occupied by rich traders. This was also the Muslim residential quarter. Tombs and mosques located here have distinctive functions, yet their architecture resembles that of the mandapas found in the temples of Hampi. This is how the sixteenth-century Portuguese traveller Barbosa described the houses of ordinary people, which have not survived: ‘The other houses of the people are thatched, but nonetheless well built and arranged according to occupations, in long streets with many open places.’ Field surveys indicate that the entire area was dotted with numerous shrines and small temples, pointing to the prevalence of a variety of cults, perhaps supported by different communities. The surveys also indicate that wells, rainwater tanks as well as temple tanks may have served as sources of water to the ordinary town dwellers.” |