A student in Bengaluru is preparing a map project on the Vijayanagara Empire. She marks Chandragiri, Madurai, Ikkeri, Thanjavur and Mysore, and asks how rivers and hills may have helped or blocked travel from each place to the capital. She learns that the chiefs who held these places controlled forts, kept armed supporters and usually spoke Telugu or Kannada. She then looks up the title these chiefs held under the raya.
The five places the student marks were all centres of the power of which group?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → The nayakas
Option (1) The nayakas — Correct. Chandragiri, Madurai, Ikkeri, Thanjavur and Mysore were all centres of nayaka power. The nayakas were military chiefs who held forts, had armed supporters and usually spoke Telugu or Kannada.
Option (2) The Deccan Sultans — Incorrect. The Deccan Sultans ruled kingdoms to the north of Vijayanagara. These five southern places were held by the nayakas.
Option (3) The Gajapati rulers — Incorrect. The Gajapati rulers held Orissa in the east, far from these five southern centres.
Option (4) The Sangama kings — Incorrect. The Sangama kings were the first dynasty ruling from Vijayanagara itself. These five places were bases of chiefs who served under the kings.
NCERT (2026-27): “2.3 The rayas and the nayakas “Locate Chandragiri, Madurai, Ikkeri, Thanjavur and Mysore, all centres of nayaka power, on Map 1. Discuss the ways in which rivers and hills may have facilitated or hindered communication with Vijayanagara in each case.” |