Identify the terms used in temple architecture of Vijayanagara empire.
(A) Rayas
(B) Gopuram
(C) Mandapas
(D) The Chariot
(E) Amara-Nayakas
Choose the correct answer from the options given below :
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → (B), (C), (D) Only
(A) Rayas Incorrect. The raya was the king of Vijayanagara; the amara-nayakas, for example, were given territories to govern by the raya. The word names a ruler, not a part of a temple.
(B) Gopuram Correct. A new feature of temple architecture in this period was the raya gopurams or royal gateways, which often dwarfed the towers on the central shrines and signalled the presence of the temple from a great distance.
(C) Mandapas Correct. Other distinctive features included mandapas or pavilions and long, pillared corridors that often ran around the shrines within the temple complex.
(D) The Chariot Correct. The Vitthala temple has several halls and a unique shrine designed as a chariot. Chariot streets also extended from the temple gopuram in a straight line.
(E) Amara-Nayakas Incorrect. The amara-nayakas were military commanders who were given territories to govern by the raya. The term belongs to the political system of the empire, not to its temples.
NCERT (2026-27): “5.2. Gopurams and mandapas … In terms of temple architecture, by this period certain new features were in evidence. These included structures of immense scale that must have been a mark of imperial authority, best exemplified by the raya gopurams (Fig. 7.7) or royal gateways that often dwarfed the towers on the central shrines, and signalled the presence of the temple from a great distance. They were also probably meant as reminders of the power of kings, able to command the resources, techniques and skills needed to construct these towering gateways. Other distinctive features include mandapas or pavilions and long, pillared corridors that often ran around the shrines within the temple complex.… 5.2. Gopurams and mandapas … Another shrine, the Vitthala temple, is also interesting. Here, the principal deity was Vitthala, a form of Vishnu generally worshipped in Maharashtra. The introduction of the worship of the deity in Karnataka is another indication of the ways in which the rulers of Vijayanagara drew on different traditions to create an imperial culture. As in the case of other temples, this temple too has several halls and a unique shrine designed as a chariot (Fig. 7.24). A characteristic feature of the temple complexes is the chariot streets that extended from the temple gopuram in a straight line. These streets were paved with stone slabs and lined with pillared pavilions in which merchants set up their shops.… 2.3 The rayas and the nayakas … 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.…” |