Which of the following pairs about the Mahanavami occasion is correctly matched?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Vijayanagara kings - displayed their prestige, power and suzerainty
Option (1) Chief nayakas - inspected the armies of the king in an open field — Incorrect. The roles are reversed. On the last day it was the king who inspected his own army and the armies of the nayakas.
Option (2) Subordinate kings - received the stipulated tribute from the nayakas — Incorrect. Subordinate kings made ritual presentations before the king. The tribute went to the king, brought by the nayakas.
Option (3) Vijayanagara kings - displayed their prestige, power and suzerainty — Correct. Mahanavami was the occasion when the Vijayanagara kings displayed their prestige, power and suzerainty, through rituals, processions and the army inspection.
Option (4) Scholars - found the space around the platform adequate for processions — Incorrect. Scholars say the opposite. The space around the mahanavami dibba does not seem adequate for large processions, so its use remains an enigma.
NCERT (2026-27): “4.1 The mahanavami dibba … “The ceremonies performed on the occasion included worship of the image, worship of the state horse, and the sacrifice of buffaloes and other animals. Dances, wrestling matches, and processions of caparisoned horses, elephants and chariots and soldiers, as well as ritual presentations before the king and his guests by the chief nayakas and subordinate kings marked the occasion. These ceremonies were imbued with deep symbolic meanings. On the last day of the festival the king inspected his army and the armies of the nayakas in a grand ceremony in an open field. On this occasion the nayakas brought rich gifts for the king as well as the stipulated tribute.” |