Which of the following statements about the Vitthala temple at Vijayanagara are correct?
(A) Its principal deity, Vitthala, was a form of Vishnu.
(B) Its principal deity was generally worshipped in Maharashtra.
(C) Inscriptions date its earliest shrine to the ninth-tenth centuries.
(D) Like other temples, it has several halls.
(E) It was substantially enlarged with the establishment of the Vijayanagara Empire.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → A, B and D only
(A) Its principal deity, Vitthala, was a form of Vishnu. — Correct. Vitthala, the principal deity of this temple, was a form of Vishnu.
(B) Its principal deity was generally worshipped in Maharashtra. — Correct. Vitthala was generally worshipped in Maharashtra, and his worship was brought into Karnataka.
(C) Inscriptions date its earliest shrine to the ninth-tenth centuries. — Incorrect. The ninth-tenth century date belongs to the earliest shrine of the Virupaksha temple.
(D) Like other temples, it has several halls. — Correct. As in other temples, the Vitthala temple has several halls, besides its unique chariot-shaped shrine.
(E) It was substantially enlarged with the establishment of the Vijayanagara Empire. — Incorrect. It was the Virupaksha temple that was substantially enlarged when the Vijayanagara Empire was set up.
NCERT (2026-27): “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).” |