Identify the correct statements in relation to ‘Vijayanagara Empire’:…

Identify the correct statements in relation to ‘Vijayanagara Empire’:

(A) Vijayanagara military chiefs were known as nayakas.

(B) They usually spoke Telugu or Kannada.

(D) Many features of this system were derived from the iqta-system of the Delhi Sultanate.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (B) and (D) only

(A) Vijayanagara military chiefs were known as nayakas. Correct. These chiefs controlled forts and had armed supporters, and they often moved from one area to another with peasants looking for fertile land. They were called nayakas.

(B) They usually spoke Telugu or Kannada. Correct. The nayakas usually spoke Telugu or Kannada. Many accepted the authority of the kings, but they often rebelled and had to be put down by force.

(C) The amara-nayaka system was a major political innovation of the Gajapati Empire. Incorrect. It was a major political innovation of the Vijayanagara Empire, not of the Gajapatis, who ruled Orissa. The amara-nayakas were military commanders who were given territories to govern by the raya; they collected taxes there and sent tribute to the king.

(D) Many features of this system were derived from the iqta-system of the Delhi Sultanate. Correct. Under the iqta system of the Delhi Sultanate, officers were given the revenue of an area in return for military service. The amara-nayaka system probably took many of its features from it.

NCERT (2025-26): “2.3 The rayas and the nayakas … Among those who exercised power in the empire were military chiefs who usually controlled forts and had armed supporters. These chiefs often moved from one area to another, and in many cases were accompanied by peasants looking for fertile land on which to settle. These chiefs were known as nayakas and they usually spoke Telugu or Kannada. Many nayakas submitted to the authority of the kings of Vijayanagara but they often rebelled and had to be subdued by military action. 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.…”