Which of the following statements about the rulers of Vijayanagara an…

Which of the following statements about the rulers of Vijayanagara and temples are correct?

(A) The king's visits to temples were treated as important state occasions.
(B) On such visits the king was accompanied by the important nayakas of the empire.
(C) On such visits the king was accompanied by the chief priests of the Virupaksha temple.
(D) The rulers of Vijayanagara drew on earlier traditions of temple building and developed them.
(E) Temple building in the region began with the rulers of Vijayanagara.

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) The king's visits to temples were treated as important state occasions. — Correct. The king's visits to temples were treated as important state occasions.

(B) On such visits the king was accompanied by the important nayakas of the empire. — Correct. On these visits the king was accompanied by the important nayakas of the empire, the chiefs who held power under him.

(C) On such visits the king was accompanied by the chief priests of the Virupaksha temple. — Incorrect. The king's companions on these visits were the important nayakas of the empire.

(D) The rulers of Vijayanagara drew on earlier traditions of temple building and developed them. — Correct. The rulers drew on earlier traditions and innovated and developed them, for example by placing royal portrait sculpture in temples.

(E) Temple building in the region began with the rulers of Vijayanagara. — Incorrect. Temple building in the region went back to earlier dynasties such as the Pallavas, Chalukyas, Hoysalas and Cholas.

NCERT (2026-27): “5.1 Choosing a capital …
Temple building in the region had a long history, going back to dynasties such as the Pallavas, Chalukyas, Hoysalas and Cholas. …”

“Even as they drew on earlier traditions, the rulers of Vijayanagara innovated and developed these. Royal portrait sculpture was now displayed in temples, and the king’s visits to temples were treated as important state occasions on which he was accompanied by the important nayakas of the empire.”