The Vijayanagara Empire — Part 4: Art, Architecture at Hampi and Relations with Deccan Sultanates
Part 4: Art and architecture at Hampi — sacred centre, raya gopurams, Virupaksha and Vitthala temples, Mahanavami Dibba, Lotus Mahal, and Vijayanagara's diplomatic relations with the Deccan Sultanates.
Medieval India — Part 5 of 5
6. Art and Architecture at Hampi
6.1 The City of Vijayanagara
The city was organised around three major zones: the sacred centre (rocky north on the banks of the Tungabhadra), the urban core, and the royal centre (in the south-western part). Abdur Razzaq mentioned seven lines of forts encircling the city, its agricultural hinterland, and forests. Masonry was tapered with wedge-shaped stone blocks fitted without mortar or cementing agent; inner portions used earth packed with rubble, with square or rectangular bastions projecting outward.
Domingo Paes compared the city's size to Rome, though admitted it lay "between several ranges of hills" and could not be seen from any single point.
6.2 Temple Architecture (Virupaksha, Vittala)
Temple architecture reached new heights during the Vijayanagara period, characterised by:
- Raya gopurams: Royal gateways of immense scale, often dwarfing the towers of the central shrines. They signalled the temple's presence from great distances and were reminders of imperial power.
- Mandapas: Pillared halls of various types — kalyana mandapas for celebrating divine weddings, swing pavilions, halls where images witnessed music, dance and drama.
- Chariot streets: Stone-paved streets lined with pillared pavilions extending from temple gopurams, doubling as bazaar areas.
The Virupaksha Temple: The oldest and most important temple at Hampi. Inscriptions suggest the earliest shrine dated to the ninth–tenth centuries. It was substantially enlarged under the Vijayanagara rulers. Krishnadeva Raya built the hall in front of the main shrine to mark his accession and constructed the eastern gopuram. All royal orders were signed "Shri Virupaksha."
The Vitthala Temple: Dedicated to Vitthala (a form of Vishnu), it features several mandapas and a unique shrine designed as a stone chariot — one of the most celebrated sculptural icons of Vijayanagara. The introduction of Vitthala worship into Karnataka exemplifies how the empire synthesised diverse regional devotional traditions.
6.3 Secular Architecture
The royal centre contained over 60 temples alongside approximately 30 building complexes identified as palaces. Secular buildings used masonry foundations but perishable superstructures (wood), hence only foundations survive.
Key secular structures:
- Mahanavami Dibba: A massive platform rising from a base of about 11,000 sq. ft to a height of 40 ft, covered with elaborate relief carvings. Associated with the Mahanavami (Dussehra/Navaratri) festival, when the king displayed prestige and received tribute from nayakas and vassal chiefs through ceremonies including worship of the state horse, buffalo sacrifice, dances, wrestling and grand military parades.
- Lotus Mahal: Named by British travellers in the nineteenth century, this elegant structure may have served as a council chamber. Its arches are inspired by Indo-Islamic techniques — a clear example of cultural synthesis.
- Elephant Stables: Located near the Lotus Mahal, combining local and Indo-Islamic architectural elements.
- Hazara Rama Temple: Located within the royal centre, likely for royal family use; its inner walls feature sculpted panels depicting Ramayana scenes.
- Queen's Bath: A bathing structure reflecting sophisticated hydraulic engineering.
The interaction between Vijayanagara builders and the Deccan Sultanates produced a distinctive Indo-Islamic style in gateways. Art historians refer to this as Indo-Islamic architecture, which "grew continually through interaction with local building practices in different regions."
7. Relations with the Deccan Sultanates
Relations between Vijayanagara and the Deccan Sultanates were driven by shifting political calculations rather than religious antagonism alone. The northern frontier required Vijayanagara rulers to compete with the Sultans of the Deccan (Bijapur, Golconda, Ahmadnagar, Bidar, Berar) and the Gajapati rulers of Orissa for control of fertile river valleys and the revenues from overseas trade.
Krishnadeva Raya's relationship with the Sultanates illustrates this complexity. While he inflicted severe defeats on the Sultan of Bijapur (1520), he also supported some claimants to power in the Sultanates and took pride in the title "establisher of the Yavana kingdom." Following his death, the Sultan of Bijapur intervened to resolve succession disputes in Vijayanagara itself, underscoring that the two states' interests often converged. The Vijayanagara kings were keen to ensure the stability of the Sultanates, and vice versa, because political instability among neighbours threatened the lucrative trade networks underpinning imperial prosperity.
The architectural interchange is visible at Hampi: the mosque in the Muslim residential quarter uses architecture resembling local mandapas, while the Lotus Mahal and city gateways incorporate Indo-Islamic domes and arches.