CDS History · Medieval India
The Vijayanagara Empire: Amara-nayakas, Hampi and Visitors
How Vijayanagara was ruled through the amara-nayakas, the royal centre at Hampi and Krishnadeva Raya's court, and the foreign visitors who described the city.
Why this matters
Thirteen CDS questions, and ten of them only MODERATE, so this page pays off quickly. The amara-nayaka system alone was asked three times, and Krishnadeva Raya's Amuktamalyada twice.
Concept 1 of 3: The amara-nayaka system and the walled city
The rayas of Vijayanagara could not run a large empire from one city. So they handed out territories to military commanders, who collected the taxes and kept troops ready for the king. The capital itself was built to survive a long siege.
Definition
- Vijayanagara was founded in 1336 by Harihara and Bukka; it was ruled in turn by the Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva and Aravidu dynasties.
- The amara-nayaka system was a major political innovation of Vijayanagara. Amara-nayakas were military commanders given territories to govern by the raya.
- They collected taxes and dues from peasants, craftspersons and traders, kept part for themselves and for a fixed contingent of horses and elephants, and also spent part on temples and irrigation works. They sent tribute to the king each year.
- Titles of the age: Gajapati (lord of elephants) for the rulers of Odisha, Ashvapati (lord of horses) for the Deccan Sultans, Narapati (lord of men) for the rayas of Vijayanagara.
- The fortifications enclosed farmland too, because a siege usually tried to starve the defenders into surrender.
- The empire's army was defeated at Talikota (Rakshasi-Tangadi) in 1565, and the city was sacked.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1336, by Harihara and Bukka |
| Amara-nayakas | Military commanders who governed territories and kept troops for the rayaQ Asked three times: CDS 2018 (II), 2021 (I) and 2025 (II). |
| Gajapati, Ashvapati, Narapati | Rulers of Odisha, Deccan Sultans, rayas of VijayanagaraQ CDS 2024 (II): all three pairs were correctly matched. |
| Fields inside the walls | So the city could feed itself through a siegeQ CDS 2026 (II): to protect the farmland from a besieging army. |
| Battle of Talikota | 1565; the city was sacked |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2025 · CDS (II) 2025 — General Knowledge · Q58Moderate
Example 1 · Medieval India · The Vijayanagara Empire
With reference to the "Amara-Nayaka system", which one of the following statements is not correct ?
Commanders, not village chiefs
Amara-nayakas were military commanders holding territory from the raya. Options calling them village chieftains, senior civil servants or tributary chiefs are wrong.
Their share also kept temples
Amara-nayakas did spend part of their revenue on temples and irrigation works. A statement saying they were not allowed to is the false one.
Concept 2 of 3: Hampi and Krishnadeva Raya's court
The ruins of Vijayanagara are at Hampi on the Tungabhadra. A royal centre with platforms and halls sits beside a sacred centre of temples. Its greatest king, Krishnadeva Raya, was also a poet, and eight poets graced his court.
Definition
- Colin Mackenzie, an East India Company engineer who became the first Surveyor General of India, brought the Hampi ruins to light with the first survey map in 1800.
- The Mahanavami Dibba is the great stone platform in the royal centre from which the king led the rituals of the Mahanavami festival. Nearby are the Lotus Mahal and the Hazara Rama temple; the Virupaksha temple stands in the sacred centre.
- Krishnadeva Raya (1509 to 1529, Tuluva dynasty) wrote the Amuktamalyada in Telugu, a poem that is also a work on statecraft.
- His court poets, the Ashtadiggajas, included Allasani Peddana, Nandi Timmana, Madayyagari Mallana, Dhurjati and Tenali Ramakrishna.
| Name | What it is |
|---|---|
| Mahanavami Dibba | Platform for the king's rituals at the Mahanavami festivalQ CDS 2018 (I): the ritual platform of the Vijayanagara kings. |
| Virupaksha temple | The chief temple of the sacred centre |
| Amuktamalyada | Krishnadeva Raya's Telugu work on statecraftQ Asked twice: CDS 2022 (I) and 2023 (II). The language is Telugu. |
| Ashtadiggajas | Krishnadeva Raya's eight court poets, among them Peddana, Timmana, Mallana and DhurjatiQ |
| Colin Mackenzie | Brought the Hampi ruins to light with a survey map in 1800Q |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2018 · CDS (I) 2018 — General Knowledge · Q95Moderate
Example 2 · Medieval India · The Vijayanagara Empire
Name the platform used for ritual purposes by the kings of the Vijayanagara Empire.
Mackenzie found Hampi, Prinsep read Brahmi
The Hampi ruins were brought to light by Colin Mackenzie. James Prinsep deciphered the Brahmi script and William Jones founded the Asiatic Society; neither surveyed Hampi.
Telugu, not Sanskrit or Kannada
Vijayanagara is in Karnataka, which tempts Kannada. But the Amuktamalyada is in Telugu.
Concept 3 of 3: Foreign visitors to Vijayanagara
Vijayanagara was so large and rich that visitors from Italy, Persia and Portugal wrote about it. CDS gives a name and asks which city it described, or slips in a traveller who came too early.
Definition
- Marco Polo (Venice) travelled in south India in the 1290s, before Vijayanagara existed.
- Niccolo de Conti (Italy) visited about 1420.
- Abdur Razzaq, envoy of the ruler of Persia (Shah Rukh), came in the 1440s, by way of Calicut.
- Domingo Paes (Portugal) visited in the reign of Krishnadeva Raya and described the city and the Mahanavami festival.
- Fernao Nuniz (Portugal), a horse trader of the 1530s, wrote a history of the kingdom.
| Visitor | From | When |
|---|---|---|
| Marco Polo | Venice | 1290s, before Vijayanagara was foundedQ CDS 2026 (II): the traveller who did NOT write about Vijayanagara. |
| Niccolo de Conti | Italy | About 1420 |
| Abdur Razzaq | Persia, envoy of Shah Rukh | 1440s, by way of CalicutQ |
| Domingo Paes | Portugal | Reign of Krishnadeva RayaQ CDS 2021 (II): Paes described Vijayanagara. |
| Fernao Nuniz | Portugal | 1530s |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2026 · CDS (II) 2026 — General Knowledge · Q89Moderate
Example 3 · Medieval India · The Vijayanagara Empire
Which one of the following European travelers have NOT written an account of the Vijayanagara Empire ?
Check the date before the name
Vijayanagara was founded in 1336. Marco Polo travelled in the 1290s, so he cannot have written about it, even though he visited south India.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (3)
The amara-nayaka system and the walled city5 rows
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1336, by Harihara and Bukka |
| Amara-nayakas | Military commanders who governed territories and kept troops for the rayaQ Asked three times: CDS 2018 (II), 2021 (I) and 2025 (II). |
| Gajapati, Ashvapati, Narapati | Rulers of Odisha, Deccan Sultans, rayas of VijayanagaraQ CDS 2024 (II): all three pairs were correctly matched. |
| Fields inside the walls | So the city could feed itself through a siegeQ CDS 2026 (II): to protect the farmland from a besieging army. |
| Battle of Talikota | 1565; the city was sacked |
Hampi and Krishnadeva Raya's court5 rows
| Name | What it is |
|---|---|
| Mahanavami Dibba | Platform for the king's rituals at the Mahanavami festivalQ CDS 2018 (I): the ritual platform of the Vijayanagara kings. |
| Virupaksha temple | The chief temple of the sacred centre |
| Amuktamalyada | Krishnadeva Raya's Telugu work on statecraftQ Asked twice: CDS 2022 (I) and 2023 (II). The language is Telugu. |
| Ashtadiggajas | Krishnadeva Raya's eight court poets, among them Peddana, Timmana, Mallana and DhurjatiQ |
| Colin Mackenzie | Brought the Hampi ruins to light with a survey map in 1800Q |
Foreign visitors to Vijayanagara5 rows
| Visitor | From | When |
|---|---|---|
| Marco Polo | Venice | 1290s, before Vijayanagara was foundedQ CDS 2026 (II): the traveller who did NOT write about Vijayanagara. |
| Niccolo de Conti | Italy | About 1420 |
| Abdur Razzaq | Persia, envoy of Shah Rukh | 1440s, by way of CalicutQ |
| Domingo Paes | Portugal | Reign of Krishnadeva RayaQ CDS 2021 (II): Paes described Vijayanagara. |
| Fernao Nuniz | Portugal | 1530s |
Watch out for (5)
- Commanders, not village chiefs→ The amara-nayaka system and the walled city
- Their share also kept temples→ The amara-nayaka system and the walled city
- Mackenzie found Hampi, Prinsep read Brahmi→ Hampi and Krishnadeva Raya's court
- Telugu, not Sanskrit or Kannada→ Hampi and Krishnadeva Raya's court
- Check the date before the name→ Foreign visitors to Vijayanagara
Test yourself on Medieval India
20 past CDS questions from this chapter, timed at 20 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.