Emphatically not to be missed while you're in Jodhpur is a visit to the historic Mehrangarh Fort. This impressive fort, whose ramparts rise from a sheer-sided sandstone outcrop, houses several beautiful palaces, temples and gardens. As you enter the crenelated walls of the fort through its arched gates, it is like stepping into the medieval past.
Mehrangarh Fort / Image Credit
Located in the Rupandehi District in Nepal, Lumbini is the spiritual centre of Buddhism. For Buddhists, a visit to this Buddhist site is one the most important religious and spiritual journeys of their life. The reason is not far to seek.
It was in Lumbini that the Buddha, one of history’s greatest teachers, was born. Its central temple, Maya Devi Temple, is an obligatory stop on the Buddhist pilgrimage circuit. Unsurprisingly, this UNESCO World Heritage–listed site is a huge drawcard for the Buddhist pilgrims from around the world for centuries. According to the Lumbini Pillar Edict (also known as Rummindei Pillar Inscription) in Nepal, Mauryan Emperor Ashoka travelled to Lumbini in 249 BC and constructed four stupas and erected a stone pillar with a figure of a horse on top.
Lumbini is one of the four main sacred sites of the Buddhist religion. Other three holy places are Bodh Gaya (Tree of Wisdom at Gaya where Buddha gained enlightenment), Sarnath near Varanasi where he preached his first sermon and Kushinagar where he died- all located in India.
Apart from the Maya Devi Temple, many monasteries and temples of various Buddhist traditions dot the town, built in their national style by foreign Buddhist communities.
Maya Devi Temple
The spiritually important Maya Devi Temple marks the exact spot where Siddhartha Gautama, who later came to be known as the Buddha after he attained enlightenment, was born to Queen Maya Devi. On the south of the temple is the holy pond where Maya Devi is believed to have bathed before giving birth to the Buddha. Adjacent to the area are ancient ruins of brick stupas and the Ashokan pillar and a sacred Bodhi tree under which maroon robed monks from different parts of the world congregate to offer prayers and mediate.
World Peace Pagoda
The brilliant white World Peace Pagoda in Lumbini is one of the several pagodas built by the Japanese Buddhists. Built in 2001 at a cost of US$1 million, the pagoda houses a shining golden statue representing the posture the Buddha took when he was born.
8 km from the hill station of Lonavala in Maharashtra, Karla is home to awe-inspiring Buddhist caves dating back to 2nd century BC. The most striking highlight of these caves is the presence of a deep apsidal chaitya hall cut in solid rock which is hailed as the largest in India. Chaitya is a sacred spot or shrine indigenous to Buddhism. Made in the first century BC, the chaitya of Karla is cut 124 feet deep into the rock. Karla cave is much developed in size and splendour when compared to other caves of that period.
The columns of the chaitya are ornately carved and each of them is set a square stepped plinth. Each of 37 pillars sports a group of horses and elephants with riders to support the roof. The Karla caves have three entrances and splendid relief panels of dampati couples with small carved gable-ends above. The large windows let light into the hall.
How to reach Karla Caves
Rail: Lonavala is the nearest railway station on the Mumbai-Pune section of Central Railway, well connected with other cities and places in India.
Air: nearest airports to Karla Caves are at Pune and Mumbai which are 55km and 80 km away respectively.
Road: Karla caves are situated on the National Highway-4 between Mumbai and Pune.
Q.1. Who among the following Bahmani rulers was married to the daughter of Vijayanagar ruler Dev Raya I?
(a) Firuz Shah Bahmani
(b) Alauddin Hasan Bahmani
(c) Ahmed Shah
(d) Muhammad Shah III
Q.2. Which of the following foreign travellers had visited the court of Deve Raya I?
(a) Ibn Batuta
(b) Nicolo de Conti
(c) Abdur Razzak
(d) Domingo Paes
Q.3. Which of the following foreign travellers had visited the court of Deve Raya II?
(a) Ibn Batuta
(b) Nicolo de Conti
(c) Abdur Razzak
(d) Domingo Paes
Q.4. The permission of which Vijayanagara emperors was solicited by Francisco Albuquerque, the Portuguese governor of Goa in India, to build a fort at Bhatkal?
(a) Devaraya I
(b) Devaraya II
(c) Krishnadevaraya
(d) Virupaksha Raya
Q.5. The Battle of Talikota between Vijayanagara empire and the Muslim Sultanates of Deccan took place in which year?
(a) 1526
(b) 1556
(c) 1565
(d) 1605
Q.6. ------is a book written by famed historian Robert Swell about Vijayanagara empire?
(a) A Forgotten Empire
(b) The Birth of an empire
(c) The Empire of South India
(d) Empire on Tungabhadra
Q.7. When did Vijayanagar king Krishnadevaraya die?
(a) 1346
(d) 1526
(c) 1529
(d) 1530
Q.8. Who was the Vijayanagara emperor during Talikota war?
(a) Sadasiva Raya
(b) Krishnadevaraya
(c) Harihara I
(d) Bukka Raya II
Q.9. Who among the following beheaded Rama Raya, the de facto ruler of Vajayanagara, at the battle of Talikota in 1565?
(a) Husain Shah Nizami
(b) Ibrahim Adil Shah
(c) Burhan Nizam Shah II
(d) Murtada Nizam Shah I
Q.10. When was the present day Hampi, the nucleus of Vijayanagar empire, designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO?
(a) 1981
(b) 1986
(c) 1996
(d) 2006
Answers
1-a
Notes
The marriage of Firuz Shah Bahmani with the daughter of Deva Raya I was celebrated with great pomp and show.
Addicted to hard drinking, Firuz Shah Bahmani, like many other medieval rulers, was a blood thirsty tyrant. He won two battles against the Hindu Vijayanagar kingdom in 1398 and 1406. After these victories, he took delight in massacre of the populace and left “the roads littered with the bodies of the slaughtered Hindus”. Firoz Bahmani entered into a new relationship with Vijayanagar ruler Deva Raya I by marrying his daughter.
2-b
Notes
Born at the coastal town of Chioggia in Italy, Nicolo Conti was an Italian and the earliest European visitor to the mighty Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar. Nicolo Conti reached the city in 1420 -21 in the reign of Devaraya I. His original travel account in Latin is lost. Conti gives a vivid account of the city of Vijayanagar, its court, customs, currency, festivals and other matters.
3-c
Notes
Abdur Razzaq was a Persian who was sent by Timur's son and successor Shah Rukh as ambassador to the Zamorin of Calicut. In April 1443, Abdur Razzaq also visited Vijayanagar during the reign of Devaraya II. Abdur Razzaq was overawed with the size and grandeur of the city of Vijayanagar.
He says, “The city is such that eye has not seen nor ear heard of any place resembling it upon the whole earth. It is so built that it has seven fortified walls, one within the other.” His narrative supplies valuable information on the topography, administration and social life of Vijayanagar at that time.
4-c
Notes
Krishnadevaraya granted the permission to Portuguese to erect a fort at Bhatkal.
5-c
Notes
It was during the reign of the Taluva king Sadashiva Raya (1543- 69) that famous battle of Rakshasa Tangadi or Talikota in 1565 was fought in which Vijayanagar army was defeated by the combined forces of the five Muslim Sultanates of Deccan. This gave body blow to the empire. After this battle the kingdom lost its grandeur and glory.
Ram Raja was the de facto ruler of Vijayanagara during the battle and was killed.
6 – a
Notes
A Forgotten Empire is an account of the Vijayanagar kingdom.
7-c
Notes
An epigraphical reference to the date of death of Krishnadevaraya was discovered at Honnenahalli in Tumakuru district. According to the inscription, Krishnadevaraya died on October 17, 1529.
8-a
Notes
The Battle of Talikota took place in 1565 between the Vijayanagara Empire and an alliance of the Deccan sultanates. During the battle, the Vijayanagara emperor was Sadasiva Raya. During his reign the famous battle of Rakshasa Tangadi or Talikota in 1565 was fought between Vijayanagar and the combined forces of the five Muslim Sultanates of Deccan.
9-a
Notes
Hussain Nizam Shah had beheaded the de facto ruler of Vajayanagara, Rama Raya of Vijayanagara, after the Battle of Talikota.
10- b
Notes
The site of Hampi, the capital city of Vijayanagar Empire, was declared a World Heritage Site in 1986.
(a) Muhammad bin Tughlaq
(b) Giyas-ud-din Tughlaq
(c) Firoz Shah Tughlaq
(d) Khizr Khan
Q.2. Which of the foreign travelers had visited the Vijayanagara empire during the reign of Krishnadevaraya?
(a) Duarte Barbosa
(b) Domingo Paes
(c) Abdur Razzaq
(d) Both a and b
Q.3. Which of the following Vijayanagara rulers had earned the title of Purvapaschima Samudradhishavara?
(a) Deva Raya II
(b) Virupaksha Raya
(c) Krishnadeva Raya
(d) Harihara I
Q.4. Which of the following was a bone of contention between Vijayanagara empire and Bahmani Sultanate?
(a) Bijapur
(b) Gulbarga
(c) Raichur Doab
(d) Golconda
Q.5. The correct chronological order in which the following dynasties of the Vijayanagara empire were established:
(i) Saluva Dynsty
(ii) Tuluva dynasty
(iii) Sangama Dynasty
(iv) Aravidu dynasty
(a) II, I,III,IV
(b) II, I, IV,III
(c) I, II, IV,III
(d) III, I, II, IV
Q.6. Krishnadevaraya’s reign spanned the years from --------- to -------------.
(a) 1501-1520
(b) 1505-1526
(c) 1509-1529
(d) 1510-1530
Q.7. Who was the last king of Sangama Dynasty?
(a) Praudha Raya
(b) Virupaksha Raya II
(c) Mallikarjuna Raya
(d) Deva Raya II
Q.8. Which of the following Vijaynagar ruler had taken the title of 'Gajabetekara (the elephant hunter)'?
(a) Bukka Raya II
(b) Deva Raya II.
(c) Virupaksha Raya II
(d) Harihara Raya II
Q.9. Which Bijapur Sultan was defeated by Krishnadevaraya in the battle of Raichur?
(a) Yusuf Adil Shah
(b) Ismail Adil Shah
(c) Ibrahim Adil Shah I
(d) Ali Adil Shah I
Q.10. In the court of which of the following rulers did Ashtadiggajas flourish?
(a) Deva Raya II
(b) Harihara I
(c) Krishnadevaraya
(d) Bukka Raya II
Answers
1-a
Notes
During his reign Muhammad bin Tughluq had to encounter as many as thirty four rebellions, twenty seven of them in the south. Vijayanagar Empire came into existence at the cost of Sultanate territory during the rule of Muhammad bin Tughlaq.
The rule of Muhammad bin Tughlaq lasted from 1325 to 1351. The Vijayanagara Empire was founded in 1336.
2-d
Notes
In April 1443, Abdur Razzaq also visited Vijayanagar during the reign of Devaraya II.
Duarte Barbosa was a Portuguese traveller who came to Vijayanagar during the reign of Krishnadeva Raya.
Domingo Paes was a Portuguese traveler who visited Vijayanagar during the reign of its greatest ruler Krishnadeva Raya in 1520.
3-d
Notes
Harihara I, the founder of Vijayanagara kingdom, had earned the title of Purvapaschima Samudradhishavara ("master of the eastern and western seas").
4-c
Notes
Raichur Doab is the region between the Tungabhadra and Krishna rivers. Thanks to its being a fertile land, Raichur Doab was a bone of contention between the rulers of the Vijayanagar and the Bahmani kingdom.
5-d
Sangama Dynasty was founded in 1336. Saluva dynasty was founded in 1885. Tuluva dynasty was founded in 1491.
6- c
Krishnadeva Raya ruled from 1509 to 1529.
7-a
Notes
Praudha Raya was the last king of Sangama Dynasty.
8-b
Notes
Deva Raya II who ruled from 1424 to 1446 was the greatest ruler of the Sangama dynasty of Vijaynagar. He is known for his title Gajabetegara (a hunter of elephant).
9-b
Notes
Krishnadevaraya had inflicted a crushing defeat on Isma'il 'Adil Shah of Bijapur on the 19th March, 1520.
10-c
Notes
The court of Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya was adorned by the 'Ashtadiggajas'' (eight elephants), a collective title given to his eight Telugu scholars and poets whose contribution the world of Telugu literature is immense.
Q.1. Who was the founder of Vijayanagar Empire?
(a) Harihara I and Bukka I
(b) Krishnadeva Raya
(c) Deva Raya
(d) Narasimha Saluva
Q.2. Vijayanagara kingdom was established on the banks of which river?
(a) Godavari
(b) Krishna
(c) Kaveri
(d) Tungabhadra
Q.3. Which of the following is the ruined capital of Vijayanagara Empire?
(a) Hampi
(b) Halebid
(c) Pattadakal
(d) Madurai
Q.4. The distinction of bringing ruins of Vijayanagar empire at Hampi to light is given to
(a) T. S. Burt
(b) Colonel Colin MacKenzie
(c) C. J. Franklin
(d) John Marshal
Q.5. Vijayanagara rulers adopted the emblem of the ‘varaha’ or boar. The symbol was earlier a royal insignia of which of the following kingdoms?
(a) Hoysalas
(b) Kakatiyas
(c) Chalukyas
(d) Rashtrakutas
Q.6. Harihara I and Bukka I belonged to ____ dynasty, one of the four main dynasties, combination of which is known as the Vijayanagar empire.
(a) Saluva Dynsty
(b) Tuluva dynasty
(c) Sangama Dynsty
(d) Aravidu dynasty
Q.7. The greatest Vijayanagara ruler Krishnadevaraya erected the pillar of victory (Vijayastupam) at ________.
(a) Cuttack
(b) Srisailam
(c) Hampi
(d) Simhachalam
Q.8. Krishnadeva Raya's magnum opus Amuktamalyada was written in _______.
(a) Tamil
(b) Telugu
(c) Kannada
(d) Malayalam
Q.9. Who among the following had founded a new city named Nagalapur?
(a) Deva Raya II
(b) Virupaksha Raya
(c) Krishnadeva Raya
(d) Sadasiva Raya
Q.10. In which year was the Madurai Sultanate annexed to the Vijayanagara Empire?
(a) 1335
(b) 1336
(c) 1358
(d) 1378
Answers
1-a
Notes
Vijayanagar Empire was founded by Harihara I and Bukka I. Vijayanagar’s first dynasty which lasted from 1336 to 1485 was named after Sangama, father of the duo. After Harihara, Bukka ruled from 1356 to 1377.
2-d
Notes
The nucleus of the Vijayanagar kingdom was the city of Vijayanagar, identified with present day Hampi (located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River) in Karnataka.
3-a
Notes
The nucleus of the kingdom was the city of Vijayanagar, identified with present day Hampi (located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River) in Karnataka.
4-b
Notes
Colin Mackenzie was born in Scotland in 1754. He was the first Surveyor General of India. He was the first to bring to the world's attention the rich architectural heritage of the Vijayanagara ruins at Hampi.
5- c
Notes
The Vijayanagara kingdom had adopted the emblem of the Chalukyas, varahaas or boar their royal insignia.
6-c
Notes
Harihara I and Bukka I belonged to the Sangama Dynsty, one of the four main dynasties, combination of which is popularly known as the Vijayanagar Empire.
7- d
Notes
Krishnadevaraya had erected the pillar of victory at Simhachalam (in Andhra Pradesh) in course of his eastern expedition.
8-b
Notes
Krishnadeva Raya wrote Amuktamalyada in Telugu. Amuktamalyada is a work on polity.
9- c
Notes
Krishnadeva Raya founded a city called Nagalapuram named after his mother Nagalamba. He built several temples there. Nagalapuram in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh is 20 km from Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka.
10- d
Notes
The Madurai Sultanate was annexed to the Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar in 1378. The victory has been celebrated in the Sanskrit epic poem Madura Vijayam (Conquest of Madurai) or Kamparaya-Charitam (History of Kampanna), composed by Ganga Devi, queen of Vira Kampanna, who led the Vijayanagar army. Vira Kampanna was the son of Bukka I, co-founder of Vijayanagar empire.
World map by Cosmas Indicopleustes / Image Credit: upload.wikimedia.org Cosmas Indicopleustes (literally: "who sailed to India") ...
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