Q150. Why did the rulers of Vijayanagara incorporate agricultural tracts within the fortified area of the capital?
[UPSC CDS-II – 2026]
A. To separate cultivators from merchants
B. To protect food-producing areas during prolonged sieges
C. To prevent cultivation outside the city
D. To establish royal hunting grounds
Answer: B. To protect food-producing areas during prolonged sieges
Explanation: Vijayanagara’s fortifications enclosed fields and agricultural land so that food production could continue during enemy sieges, reducing dependence on supplies from vulnerable territories outside the defensive walls.
Q149. Which of the following travellers did NOT leave an account of the Vijayanagara Empire?
[UPSC CDS-II – 2026]
A. Niccolò de’ Conti
B. Marco Polo
C. Domingo Paes
D. Fernao Nuniz
Answer: B. Marco Polo
Explanation: Marco Polo visited India before Vijayanagara was founded in 1336. Conti, Paes and Nuniz visited or described Vijayanagara during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
Q148. Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was the capital of which empire?
[RRB NTPC UG CBT-I – 2026]
A. Vijayanagara Empire
B. Gupta Empire
C. Mughal Empire
D. Maurya Empire
Answer: A. Vijayanagara Empire
Explanation: Hampi on the Tungabhadra River served as the magnificent imperial capital of Vijayanagara. Its temples, bazaars, palaces and waterworks preserve evidence of the empire’s prosperity.
Q147. Hampi was historically the capital of which major South Indian empire?
[RRB NTPC Graduate CBT-II – 2026]
A. Chola Empire
B. Vijayanagara Empire
C. Satavahana Empire
D. Pallava Empire
Answer: B. Vijayanagara Empire
Explanation: Vijayanagara developed Hampi into one of medieval India’s greatest urban centres. The capital contained sacred, royal and commercial zones surrounded by an extensive network of fortifications.
Q146. What was a major economic role of temple-centred institutions under the Vijayanagara Empire?
[UP PGT History – 2026]
A. They functioned only as religious centres
B. They managed land, labour and redistribution of resources
C. They prohibited commercial activity
D. They replaced agriculture with maritime trade
Answer: B. They managed land, labour and redistribution of resources
Explanation: Vijayanagara temples controlled landed resources, employed numerous occupational groups and participated in redistribution. Their economic influence reinforced royal authority while linking local production with religious institutions.
Q145. Which combination best explains the structural decline of Vijayanagara after the Battle of Talikota?
[UP PGT History – 2026]
A. Foreign invasion alone
B. Military defeat, factional conflict and growing Nayaka autonomy
C. Complete disappearance of agriculture
D. Portuguese annexation of Hampi
Answer: B. Military defeat, factional conflict and growing Nayaka autonomy
Explanation: Talikota weakened central authority, while succession disputes and increasingly autonomous Nayaka chiefs accelerated fragmentation. Vijayanagara survived politically afterward, but never recovered its earlier imperial dominance.
Q144. Hampi Utsava primarily commemorates the cultural legacy of which empire?
[DSSSB MTS – 2026]
A. Maurya
B. Vijayanagara
C. Kushana
D. Pala
Answer: B. Vijayanagara
Explanation: Hampi Utsava celebrates Karnataka’s Vijayanagara heritage through music, dance and cultural performances, recalling the artistic splendour of the former imperial capital at Hampi.
Q143. Arrange the following in chronological order: foundation of Vijayanagara, foundation of Bahmani Sultanate, later Vijayanagara-Bahmani conflicts, Battle of Talikota.
[UPHESC Assistant Professor History – 2026]
A. Vijayanagara → Bahmani → conflicts → Talikota
B. Bahmani → Vijayanagara → Talikota → conflicts
C. Vijayanagara → Talikota → Bahmani → conflicts
D. Bahmani → conflicts → Vijayanagara → Talikota
Answer: A. Vijayanagara → Bahmani → conflicts → Talikota
Explanation: Vijayanagara arose in 1336, the Bahmani Sultanate in 1347, recurring struggles followed over strategic regions, and the decisive Battle of Talikota occurred in 1565.
Q142. Which administrative institution is correctly associated with the Vijayanagara Empire?
[UPHESC Assistant Professor History – 2026]
A. Mansabdari
B. Nayankara
C. Ashta Pradhan
D. Tarafdari
Answer: B. Nayankara
Explanation: Nayankara was characteristic of Vijayanagara administration. Military chiefs received territorial revenue assignments and maintained troops, whereas Mansabdari belonged to the Mughals and Ashta Pradhan to the Marathas.
Q141. Which of the following correctly matches a Vijayanagara structure with its function or feature?
[CUET UG History – 2026]
A. Mahanavami Dibba — massive ceremonial platform
B. Kamalapuram Tank — royal mint
C. Vitthala Temple — military barracks
D. Hazara Rama Temple — public marketplace
Answer: A. Mahanavami Dibba — massive ceremonial platform
Explanation: The Mahanavami Dibba was an imposing ceremonial platform associated with royal festivities. Kamalapuram was a reservoir, Vitthala a major temple complex, and Hazara Rama a royal temple.