Q20. Amuktamalyada was written in which language?
[Karnataka Civil SI – 2019]
A. Telugu
B. Sanskrit
C. Tamil
D. Kannada
Answer: A. Telugu
Explanation: Krishnadevaraya’s Amuktamalyada represents the flourishing of Telugu literature at his court, which was also associated with the famous group of poets called Ashtadiggajas.
Q19. Which Vijayanagara ruler employed skilled Turkish archers to strengthen his army?
[Karnataka Civil SI – 2019]
A. Bukka I
B. Deva Raya I
C. Krishnadevaraya
D. Rama Raya
Answer: B. Deva Raya I
Explanation: Deva Raya I sought to improve Vijayanagara’s military effectiveness by employing skilled Muslim and Turkish archers, reflecting the empire’s readiness to adopt useful military practices.
Q18. ______ Empire was founded by the Sangama princes Harihara and Bukka.
[RRB Group D – 2018]
A. Malwa
B. Bahmani
C. Vijayanagara
D. Bengal
Answer: C. Vijayanagara
Explanation: Harihara and Bukka inaugurated Sangama rule at Vijayanagara in 1336. The empire subsequently emerged as the dominant Hindu imperial power of medieval South India.
Q17. Niccolò de’ Conti visited Vijayanagara around which year?
[RRB Group D – 2018]
A. 1420
B. 1424
C. 1418
D. 1419
Answer: A. 1420
Explanation: Italian merchant Niccolò de’ Conti visited Vijayanagara in the early fifteenth century, providing one of the earliest European descriptions of the emerging imperial capital.
Q16. Vijayanagara reached its political and cultural zenith during whose reign?
[KVS Junior Secretariat Assistant – 2018]
A. Vira Narasimha
B. Krishnadevaraya
C. Harihara I
D. Narasa Nayaka
Answer: B. Krishnadevaraya
Explanation: Krishnadevaraya combined military victories, economic strength, administrative ability, architectural patronage and literary support, making his reign the widely recognised high point of Vijayanagara.
Q15. The golden age of the Vijayanagara Empire is especially associated with:
[DSSSB TGT Social Studies – 2018]
A. Vira Narasimha
B. Krishnadevaraya
C. Sadasiva Raya
D. Achyuta Raya
Answer: B. Krishnadevaraya
Explanation: His reign witnessed imperial expansion, prosperity, vigorous overseas commerce, monumental construction and an exceptional flowering of Telugu and Sanskrit literary culture.
Q14. Which term denoted a district in Vijayanagara administration?
[PSPCL LDC – 2018]
A. Mandalam
B. Nadu
C. Sthala
D. Pargana
Answer: B. Nadu
Explanation: Vijayanagara used several territorial divisions. A Mandalam was a larger provincial unit, while Nadu commonly represented a district-level administrative division containing villages.
Q13. Krishnadevaraya wrote Amuktamalyada in which language?
[MPPSC Assistant Professor History – 2017]
A. Tamil
B. Kannada
C. Telugu
D. Sanskrit
Answer: C. Telugu
Explanation: Amuktamalyada is a classic Telugu composition dealing with the story of Andal and Vishnu while demonstrating Krishnadevaraya’s mastery of Telugu literary expression.
Q12. Krishnadevaraya was ruler of which empire?
[SSC Stenographer – 2017]
A. Chola
B. Bahmani
C. Pallava
D. Vijayanagara
Answer: D. Vijayanagara
Explanation: Krishnadevaraya was the best-known Tuluva emperor of Vijayanagara, ruling during the first three decades of the sixteenth century and greatly enhancing imperial prestige.
Q11. Amuktamalyada of Krishnadevaraya was composed in:
[SSC CPO – 2017]
A. Telugu
B. Persian
C. Pali
D. Marathi
Answer: A. Telugu
Explanation: The emperor’s Telugu composition exemplifies the remarkable literary development of his reign, when writers in Telugu, Kannada, Sanskrit and Tamil received royal encouragement.
Q10. The Group of Monuments at Hampi is principally associated with which medieval empire?
[SSC CGL – 2017]
A. Vijayanagara
B. Mughal
C. Pala
D. Kushana
Answer: A. Vijayanagara
Explanation: Hampi’s monuments include the sacred and royal centres of the Vijayanagara capital, with temples, markets, gateways, palatial structures, water systems and defensive walls.
Q9. Vijayanagara developed principally in the basin of which rivers?
[AP Police Constable – 2017]
A. Ganga–Yamuna
B. Ravi–Beas
C. Krishna–Tungabhadra
D. Krishna–Penna
Answer: C. Krishna–Tungabhadra
Explanation: The fertile and strategic Krishna-Tungabhadra region formed the heartland contested repeatedly by Vijayanagara and the Bahmani and successor Sultanates, particularly over the Raichur Doab.
2016
Q8. Regarding Krishnadevaraya’s taxation system: land-tax rates varied with land quality; private workshop owners paid an industry tax. Which is correct?
[UPSC CSE Prelims – 2016]
A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither
Answer: C. Both 1 and 2
Explanation: Vijayanagara revenue assessment considered agricultural productivity and land quality, while the state also collected occupational and commercial levies, including taxes connected with privately operated workshops.
Q7. The Hazara Rama Temple is associated with which empire?
[UPSC CDS – 2016]
A. Vijayanagara
B. Maurya
C. Gupta
D. Kushana
Answer: A. Vijayanagara
Explanation: Located within Hampi’s royal centre, Hazara Rama Temple is famous for sculpted Ramayana narratives and royal processional scenes and was closely connected with the Vijayanagara court.
Q6. The remains of the Vijayanagara Empire can be found principally at:
[WBCS Prelims – 2016]
A. Bijapur
B. Golconda
C. Hampi
D. Baroda
Answer: C. Hampi
Explanation: Hampi preserves thousands of archaeological features from Vijayanagara, including temples, bazaars, gateways, reservoirs and royal structures across an extensive landscape in Karnataka.
Q5. Which city was founded by Krishnadevaraya near Vijayanagara?
[UPPSC/UPPCS Civil Services – 2016]
A. Warangal
B. Nagalapura
C. Udayagiri
D. Chandragiri
Answer: B. Nagalapura
Explanation: Krishnadevaraya founded Nagalapura near the imperial capital and named it in honour of his mother Nagala Devi, illustrating royal urban development during his reign.
2015 and earlier
Q4. Who founded a new city south of a tributary of the Krishna and ruled as the agent of a deity believed to own the land?
[UPSC CSE Prelims – 2015]
A. Bukka II
B. Deva Raya II
C. Harihara I
D. Krishnadevaraya
Answer: C. Harihara I
Explanation: Harihara I, co-founder of Vijayanagara, linked kingship with divine authority, an idea later expressed strongly through the rulers’ association with Lord Virupaksha.
Q3. Where is the famous Vijaya Vitthala Temple with its celebrated musical pillars located?
[UPSC CSE Prelims – 2007]
A. Belur
B. Srirangam
C. Hampi
D. Madurai
Answer: C. Hampi
Explanation: The Vitthala Temple at Hampi is among the finest Vijayanagara monuments. Its celebrated pillared hall and iconic stone chariot exemplify the empire’s mature architectural achievement.
Q2. When Raja Wodeyar founded the kingdom of Mysore, who was ruling the Vijayanagara Empire?
[UPSC CSE Prelims – 2006]
A. Sadasiva Raya
B. Tirumala
C. Ranga II
D. Venkata II
Answer: D. Venkata II
Explanation: Raja Wodeyar consolidated Mysore in the early seventeenth century while Venkata II was the prominent Aravidu ruler of the weakened but still surviving Vijayanagara imperial tradition.
Q1. Assertion: Saluva Narasimha ended the old ruling dynasty and assumed royal power. Reason: His takeover was intended solely to establish the Tuluva dynasty. Choose the correct answer.
[UPSC CSE Prelims – 2003]
A. Both A and R are true and R explains A
B. Both A and R are true but R does not explain A
C. A is true but R is false
D. A is false but R is true
Answer: C. A is true but R is false
Explanation: Saluva Narasimha displaced the weakened Sangama line and established the Saluva dynasty to stabilise Vijayanagara. The Tuluva dynasty emerged only subsequently under a different political transition.
