Fortifications of Vijayanagara
Topic: Vijayanagara and the Deccan · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 3 "An Imperial Capital: Vijayanagara"
Meaning
The city of Vijayanagara was guarded by rings of massive stone walls. No mortar (binding paste) was used anywhere. Wedge-shaped stone blocks held together by their own shape, with a core of earth and rubble, and bastions (towers jutting out) along them. The outer walls enclosed not just the city but also its fields, gardens and forests. In medieval sieges the enemy tried to starve the defenders, and these walls kept the food supply inside.
Example
In the 15th century the Persian envoy Abdur Razzaq counted seven lines of forts. He saw fields, gardens and houses between the first and third walls. A second wall went round the urban core and a third round the royal centre. The gateways had arches and domes in the Indo-Islamic style.
Don't confuse with
- Granary strategy: most medieval rulers stored grain in granaries to survive a siege. Vijayanagara chose a costlier plan and walled in the farmland itself.