Mahanavami festival
Also called: Navaratri, Dussehra · Topic: Vijayanagara and the Deccan · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 3 "An Imperial Capital: Vijayanagara"
Meaning
Mahanavami means "the great ninth day". It is the high point of a ten-day festival held in autumn. In north India this festival is called Dusehra, in Bengal Durga Puja, and in the peninsula Navaratri or Mahanavami. The Vijayanagara kings used it as a grand show of their prestige, power and suzerainty (their right to rule over lesser chiefs). There was worship of the god's image and of the state horse, and buffaloes were sacrificed. People watched dances, wrestling matches and parades of decorated horses, elephants, chariots and soldiers. The nayakas (military chiefs who governed lands for the king) and subordinate kings brought gifts.
Example
On the last day at Vijayanagara, the king inspected his own army and the armies of the nayakas. The nayakas presented rich gifts along with the tribute (fixed payment) they owed. The Portuguese visitor Paes called the hall and platform used for these rituals the "House of Victory".
Don't confuse with
- Mahanavami dibba: this is the stone platform, about 40 ft high on a base of about 11,000 sq ft, linked to the rituals. The festival is the event, and the dibba is the structure.
Related concepts
- Royal centre of Vijayanagara
- Mahanavami dibba
- Lotus Mahal
- Indo-Islamic architecture
- Hazara Rama temple