Royal centre of Vijayanagara
Topic: Vijayanagara and the Deccan · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 3 "An Imperial Capital: Vijayanagara"
Meaning
The "royal centre" is the name scholars give to the south-western part of the city of Vijayanagara at Hampi. It had about 30 palace-type complexes and, surprisingly, over 60 temples. Kings built temples to show that they were close to the gods, and this made their rule look right and proper. The temples were made fully of stone. The palaces and other non-religious buildings had upper parts of wood and other materials that have since rotted away. Many building names here are later labels. For example, there is no definite proof that the "king's palace" was really the king's home.
Example
The royal centre includes the mahanavami dibba, a 40-ft platform used for the Mahanavami festival. It also includes the Lotus Mahal (possibly a council chamber), the "elephant stables" and the Hazara Rama temple, which was probably meant only for the royal family.
Don't confuse with
- Sacred centre: this is the rocky northern part of the city along the Tungabhadra river, where the great Virupaksha and Vitthala temples stand. The royal centre was where the palaces were.