UPSC Prelims 2023 Q48: Vijayanagara Tungabhadra Dam — Explained
Who among the following rulers of Vijayanagara Empire constructed a large dam across Tungabhadra River and a canal-cum-aqueduct several kilometres long from the river to the capital city?
- Devaraya I
- Mallikarjuna
- Vira Vijaya
- Virupaksha
Answer: (a) Devaraya I
Statement-wise explanation
- a: correct — Devaraya I (r. 1406–1422) was a Sangama ruler. Around 1410 he had a barrage built across the Tungabhadra and a channel about 24 km (15 miles) long cut from the river to the capital. The Portuguese chronicler Fernão Nuniz wrote about this work and said it raised the king's revenue by about 350,000 pardaos. Early 15th-century water works in the capital, such as the Kamalapuram tank, belong to this same period.
- b: incorrect — Mallikarjuna, also called Immadi Devaraya, ruled from about 1446 to 1465, after Devaraya II. His reign was a time of decline, with attacks from the Bahmanis and the Gajapatis of Odisha. No major dam or aqueduct on the Tungabhadra is credited to him.
- c: incorrect — Vira Vijaya Bukka Raya was the son and successor of Devaraya I. He ruled only briefly, about 1422–1424, before Devaraya II took over. His reign was too short to be linked with any major public works.
- d: incorrect — Virupaksha Raya II (about 1465–1485) was the last important Sangama king. His reign saw the loss of territory, including the western coast ports, and his rule collapsed into the Saluva usurpation. He is known for decline, not for building irrigation works. The name may also remind you of the Virupaksha temple at Hampi, but that has nothing to do with the dam.
How to eliminate
This is a fact-recall question. Elimination helps only a little. Three of the four names (Vira Vijaya, Mallikarjuna, Virupaksha II) are weak or short-reigning later Sangama kings, remembered mainly for decline. A big project like a river dam plus a long aqueduct needs a stable, wealthy reign, which points to the strongest early Sangama king on the list. Also remember that NCERT dates the Kamalapuram tank, a major water work of the capital, to the early 15th century. That is the period of Devaraya I (1406–1422). The fact to remember: Devaraya I dammed the Tungabhadra and cut a channel of about 24 km to Vijayanagara around 1410.
Know more
Water and the Vijayanagara capital
Vijayanagara (Hampi) stood in a semi-arid zone on the Tungabhadra. The river runs north-east through a rocky landscape. Rain was scarce, so the city depended on storing and carrying water. NCERT calls the water works one of the most striking features of the city.
| Work | What it did | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Embankments across seasonal streams | Formed tanks of all sizes | Throughout |
| Kamalapuram tank | Irrigated nearby fields and fed a channel to the royal centre | Early 15th century |
| Hiriya canal | Took water from a dam across the Tungabhadra to irrigate the valley between the sacred centre and the urban core | Credited to Sangama kings |
| Devaraya I's barrage and aqueduct | Dam on the Tungabhadra and a channel of about 24 km to the capital | c. 1410 |
Sangama rulers to place in order
| Ruler | Approx. reign |
|---|---|
| Harihara I and Bukka I | 1336–1377 |
| Harihara II | 1377–1404 |
| Devaraya I | 1406–1422 |
| Vira Vijaya Bukka | 1422–1424 |
| Devaraya II | 1424–1446 |
| Mallikarjuna | 1446–1465 |
| Virupaksha II | 1465–1485 |
Foreign visitors left accounts of the city. Nicolo de Conti (Italian) visited under Devaraya I or II. Abdur Razzaq (Persian envoy) came under Devaraya II. Domingo Paes and Fernão Nuniz (Portuguese) came in the Tuluva period. Nuniz's chronicle is the source for Devaraya I's dam. UPSC often tests this mix of kings, travellers and monuments.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Hiriya canal: The Hiriya canal drew water from a dam across the Tungabhadra, the same kind of work the question describes.
- Kamalapuram tank: The Kamalapuram tank's early 15th-century date helps you link the capital's water works to the right reign.
- Sangama dynasty: All four options are Sangama-period rulers, so you need to know this dynasty's order and its strong and weak kings.
- Hampi: Hampi is the capital city the aqueduct was built to supply with Tungabhadra water.