The Lure of Lost Kingdoms
We hope this Spotlight will leave you feeling intrigued and wanting to know more about the glorious, ambitious, farsighted, but ultimately, fallible personalities who once ruled India
Vijayanagara Empire
Nachyar Temple in the Court, Temple at Belloor (Andal Temple, Belur Complex)
This photograph from the ‘Architecture in Dharwar and Mysore’ was taken by Dr. A.C.B.Neill in 1856. Pictured here is the ‘Andal Temple’ of the Belur temple complex in Karnataka. It is also known as ‘Shaumyanayaki’ or ‘Ranganayaki’ Temple as per the presiding deity. Th temple is located north-west of the Keshava Temple, and Dravidian style… Read more »
Modern Temple at the Humpee
This is one of the outer walls of the Hazara Rama Temple in Hampi, illustrating a procession of horses and elephants. The lowest and the second lowest register feature these processions, while the upper registers feature warriors, musicians and dancers. The Hazara Rama temple was built in the 15th century inside the royal enclosure of… Read more »
Krishnadevaraya, Gold Pagoda Coin of Vijayanagara
This should give you an idea of how powerful the Vijayanagara dynasty was: they changed the entire currency system in south India. It was the ruler Hari Hara II who impressed upon the administration the importance of collecting state revenue in currency instead of in kind. This led to the mass production of coins in… Read more »
Krishnadevaraya, Vijayanagara Empire, Copper Jital
This is a copper coin issued by Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire – the third ruler of the Tuluva dynasty that ruled the region in the early 16th century. On the obverse of the coin is the image of a bull, an animal that symbolised strength and virility and a common motif in the coins of… Read more »
Devaraya I, Vijayanagara, Copper Kasu
The coins of the Vijayanagara Empire had ushered in a new era for numismatics in South India. Most of the coins of this period were modeled on their predecessors, like those of the Hoysalas. The coinage of Devaraya I and Devaraya II are similar in design and legends. The obverse of this copper coin bears… Read more »
Tirumalaraya, Aravidu Dynasty, Copper Jital
This is a very fine coin struck during the reign of Tirumalaraya/ Tirumala Deva Raya who was the first crowned king of the Vijayanagara Empire from the Aravidu Dynasty. He retained many of the Vijayanagara territories despite having to engage with multiple feuds during his reign and assumed the title “Reviver of the Decadent Karnataka… Read more »