Q1.
In Fig. 2.14, what elements do you observe? What do they tell you about life then? (Hint: observe the weapons, the animals, the activities.)
Answer
The panel is carved in horizontal bands, one above the other, and each band carries a different part of the kingdom's life. Looking at the stone from the top down:
- Top band — elephants. A file of elephants walking one behind the other, with small human figures beside them.
- Second band — camels and their drivers. Camels led on foot by men who carry sticks or goads, with other figures walking alongside carrying loads.
- Third band — horses. Some horses are being led by grooms holding the bridle; others carry riders, and one or two riders hold a long weapon — a lance or a bow — as their mounts rear up.
- Fourth band — a hunt. Men on foot with bows and staffs, dogs running ahead, and animals in flight before them.
- Bottom band — files of small figures on foot, in rows, some carrying round shields and weapons.
What this tells you about life then:
| What is carved | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Elephants, horses and camels — carved at the same scale and importance as people | Animals were the measure of a kingdom's power. They carried the army, the goods and the king. Rani Durgavati's strength is described the same way: 20,000 soldiers and 1,000 elephants. |
| Grooms leading horses, not riding them | Horses were traded and delivered, not just used. The chapter tells you on this very page that the Portuguese came to Vijayanagara to sell horses, and that the king treated them well so they would not sell to enemy kingdoms. |
| Lances, bows, shields; riders and foot-soldiers together | Cavalry and infantry fought as one force, and the temple wall was a fit place to record it — war was part of public, even sacred, display. |
| A hunt with dogs | Hunting was a royal activity — training for war and a demonstration of skill — and worth carving in stone. |
| Rows and rows of ordinary figures walking, leading, carrying | This is a procession: the everyday movement of a great city. It matches Domingo Paes on the same page — “the streets and markets are full of laden oxen… you could find in great abundance everything that you wanted.” |
Why it happens: a temple in Vijayanagara was not only a place of worship. As the chapter explains later (page 57), temples “created ecosystems with bustling markets”, held land and wealth in trust, built irrigation works and lodgings, and gave merchants credit. A building at the centre of the city's economy naturally carried the city's economy on its walls — soldiers, traders, animals and hunters, not only gods.
Check it yourself: open your book at Fig. 2.14 and count the bands. Then count how many different animals you can find in a single band. The carvers repeated a form and varied it — which is how a wall of small figures can be read from a distance.