NDA (II) 2024 General Ability Test · Question 126 of 141

Correct — C, Shri Virupaksha. The Vijayanagara rulers governed in the name of the god Virupaksha, a form of Shiva who was the tutelary (presiding) deity of their capital at Hampi. Royal orders were signed 'Shri Virupaksha', usually in the Kannada script, signifying that the king ruled as the deputy of the god.

• (a)Lord Murugan — Murugan (Kartikeya) is a major Tamil deity, but he was not the tutelary god of Vijayanagara; the rulers invoked Virupaksha, not Murugan.
• (b)Lord Venkateshwara — Venkateshwara of Tirupati was richly patronised by Vijayanagara kings (Krishnadeva Raya endowed the temple), but the claim to rule was made in the name of Virupaksha, not Venkateshwara.
• (d)Shri Vallabha — This was not the presiding deity of Vijayanagara; the royal signature and the claim of authority belonged to Virupaksha.

Virupaksha, a form of Shiva, was the tutelary deity of the Vijayanagara Empire and the presiding god of its capital, Hampi (ancient Pampa-kshetra) on the Tungabhadra. The kings projected themselves as ruling on the god's behalf, which gave their authority a sacred sanction.

The giveaway is the royal signature: Vijayanagara land grants and orders were signed 'Shri Virupaksha', typically in Kannada, even when the rest of the inscription was in Sanskrit or Telugu. Venkateshwara is a tempting distractor because Vijayanagara kings famously endowed Tirupati, but patronage is not the same as ruling in the deity's name.

• Virupaksha, a form of Shiva, was the tutelary deity of Vijayanagara; his temple stands at Hampi.
• Royal orders were signed 'Shri Virupaksha', often in the Kannada script.
• Vijayanagara kings also adopted the title 'Hindu-suratrana' (a Sanskrit rendering of 'Hindu Sultan').
• The capital Hampi, on the Tungabhadra river, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Confusing Virupaksha (Shiva, the ruling deity) with Venkateshwara (Vishnu, at Tirupati) whom the kings only patronised.
• Assuming a Tamil deity such as Murugan, because Vijayanagara reached into the Tamil country.

Name the deity in whose name the Vijayanagara rulers ruled, or identify the presiding deity of Hampi.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The tutelary (presiding) deity of the Vijayanagara Empire, in whose name the kings ruled, was:

  • (a)Vishnu as Venkateshwara
  • (b)Shiva as Virupaksha
  • (c)Vithoba of Pandharpur
  • (d)Jagannath of Puri

  Answer(b) Shiva as Virupaksha — the god of Hampi in whose name the rulers governed.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The Vijayanagara rulers adopted which title, a Sanskrit rendering meaning 'Hindu Sultan'?

  • (a)Hindu-suratrana
  • (b)Gangaikonda
  • (c)Devaraja
  • (d)Chakravartin

  Answer(a) Hindu-suratrana — the title used by Vijayanagara kings.