Religious Traditions at Vijayanagara as Revealed Through its Monuments

by Anila Verghese

This monograph surveys religion at Vijayanagara, primarily from the data available from its monuments. The fifteenth century saw the royal sponsorship of the cults of Rama and Vithala; the latter grew from strength to strength, until in the last quarter century before the city's destruction the Vithala complex became the foremost religious centre in the city. the sixteenth century witnessed the promotion of the Tiruvengalanatha, Ranganatha and Krishna as well as intense temple-building activity. Alongside the different 'Sanskritic' cults, there were also the worship of minor and folk deities. Apart from Hindu sects, Jainism and Islam were also extant at Vijayanagara. Pluralism characterised the religious life and activities at Vijayanagara, yet an undercurrent of sectarian tension is also evident.