Previous Year Question
Who of the following founded a new city on the south bank of a tributary to river Krishna and undertook to rule his new kingdom as the agent of a deity to whom all the land south of the river Krishna was supposed to belong?
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
The clues given in the question point to Vijayanagara and Harihara I. According to NCERT, on the basis of tradition and epigraphic evidence, Harihara and Bukka founded the Vijayanagara Empire in 1336 CE. The Vijayanagara region developed along the Tungabhadra River; the Tungabhadra is a major tributary of the Krishna. Therefore, among the options given, the ruler associated with the foundation of this new kingdom is Harihara I.
An important basis of the political legitimacy of this state was the deity Virupaksha. NCERT explicitly states that the Vijayanagara kings claimed to rule on behalf of the god Virupaksha. Virupaksha was the guardian deity of the kingdom and was recognised as a form of Shiva. Moreover, all royal orders of Vijayanagara were generally signed “Shri Virupaksha” in the Kannada script. This directly reflects the idea that royal authority was exercised as the representative of the deity.