Q.What are the architectural traditions that inspired the architects of Vijayanagara? How did they transform these traditions?
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →The architects of Vijayanagara drew inspiration from earlier Chalukya, Hoysala, Chola, and Pandya temple-building traditions, as well as from Islamic-influenced Indo-Islamic architecture of the Deccan sultanates, and transformed these influences into a distinctive, grand imperial style that emphasised secular royal power alongside religious devotion.
The Vijayanagara Empire, which flourished in southern India from the 14th to the 17th century, was a melting pot of architectural ideas. Its rulers, particularly under the Sangama and Tuluva dynasties, consciously sought to create a capital city — Vijayanagara (modern-day Hampi) — that would project their authority as the defenders of Hindu dharma against the Deccan sultanates. This political ambition directly shaped their architectural choices. The builders did not simply copy older styles; they selected, adapted, and fused elements from multiple traditions to forge something new.
The most immediate inspiration came from the temple-building traditions of the earlier southern dynasties. From the Cholas (9th–13th centuries), Vijayanagara architects inherited the concept of the massive, towering vimana (the pyramidal roof over the sanctum) and the elaborate gopuram (gateway tower). However, they transformed this by making the gopuram far larger and more ornate than the vimana itself — a reversal of Chola practice. In a typical Chola temple, the main shrine’s tower dominated the skyline; in Vijayanagara, the entrance gateways became the most visually striking feature, often covered with hundreds of stucco figures painted in bright colours. This shift reflected a new emphasis on processional and public ritual, where the approach to the deity mattered as much as the deity’s inner chamber.
From the Hoysalas (12th–14th centuries), who ruled in the Karnataka region, Vijayanagara architects borrowed the love for intricate, star-shaped platforms and the use of soapstone (steatite) for carving. The Hoysala temples were famous for their dense, almost filigree-like sculptural decoration. Vijayanagara architects took this love of ornament but applied it on a much larger, more monumental scale. They also adopted the mandapa (pillared hall) as a central feature, but expanded it into vast, open halls with hundreds of pillars — such as the famous thousand-pillared hall in the Vitthala Temple. These halls were not just for worship; they served as spaces for royal ceremonies, music, and dance, blending the sacred with the secular.
The Chalukyas of Badami (6th–8th centuries) and later the Western Chalukyas (10th–12th centuries) provided the template for the vesara style — a hybrid of northern and southern temple forms. Vijayanagara architects drew on this fusionist spirit, freely mixing elements. For instance, they used the shikhara (curvilinear tower) of northern temples on some shrines, while keeping the southern vimana on others. This eclectic borrowing was not random; it was a deliberate statement of imperial breadth — the empire encompassed both northern and southern traditions, and its architecture should reflect that.
The term "Dravidian architecture" is often used for the southern style, but Vijayanagara architecture is best understood as a late, imperial phase of that tradition, where regional variations were consciously blended.
The most surprising and transformative influence came from Indo-Islamic architecture of the Deccan sultanates, particularly the Bahmani Sultanate and its successor states. Vijayanagara was in constant military and diplomatic contact with these sultanates, and its rulers were keenly aware of Islamic architectural forms. They did not reject them; they adapted them. The most visible borrowing is the arch and the dome. Traditional Hindu architecture used corbelled arches (stones laid horizontally, each projecting slightly inward) and flat roofs. Vijayanagara architects began using the true, radiating arch and the bulbous dome — techniques learned from Islamic builders. You can see this clearly in the Lotus Mahal and the Elephant Stables at Hampi, which have arched openings and domed chambers.
But the transformation is key: these Islamic forms were stripped of their religious meaning and used purely as structural and decorative devices. The arches were often decorated with Hindu motifs like yali (mythical lion-like beasts) and lotus buds. The domes were sometimes fluted or ribbed, but crowned with a Hindu kalasha (finial pot). This was not a case of one culture copying another; it was a confident, selective appropriation. The Vijayanagara rulers were showing that they could master the military and architectural technology of their rivals while remaining firmly Hindu in identity.
The most famous example of this synthesis is the Vitthala Temple complex, where the gopurams are purely Dravidian, but the mandapa roofs use corbelled domes that echo Islamic forms, and the pillars are carved with horses and riders that recall both Hindu mythology and the cavalry of the sultanates. …
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