Question

“Abdur Razzaq, an ambassador sent by the ruler of Persia to Calicut (present-day Kozhikode) in the fifteenth century, was greatly impressed by the fortifications, and mentioned seven lines of forts.” Substantiate the statement with suitable examples.

Answer 1

Abdur Razzaq, an ambassador sent by the ruler of Persia to Calicut (present-day Kozhikode) in the fifteenth century, was greatly impressed by the fortifications and mentioned seven lines of forts. It is clear from the following details:

1. Different parts of the city of Vijayanagara were enclosed by the great fortress walls.
2. These encircled not only the city but also its agricultural hinterland and forests. The outermost wall linked the hills surrounding the city.
3. The massive masonry construction was slightly tapered. No mortar or cementing agent was employed anywhere in the construction.
4. The stone blocks were wedge-shaped, which held them in place, and the inner portion of the walls was of earth packed with rubble.
5. Square or rectangular bastions projected outwards.
6. What was most significant about this fortification was that it enclosed agricultural tracts.
7. Abdur Razzaq noted that between the first, second, and third walls there are cultivated fields, gardens, and houses.
8. A second line of fortification went round the inner core of the urban complex, and a third line surrounded the royal centre, within which each set of major buildings was surrounded by its own high walls.
9. The fort was entered through well-guarded gates, which linked the city to the major roads. Gateways were distinctive architectural features that often defined the structures to which they regulated access.
10. Archaeologists have studied roads within the city and those leading out from it. These have been identified by tracing paths through gateways, as well as by finds of pavements.
11. Roads generally wound around through the valleys, avoiding rocky terrain.
12. Some of the most important roads extended from temple gateways and were lined by bazaars.