Question 41 from UPSC CSE 2015 - Medieval History

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?

A

Amoghavarsha I

B

Ballala II

C

Harihara I

D

Prataparudra II

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. Harihara I

Strategy: Focus on the unique act of city founding on the riverbank and establishing rule as a deity's agent. Such religious legitimacy and city founding are distinctive to Harihara I and the Vijayanagara Empire, especially near the Tungabhadra, a Krishna tributary. Other rulers listed do not fit these specifics by known history.

Key Info: **Harihara I and the Vijayanagara Empire**

Harihara I, also known as Hakka, was one of the founders of the Vijayanagara Empire, established in 1336 CE along with his brother Bukka I. The city of Vijayanagara (modern Hampi) was strategically established on the south bank of the Tungabhadra River, a tributary of the Krishna. The founders claimed to rule as representatives or agents of the deity Virupaksha (a form of Shiva), to whom all lands south of the Krishna were offered as symbolic possession, reinforcing religious legitimacy.

The selection of Hampi's location was influenced by its defensibility and its religious sanctity, as it was already a shrine to Pampadevi, and later to Virupaksha. The Vijayanagara Empire grew into a dominant power in South India, marking an era of Hindu cultural and political resurgence.

**Other Rulers Considered**

- Amoghavarsha I (Rashtrakuta ruler) was based further north and not associated with south bank city founding or such divine claims.
- Ballala II (Hoysala ruler) ruled from Dwarasamudra (Halebidu), not near the Krishna or Tungabhadra, and had different patterns of legitimacy.
- Prataparudra II was a Kakatiya king, whose core territory lay in Telangana and he is not connected with founding a city south of Krishna with divine agency.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: Amoghavarsha I

IASCODEX · Answer

Option B: Ballala II

IASCODEX · Answer

Option D: Prataparudra II