1) CUET-PG orientation: how this is tested
PYQ trends show medieval art/architecture often appears as:
- match-the-following (dynasty ↔ monument/style/feature)
- statement-based MCQs (features of Vijayanagar urbanism, temple components; Bahmani Indo-Islamic features)
- comparative questions (Vijayanagar vs Bahmani; Dravidian vs Indo-Islamic forms)
- “rise” and “administration” tested through broad features rather than micro-detail.
This module integrates:
- rise of both states (political context)
- society and economy (trade, agrarian base, urban centers)
- administration (how states function)
- art and architecture (core diagnostic features).
2) Rise: why Vijaynagar and Bahamani emerge (big picture)
The Deccan–South political landscape
Both kingdoms arise in a context of:
- power vacuum and contestation in the Deccan
- interactions between:
- older regional traditions
- Sultanate political-military pressures
- local elites and resource control
- strategic importance of:
- river valleys
- trade routes
- fortified centers.
Vijaynagar: rise logic (conceptual)
Vijayanagar’s rise can be framed as:
- consolidation of power in the southern Deccan
- mobilization of:
- agrarian surplus
- temple-linked legitimacy
- military capacity and fort networks
- projection of kingship through monumental temple-urban complexes.
Bahamani: rise logic (conceptual)
Bahamani kingdom’s rise can be framed as:
- a Deccan Sultanate formation
- rooted in:
- military elite organization
- Persianate administrative culture
- control of forts and revenue zones
- shaped by factional politics of nobles and regional pressures.
3) Administration: how each state governs (exam-ready comparison)
Vijaynagar administration (broad features)
- kingship linked with:
- dharmic/temple legitimacy
- courtly patronage
- governance through:
- regional chiefs/local elites
- revenue extraction from agrarian base
- military organization supported by:
- forts and garrisons
- cavalry and infantry systems
- temple institutions play an economic-administrative role:
- land endowments
- employment of service groups
- festival-based redistribution.
Bahamani administration (broad features)
- Persianate-Sultanate administrative vocabulary
- fiscal-military orientation:
- revenue assignments
- noble management and service obligations
- strong role of:
- forts
- cavalry warfare
- patronage of religious and cultural institutions legitimizes rule.