Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c26.22

c26.22

No remains of this city recall more vividly the story of the forgotten empire of Vijayanagar than these massive terraces, still impressive examples of architecture in spite of their mutilated superstructures. For here the ruler of this rich region sat in state on his golden throne to view the pomp and pageantry symbolising the greatness and wealth of his possessions, an Indian replica of the "Field of the Cloth of Gold", a spectacle which at that very time was taking place in the West. Even in their dismantled condition these elevated and orderly piles of masonry with their finely moulded revetments retain some of the glamour and romance of that brilliant period when Vijayanagar, the "City of Victory" was one of the most famous capitals of the East.