A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar): A Contribution to the History of India c18.13

c18.13

In 1528 was constructed one of the most curious and interesting monuments to be seen in the city. This is an enormous statue of the god Vishnu in his *avâtara* as Narasimha, the man-lion. It was hewn out of a single boulder of granite, which lay near the southwestern angle of the Krishnasvâmi temple, and the king bestowed a grant of lands for its maintenance. Though it has been grievously injured, probably by the iconoclastic Muhammadans in or after the year 1565, it is still a most striking object.