The capital: water, walls, roads

Vijayanagara stood in the natural basin of the river Tungabhadra, girdled by granite hills. Streams flowing down from the hills were embanked to make reservoirs of various sizes, very important in this dry region.

The Kamalapuram tank, one of the most important, irrigated nearby fields and was connected by a channel to the royal centre. The Hiriya canal, which drew water from a dam across the Tungabhadra, irrigated the cultivated valley.

Abdur Razzaq, an ambassador sent by the ruler of Persia in the fifteenth century, was struck by the fortifications: he described seven lines of forts, which encircled not only the city but also its agricultural land, fields and gardens. The walls were built without mortar: stone blocks were wedged together.

Why enclose fields? Medieval sieges were meant to starve the defenders into surrender, and could last for months or years. Fields inside the walls helped the city withstand a siege. The gateways had Indo-Islamic features like arches and domes, borrowed from the Sultanates.

In the urban core, there are few traces of ordinary people's houses (probably thatched, and grouped by occupation). Archaeologists found fine Chinese porcelain in the north-east of the city, which may have been the quarter of rich traders and of the Muslim residents. There were also many shrines across the city. Water and walls kept the city alive.