Temples were also centres of knowledge. For maintaining the temples, the King and others gave land gifts. As a result, the temples grew into religious, cultural and economic centres. Kings believed that constructing temples, maintaining them and protecting them would increase people’s faith in them. It was a way to get public recognition of the wealth, authority and generosity of the kings.
The main reason for choosing Vijayanagar as the capital was the presence of the Virupaksha Temple and the Shrine of Pampa devi. The Vijayanagara kings claimed that they were ruling the country in the name of Virupaksha Devan. All royal edicts in Kannada were signed “Sri Virupaksha Deva’. By receiving the title ‘Hindu Suratrana’ the kings tried to establish their close relation with gods. Suratrana is the Sanskrit equivalent of the Arabic Sultan. So Hindu Suratrana means Hindu Sultan.
The kings of Vijayanagar continued with the old temple traditions and they expanded them. They also started new things. The statues of the kings were exhibited in the temples. The visit of the King to the temple was considered a big official event. At this time the major Nayakas of the country accompanied the king.
