Who among the following rulers of Vijayanagara Empire constructed a large dam across Tungabhadra River and a canal-cum-aqueduct several kilometres long from the river to the capital city?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) Devaraya I
Devaraya I of the Sangama dynasty built the great dam on the Tungabhadra and the long aqueduct that carried its water to Vijayanagara, according to the Portuguese chronicler Nuniz. NCERT confirms that the Hiriya canal drawing water from a dam across the river was built by Sangama kings.
- ✓ (a) Nuniz's account, as summarised by Robert Sewell, credits the ruler of this time, identified as Deva Raya I, with a huge dam on the Tungabhadra and an aqueduct fifteen miles long into the city.
- ✗ (b) Mallikarjuna was also a Sangama king, but Nuniz's account, as read by Sewell, names the ruler identified as Deva Raya I, not Mallikarjuna, as the builder.
- ✗ (c) Vira Vijaya is not the king named in Nuniz's account of the dam and aqueduct.
- ✗ (d) Virupaksha is likewise not named in that account; several of these kings were Sangamas, so the dynasty alone cannot pick the answer.
Remember · Devaraya I (Sangama): dam on the Tungabhadra and a long canal-aqueduct to Vijayanagara; the Hiriya canal is one of the surviving waterworks.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part II, Ch 3 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part II, Chapter 3 “One of the most prominent waterworks to be seen among the ruins is the Hiriya canal. This canal drew water from a dam across the Tungabhadra”
- Robert Sewell, A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar), 1900: Nuniz's account of the successor of Harihara II (Project Gutenberg ebook 3310) ↗ · reference work “But his great work was the construction of a huge dam in the Tungabhadra river, and the formation of an aqueduct fifteen miles long from the river into the city.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·