Photograph of a structure at Vijayanagara. This view shows a rectangular structure with an arcade, possibly a viewing position. The precise function is unknown, but the designation ''treasury'' is probably fanciful.

Vijayanagara, the City of Victory, was the seat of a powerful Hindu kingdom in southern India from 1336 to 1565. Vijayanagara flourished as a prosperous centre of Hindu art, culture and architecture, until the Battle of Talikota in 1565. It was also an influential centre for trade, especially in Arab horses and spices. Its plan consisted of a number of zones, the sacred, the urban and the royal.