The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hindusim vol 2

Vijnaneshvara
common area in the large center space.
The design was adapted into the earliest
forms of the Hindu temples, such as
those at Aihole.
Vijaya
In Hindu mythology, one of the gatekeepers
of Vaikuntha, who with his
brother Jaya, is cursed by the sage
Sanaka to be born three times as an
asura (demon), and to be killed each
time by Vishnu. In their first birth
Jaya and Vijaya incarnate as Hiranyaksha
and Hiranyakashipu, who are
killed by the Boar avatar and the
Man-Lion avatar, respectively. In
their second they are born as Ravana
and Kumbhakarna, who are killed by
Rama. In their final birth they take
form as Shishupala and Dantavaktra,
who are killed by Krishna. After this
they return to their duties as Vishnu’s
gatekeepers.
Vijaya Dashami
(“victory tenth”) Another name for the
festival of Dussehra, which falls on the
tenth day of the lunar month. The festival
has two mythic charters, one with
the god Rama and one with the
Goddess, and both these myths point to
this as the day on which the deity wins a
definitive victory. See Dussehra.
Vijaya Ekadashi
Religious observance falling on the
eleventh day (ekadashi) of the dark
(waning) half of the lunar month of
Phalgun (February–March). As for all
the eleventh-day observances, this is
dedicated to the worship of Vishnu.
Most Hindu festivals have certain prescribed
rites, which usually involve fasting
(upavasa) and worship and often
promise specific benefits for faithful
performance. Those performing this
vow should fill an earthen pot with the
seven kinds of grain, set an image of
Vishnu on the pot, and for twenty-four
hours, remain engaged in chanting the
names of Vishnu. On the twelfth the pot
of grain should be given to a brahmin.
As for results, faithfully observing this
festival is said to bring victory (vijaya)
over poverty and unhappiness.
Vijayanagar Dynasty
(“City of Victory”) The last of the great
southern Indian Hindu kingdoms,
which took its name from its capital city,
near modern Hampi in Karnataka. The
kingdom was founded in 1336 by
Harihara, a regional governor in the
Tughluq dynasty who broke away to
carve out a kingdom in the central
Deccan plateau. The kingdom went
through several periods of expansion
and decay. In the early fifteenth century
it controlled most of southern India, but
then passed through a period of decline
and loss of territory; this was followed by
renewal in the early sixteenth century,
during the reign of Krishna Deva Raya,
and finally ended after the battle of
Talikota in 1565, in which the ruling
prince Rama Raja was decisively defeated
by a coalition of the sultans from the
northern part of the Deccan. The city of
Vijayanagar was abandoned almost
immediately, and although it has suffered
the ravages of time, it still contains
stunning examples of late medieval
Hindu art and architecture.
Vijnaneshvara
(12th c.) Author of the Mitakshara, a
voluminous commentary on the Ya j-
navalkya Smrti, itself an example of the
dharma literature, or texts on religious
duty. This particular commentary
played a pivotal role in the British
administration of India. The British were
largely content to have their Indian subjects
governed by traditional religious
laws, but to do so, they needed an
accepted standard. For large sections of
British India, the Mitakshara was given
the status of traditional law and was
used as a legal code. The only major part
of India in which Hindus were not subject
to this was in Bengal, where the legal
authority was the Dayabhaga. One of
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