Information on aspects of social and cultural life of Vijayanagara can be gleaned from a number of studies, including ceramic production and the importation of Chinese porcelains.

Carla Sinopoli has studied no less than 4,000 earthenware ceramic fragments recovered in the excavations of the palaces in Noblemen’s Quarter of the Royal Centre. Based on a comprehensive statistical approach to the classification of these finds, and a comparison of these data with ceramics collected from other areas of the site, Sinopoli concluded that they reflected particular cultural and behavioral differences. For example, she speculates that the considerable variation in ceramic form indicates that production was not under centralized control, in contrast, perhaps, to luxury goods, that no longer survive.

Considerable number of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain shards, as well as celadon and polychrome wares have been found on the surface and in excavations of the Vijayanagara site, especially in and around the Royal Centre. These porcelains are clearly datable to the Ming period (late 15th century onwards). They indicate that in the first half of the 16th century Vijayanagara was linked to a trade network that imported luxury goods from southern China, presumably by sea. Whether this network was achieved through coastal traders in direct contact with the Vijayanagara court or through the intermediary kingdoms of the Deccan sultans has not yet been determined. A study of these imported porcelains is badly needed.

Further Reading: Sinopoli, Pots and Palaces.
(See Project Publications)