The city of Vijayanagara was the capital of a vast south Indian empire from the 14th through 16th century A.D. The authors use historic, epigraphic, and archaeological evidence to examine Vijayanagara control at the imperial capital. They argue that imperial control should best be viewed as multidimensional and variable in emphases and success over time and space. They focus on three dimensions of Vijayanagara control: ideology, militarism, and the production and distribution of agricultural and nonagricultural resources. While the first two do yield evidence for imperial intervention and concern, there is little evidence for direct control of production or distribution of either staple or wealth goods.