India Guide
Karnataka
Hampi (Vijayanagar)
Amid a surreal landscape of golden-brown boulders and leafy banana fields, the ruined "City of Victory," Vijayanagar, better known as HAMPI (the name of the main local village), spills from the south bank of the River Tungabhadra. This once dazzling Hindu capital was devastated by a six-month Muslim siege in the sixteenth century. Only stone, brick and stucco structures survived the ensuing sack – monolithic deities, crumbling houses and abandoned temples dominated by towering gopuras.
While most of Hampi's monuments are in disappointingly poor shape, the serene riverine setting and air of lingering magic make this one of India's most extraordinary locations. Many find it difficult to leave and spend weeks chilling out in cafés, wandering to whitewashed hilltop temples and gazing at the spectacular sunsets.
Although spread over 26 square kilometres, the ruins of Vijayanagar are mostly concentrated in two distinct groups, separated by a long boulder-choked hill and swathe of banana plantations, fed by ancient irrigation canals. The first lies in and around Hampi Bazaar and the nearby riverside area, encompassing the city's most sacred enclave of temples and ghats; the second centres on the royal enclosure – 3km south of the river, just northwest of Kamalapuram village – which holds the remains of palaces, pavilions, elephant stables, guardhouses and temples. A massive, partly ruined inner city wall, made from granite slabs, runs 32km around the city, in places as high as 10m. The outer wall was almost twice as long. At one time, there were said to have been seven city walls; coupled with areas of impenetrable forest and the river to the north, they made the city virtually impregnable.
Read more ▼
- Practical Information ▼
- Sight(s) ▼