Welcome to the Land of Ruins and a city long lost but thrives as a mysterious beauty to behold!

Hampi.

Called the ‘Land of Ruins’, Hampi is a land soaked in history, a history that glorifies it and haunts it at the same time which was the capital of erstwhile mighty Vijayanagara Empire synonymous with wealth and glory under King Krishna Devaraya. With some marvellous architecture in place, the Hampi Group of Monuments was given the UNESCO World Heritage status in 1986.

For sure, you must have come to Hampi for its renowned SAREGAMA pillars at Vijaya Vittala temple which emanates music when tapped softly at the right places! Also, you get to see the stone chariot found on the ₹50 currency note live in front of you at this temple complex.

One of the oldest living temples in the world which withstood the worst attacks of Hampi’s history is the Virupaksha temple which houses the Lakshmi elephant which is known to bless the pilgrims at the gate of the temple.

Altogether, the City of Hampi is an archaeological museum. The lengthy streets of Hampi Bazaar all back once renowned for the prosperous trade it borne, the Royal Enclosure with the Lotus Mahal which used to be a enclosed haven for the royal women, the Hazara Rama temple-the walls of which narrated the entire Ramayana when interpreted carefully, statues of Lakshmi, Narasimha and Ganapathy and the ancient mint coins are nothing but part of a legacy now!

The beautiful Tungabhadra river flowing alongside the then ‘Pampa Kshetra’ (another name associated with Goddess Parvati) and now Hampi (which derived its name from Pampa) flourishes the barren Hemkunta hills which is also associated with numerous mythological stories with the monkey kingdom of Kiskinda and the yogini Goddess Parvati playing phenomenal roles!

Also, the geological significance of Hampi being in the Dharwar Craton explains the presence of curiously scattered rocks all over. And being spread over 4000 hectares, Hampi was the second largest city in the medieval world, next only to Beijing with prosperous trade in those days.

The invasion by the Deccan Sultans and the ongoing rebellions from local Hindu Kings like the Nayakas weakened the defense of Hampi to resist following massive destruction and loot which led to its dramatic fall after 200 years of glory.

But Hampi still stands with its head all high up boasting its timeless beauty and the legacy it echoes even now!