Hampi

Hampi, in the interior of Karnataka, was the capital of the Vijayanagara empire, one of the greatest kingdoms of medieval South India and by some accounts one of the largest and richest cities in the world before it was sacked in the sixteenth century. What remains, a World Heritage Site, is extraordinary: hundreds of temples, palaces, pavilions, markets and waterworks spread over a vast area of a landscape unlike anywhere else, a boulder-strewn terrain of giant rounded granite rocks piled improbably across hills and along a river, glowing gold at sunrise and sunset. Among the ruins stand the still-active Virupaksha temple with its towering gateway, the Vittala temple with its famous stone chariot and musical pillars, royal enclosures, elephant stables and stepped tanks. You explore by bicycle, moped or on foot over several days, and the combination of romantic ruins and dreamlike boulder scenery makes it one of India's most captivating places.

History

Hampi is older than the Vijayanagara Empire: the Ramayana and the Puranas know it as Pampa Devi Tirtha Kshetra, and its name comes from Pampa, the old name of the Tungabhadra River. From 1336 to 1565 it was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, a fortified city that Persian and Portuguese travellers described as prosperous and grand, with many temples, farms and markets, and by 1500 it is estimated to have been the second-largest city in the world after Beijing and probably the richest in India; it was abandoned in 1565, and the Virupaksha temple and its monastery remain an active religious centre (Wikipedia, Hampi).

The main sights

• The Vittala Temple - with its iconic stone chariot and musical pillars.
• Virupaksha Temple - the still-active temple with its soaring gateway tower.
• The royal enclosure - the palaces, elephant stables and stepped tank.
• The boulder landscape - the surreal piled granite, glowing at sunrise and sunset.

When to go

October to February is the cool, dry season and by far the most comfortable for exploring the exposed ruins; the rest of the year is punishingly hot. Sunrise and sunset are magical on the boulders and best for photography. The Hampi festival and temple car festivals add colour at certain times.

Before you go

The ruins are spread over a large area, so seeing them means a lot of getting about by bike, moped or auto-rickshaw, and a lot of walking in what can be fierce heat and sun. It is fairly remote, reached by an overnight train or a long drive. Facilities are basic backpacker-style, and one side of the river is quieter than the temple-town side. The heat outside winter is genuinely limiting.

Nearby

The Tungabhadra dam is close; the Badami cave temples and Goa's beaches are longer trips.

Key facts