Lost in the ruins of Hampi

The emptiness of Hampi haunts you. You can feel grief and pain as you walk on the streets of Hampi.

The landscape of this once great city is characterized by thousands of granite boulders, with piles of rocks of different shapes and sizes strewn all over.

But it is not just the unique landscape Hampi is famous for. This former capital of the Vijayanagara empire is like an ocean of more than 1600 man made stone structures, spread across an area of 25 square kilometers.

Hampi is a vast open museum of history, architecture, and religion. It is packed with temples, palaces, market streets, fortifications, aquatic structures, and an abundance of ancient monuments.

The giant boulder strewn hills and the river that bisects it, make the landscape beautiful.

Behind all the surreal beauty of Hampi lies a stark reality – the city in ruins. Defeat in the battle of Talikota in 1565 led to pillaging of the temples by the sultanate soldiers. Because the site was completely abandoned to ruins, the natural elements also contributed to the slow deterioration of the temple. Now, it’s just a ravaged barren area of land scattered with ruins that narrate the story of a violent past.

Hampi’s architectural ruins are set against a surreal landscape. The landscape is dotted with heaps of giant boulders. The rust hues of these rocks are offset by the green of paddy fields, banana plantations, and palm groves.

Although in ruins, the magnificent structures stand in testimony to Hampi’s rich past under the powerful Vijayanagara empire. It is in these ruins, history and mythology come to life in the legendary lost city of Hampi.

Hampi flourished under various kingdoms such as Chalukyas, Hoysalas, and Rastrakuta empires. But it was extensively developed under the Vijayanagara empire but today most of the monuments we see were destroyed after the Rakkasha Tangadagi/Talikota war in 1565.

The Talikota war changed the whole history, not just of the Vijayanagara empire, but of India. It destroyed an era. The 300 year old empire was no more in a single day. Once a zenith of culture and business, attracting travelers and traders from across the world, the Vijayanagara empire fell into ruins.

The Vijayanagara empire spanned the entire South India. The war gave the Sultans of Delhi access to the culturally, socially, and economically rich South India. The aftermath of the Talikota war meant only one thing: destruction and plunder of one of the most prosperous, and wealthy city in the world at that time.

Invaders camped in the city for over 6 months just to destroy it. Their target was to destroy Vijayanagara. Vijayanagara lost its glory.

The sultans kept the palaces and stables to their use while ruined the temples and statues. The city is lost just like how you get lost among the ruins. Time stands still.