The Kingdom of Vijayanagar reached its apogee under the reign of Krishna Deva Raya from 1509 to 1530. Unfortunately, the Kingdom would vanish from the face of earth – with the only reminder of its existence being the City of Hampi. For this reason the site was listed into the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.
The Kingdom of Vijayanagar reached its apogee under the reign of Krishna Deva Raya from 1509 to 1530. Unfortunately, the Kingdom would vanish from the face of earth – with the only reminder of its existence being the City of Hampi. For this reason the site was listed into the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.
The grand city of Hampi was the last capital of the great Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar. The kings and princes of the Kingdom were fabulously rich and thus built Dravidian temples and palaces that won the admiration of many throughout the 14th to 16th centuries. The city would later be pillaged over 6 months before being abandoned. It was conquered by the Deccan Muslim confederacy in 1565.
The city relied mainly on cotton and spice trade. This brought a lot of wealth, which led to the construction of one of the most beautiful cities of the medieval world. Among the famous admirers of the city include Abdul Razaak from the Arab world, Domingo Paes from Portugal and Nicolo dei Conti from Italy.
Although pillaged during the battle of Talikota, the city still hosts the imposing monuments that were reclaimed after it was discovered. Hampi is the most striking of the ruins in the world.
Among the attractions you will find here include the Ramachandra that was built in 1513 and Hazara Rama that was built in 1520. It features sophisticated structures with the most popular being the interior courtyards of the temple of Vitthala that features a small monument of a chariot with two elephants sculpted in the round courtyard.
Apart from the temples you will also find an impressive complex of civil, princely and public buildings. They include bazaars, markets, Queens Bath, elephant stables and the Lotus Mahal. It is enclosed with massive fortifications. Unfortunately, the fortifications were not able to ward off the assault by a group of 5 Deccan Sultans in 1565.
This is one of the places you should make sure you visit. It will impress your friends when you start telling the history of a disappeared civilization.