Hampi is located in east-central Karnataka India. It became the centre of the Hindu Vijayanagar Empire capital in the 14th century. Chronicles left by Persian and European travellers, particularly the Portuguese, state Hampi was a prosperous, wealthy and grand city  with numerous temples, farms and trading markets. By 1500 CE, Hampi-Vijayanagara was the world’s second-largest medieval-era city after Beijing and probably India’s richest at that time, attracting traders from Persia and Portugal. The Vijayanagara Empire was defeated by a coalition of Muslim sultanates; its capital was conquered, pillaged and destroyed by sultanate armies in 1565, after which Hampi remained in ruins [shortened from Wikipedia].

Currently Hampi is a tourist site, with numerous temples that are partly in ruins. The town of Hampi is rather small with a couple of hotels and restaurants, but nearby is the amazing Boulders resort with incredibly rock formations and a rich population of different animals.

The sculpture at Hampi seems not only damaged by invaders but also tattered by climate. Also, some of the bas-reliefs are not very detailed, a bit sketchy even, but still we get a picture of the type of instruments used.

press ︎☐ for full screen,  ▷ for auto slideshow, < > for previous/next, △▽ for thumb gallery, +/-/≈ for zoom
control/right click open image in a new window for full resolution