Unreal and bewitching, the forlorn ruins of Hampi, make a highly worthwhile, and popular, side trip from the coast. They lie scattered over a landscape that leaves you spellbound: heaps of giant boulders perch precariously over miles of undulating terrain, their rusty hues offset by jade-green palm groves, banana plantations and paddy fields, while the azure sky painted with fluffy white cirrus adds to the magical atmosphere. A World Heritage Site, Hampi is a place where you can lose yourself among the ruins, or simply be mesmerised by the vagaries of nature, wondering how millions of years of volcanic activity and erosion could have resulted in a landscape so fascinating.
Highlights
Hampi ruins is packed with giant temples, palaces, market streets, aquatic structures , fortifications and an abundance of other ancient monuments.
Interesting facts
– This sprawling ruins site coves about 30 sq.kilometer.
– Hampi, capital of one of India’s most formidable empires, the powerful Vijayanagara — whose rule stretched from the Arabian Sea to the Indian Ocean — was home to a population of half a million, and protected by more than a million soldiers.