Hampi

by Anila Verghese

Hampi, on the southern bank of the Tungabhadra river in Karnataka, was the capital of the famous Vijayanagara kingdom from the mid-fourteenth century to 1565 AD. This book pays homage to the architectural splendour of Hampi as preserved in the monuments that consist mainly of religious, courtly, and military buildings. Anila Verghese takes us on a guided tour of the ruins highlighting the merging of different art traditions of the Deccan and south India that led to the evolution of the typically Vijayanagaran style of architecture, sculpture, and paintings. The site has been divided into four functional zones: the 'sacred centre', 'urban core', 'royal centre' and 'suburban centre', each has been described in detail and complemented by photographs, maps, and drawings. Written in an accessible style by an acknowledged expert on Hampi, the book will be of immense value to general readers and the informed tourists interested in the most famous Hindu city of medieval India.

About the Author:

ANILA VERGHESE is Lecturer and Head of the Department of History at Sophia College, Bombay University. She has been working at Hampi since 1985 and has published extensively, both monographs and research papers, on this site.