50.8 x 61 cm (20 x 24 inches)
Hampi was once the glorious capital of the mighty Vijayanagara Empire 1336 - 1565 which extended from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal and from the Deccan Plateau to the tip of the Indian peninsula. Founded in the middle of the 14th century by two local princes, Hakka and Bakka, the Vijayanagara Empire came to be celebrated for it's might and wealth. The city was sacked, pillaged and burnt in 1565 after combined armies of the Muslem sultanates of the Deccan, defeated the Vijayanagara military commander and the Hindu king fled the capital. The terrain is dominated by rocky hills and ruins of it's earlier glory, fed until this day by the Tungabhadra river seen here. First settlement was on the far side of the river.