Hampi

Ruins of Hampi (UNESCO World Heritage Site), presents the Vijayanagara architecture, a vibrant combination of the Chalukya, Hoysala, Pandya, and Chola styles, idioms that prospered in previous centuries. Hampi was the last capital of the Vijayanagar Empire, which was admired by the travelers between the 14th and 16th centuries. But it was pillaged and abandoned by the Muslim confederacy which conquered the Deccan in 1565 C.E. Palaces, temples, marketplaces, watch towers, stables, baths and monoliths lie scattered amidst huge boulders, which complement the rugged look and historic feel of the place.

Its legacy of sculpture, architecture and painting influenced the development of the arts long after the empire came to an end. Its stylistic hallmark is the ornate pillared Kalyanamantapa (marriage hall), Vasanthamantapa (open pillared halls) and the Rajagopura (tower). While the empire's monuments are spread over the whole of Southern India, nothing surpasses the vast open air theater of monuments at its capital at Vijayanagara.