"Never
perhaps in the history of world has such havoc been wrought and wrought so
suddenly, on so splendid a city; teeming with a wealthy and industrious
population in the full plenitude of prosperity one day and on the next day seized,
pillaged and reduced to ruins amid scenes of savage massacre and horrors
beggaring description."
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| Credit Wikipedia |
The
city mentioned in the above quote is Hampi, located in the Vijayanagara district of Karnataka. (Vijayanagara district was carved out of Bellary district in 2020). The
city was the focal point of the golden age of the Vijayanagara
Empire.
Though Hampi was mercilessly sacked by the marauding armies of the Muslim
Sultanates of Deccan after their coalition defeated the de facto ruler of
Vijayanagara, Ram Raja, in the famous battle of Talikota in 1556, the ruins of
the city remain as a testimony to its past prosperity and the exceptional
talent of the sculptors and artists.
The
splendor and affluence of Hampi, capital of the powerful Hindu Kingdom of
Vijayanagara ("City of Victory") on the Tungabhadra River, has been
described in the accounts of European travellers who visited India during the
period. Prominent among them are the Italian Nicolo dei Conti (15th century AD)
and the Portuguese travelers Paes and Nuniz who visited India in the 16th
century.
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