Hampi, Karnataka, India: Boulders and megaliths Dinesh Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Hampi town, Vijayanagara district, east-central Karnataka, India. Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th century. It was a fortified city. Chronicles left by Persian and European travellers, particularly the Portuguese, say that Hampi was a prosperous, wealthy and grand city near the Tungabhadra River, By 1500 CE, Hampi- Vijayanagara was the world's second-largest medieval-era city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at that time, attracting traders from Persia and Portugal. Boulders and megaliths of Hampi, Karnataka, The recent excavations unearthed archaeological India: artifacts dating back to the 3rd century BC. Some surviving buildings predate the Vijayanagara Empire, for example the Manmatha The Vijayanagar area has been densely settled tank near Virupaksha temple, which is dated to for a long period even before the creation of the about the 9th century. empire. A TO Z INDIA FEBRUARY 2023 PAGE 29