 The city. The city is such that the pupil of the eye has never seen a place like it. And the ear of intelligence has never been informed that there existed anything to equal it in the world. That city is Hampi, the capital city of the then glorious Vijayanagara Empire. Hampi, situated on the banks of the Tungabhadra, is a land where mythology and history seamlessly mingle. A few important episodes of the Indian epic Ramayana play out in Hampi. After 14 years of exile from his own kingdom, Rama has more struggles to overcome. He needs to rescue his wife Sita from her kidnapper, the ten-headed demon king Ravana of Lanka. In his quest, Rama is helped by an army of Vanaras, the mythological monkey men. And Hampi is believed to be their kingdom, Kishkindha. Prince Sugriva, his general Hanuman, and their army help Rama build a bridge of rocks across the sea to reach Lanka. The boulders you see in Hampi are believed to be the surplus from the bridge construction. In another mythological story, Pumper, the daughter of the creator Lord Brahma, worshipped Lord Shiva to be accepted by him. To bring them together, Kamadeva, the god of love, shoots an arrow of flowers from a bow made of sugarcane at the meditating Lord Shiva. Without realizing Kamadeva's intentions, an infuriated Lord Shiva reduces him to ashes by opening his third eye. But charmed by Pumper's persistent devotion, he marries her. And this land becomes known as Pampakshetra, or the land of Pumper, which later becomes Hampi or Hampi. The history of the region goes way back with many renowned empires preceding the Vijayanagara Empire. The Kadambas of Bhanavasi, 4th to 6th century, were the pioneers of the Karnataka style of architecture. The Lakshmi Devi temple in today's Hasan district showcases their signature style. The Chalukyas of Badami, 6th to 8th century, creators of the spectacular cave temples in Badami. The Rashtrakutas of Manyaketa, 7th to 8th century, examples of their architecture can be seen at the Jain Narayana temple in Patadakul. The Chalukyas of Kalyana, 9th to 11th century, with the stunning Kaleshwara temple in Devanagari established their unique architecture style. The Hosalas, 11th to 14th century, built magnificent temples in Bailur and Halibiru. What followed the Hosalas was the Vijayanagara Empire. There were four distinct dynasties under its rule, Sangama, Sanuva, Tuluva and Araviru. To the north of Vijayanagara flourished the Bahmani Sultanate, their principal rivals, which eventually broke up into the five Deccan Sultanates. They were frequently at war with each other and with the Vijayanagara Kingdom. The greatest of all the Vijayanagara kings was Krishnadevaraya, known for his integrity, valour and the prosperity of the kingdom during his rule. Another famous king was Achutaraya. The beautiful temple built in his name is now a relic and that is said to have inspired the ruined temple in the jungle book. The main economic contributors to Vijayanagara's economy were agriculture and trade. International trade with Portugal, Italy, Persia, Arabia, Mongolia, China, etc. flourished. With their tradesmen finding their place of honour on the walls of Hampi, the city of Hampi was divided into two major centres, Sacred Centre and Royal Centre. On the banks of Tungabhadra, the Sacred Centre contained the temples and their attached markets and suburbs called Puras. The Virupaksha temple, which received repeated benefactions from the rayas, was one of the most important temples and continues to be functional today. The other temples of note are the Vittala, Kodandarama, Krishna and Achutaraya temples. Bazaars were busy domestic and international trading centres, famously trading in gold, diamonds, precious stones, silk, livestock, horses, spices, flowers and more. Taxes were collected at the Pura gates as goods passed through. The most important Puras were Vittala Pura, Virupaksha Pura, Krishna Pura, Achutapura and Kamalapura, after which our palace hotel is named. The Royal Centre was comprised of administrative and military wings and residential quarters of the royal family. It was also the venue for victory celebrations, festivals and coronations. These ruins display the spectacular Vijayanagara courtly style of architecture. In 1565, when Alia Ramaraya, the son-in-law of Krishnadevaraya, an uncle to the boy-king Sadashiva, was the regent and de facto king, the five Deccan Sultanates together defeated Vijayanagara in the famous Battle of Talikota. When the news of Alia Ramaraya's death on the battlefield reached Hampi, the citizens and the royal family fled, leaving Hampi deserted. The once great city was plundered and destroyed by the conquerors. So thorough was the devastation that it was no longer possible for Hampi to serve as the capital and it was eventually abandoned and erased from memory. Hampi takes time. Evolveback has curated four special trails for you to best experience the grandeur of this 26 square kilometre UNESCO World Heritage Site. Choose from the Vittala Walk, Raya Trail, Virupaksha Trail or Tungabhadra Trek and let our historians bring Hampi alive. Thanks for watching. Drop a like. Leave a comment. Please don't forget to subscribe our channel Design Historics. Get more updated videos from now. Click on the bell button below to get notified. See you people in the next video. Till then, it's a bye from Design Historics team.