Hampi Vijayanagara

Hampi is one of the most beautiful and evocative of all historical sites in south India. Austere yet grandiose, it was established as the seat of the Vijayanagara empire in the mid-14th century, a time when art and architecture flourished. Contemporary chroniclers from Persia, Italy, Portugal and Russia visited the empire during this period and left glowing accounts of a city that was conquered by Sultanate troops in AD 1565, pillaged for six months, and abandoned. Hampi Vijayanagara examines the temples renowned for their florid ornamentation, intricate carvings, magnificent pavilions, stately pillars and a wealth of iconographic and traditional depictions. The book also includes site plans and three-dimensional reconstructions.

John M Fritz received a PhD in Anthropology with a specialty in Archaeology from the University of Chicago. He is currently Consulting Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Since 1981, he and George Michell have co-directed an extensive documentation of the Hampi Vijayanagara site. With Michell he is author of Hampi: A Story in Stone. George Michell trained as an architect and obtained a PhD in Indian Archaeology at the school of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He has carried out research on many historical sites in India including the Deccan, Bengal, Gujarat and the palace city of Vijayanagara in Karnataka. His publications include Architecture of the Islamic World, Royal Palaces of India, Oriental Scenery, Hindu Art and Architecture, Islamic Heritage of the Deccan, Blue Guide to Southern India and Elephanta.