Hampi: A Story in Stone

In stock

Free & Quick Delivery Worldwide

Text by John M. Fritz and George Michell. Photographs by Noshir Gobhai, Eminence Designs Pvt Ltd, 2009, 196 p, 166 col. photos, maps, ISBN : 8190382160, $125.00 (Includes free airmail shipping)

The ruins of Vijayanagara, The City of Victory, known better today as Hampi, on the right bank of the Tungabhadra River in Northern Karnataka, constitute one of the most extensive and spectacular historical sites to be found anywhere in India.

Capital of the largest of all Southern India kingdoms for more than 200 years, from the early fourteenth century onwards, Hampi was developed by its Hindu rulers into a magnificent showpiece of imperial authority, attracting visitors from all over India, as well as from the Middle East and Europe.

However, in 1565 the armies of the Sultanate Kingdoms of the Deccan, to the North of Hampi, sacked the city. Attempts to reoccupy the capital were unsuccessful, and thereafter it rapidly decayed. Visiting British and French officers documented the ruins during the nineteenth century, but clearance and conservation had to wait until the twentieth century.

In recent years interest in Hampi has intensified, due to the increased involvement of archaeologists and scholars, the rapid improvement in transport and local accommodation, and the intervention of the government and private agencies concerned with preserving the monuments.

Hampi and its surrounding region are today undergoing profound change, as this part of Karnataka experiences rapid growth. Governmental and private agencies are currently determining the best strategies for ensuring the preservation of Hampi's prestigious history and the protection of its remarkable landscape.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR George Michell

George Michell obtained his PhD in the field of early western Chalukya temple architecture from the School of Oriental African Studies, University of London, in 1974. From 1974 to 1977, he directed courses on Asian architecture at the Architectural Association, London, and was the co-editor of Art and Archaeology Research Papers from 1972 to 1982. Since the 1980s, he has co-directed an international team of scholars and students at Vijayanagara, the medieval Hindu site in Karnataka. George Michell has also lectured at universities and museums throughout the USA, Europe, India and Australia. Among his many Publications are The Royal Palaces of India, Islamic Heritage of the Deccan, Architecture of the Islamic World: Its History and Social Meaning and Hindu Art and Architecture.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR John M. Fritz

Dr. John M. Fritz is Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA. Together with George Michell, he has been co-director of the Vijayanagara research project since 1981. He has carried out a detailed archaeological survey of the Vijayanagara site.

reviews

0 in total

There are no reviews yet.

Bibliographic information

Title
Hampi: A Story in Stone
Author
Edition
1st ed.
Publisher
ISBN
8190382160
Length
196p., Maps; 166 Plates.
Subjects