Ruin riot in Hampi

Subhadra Sen Gupta and Clare Arne have showcased Hampi and its walled magnificence in a coffee table book that will please the historian and the traveller

You would have barely scratched its surface in History class. Unless of course, you were a student of Ancient Indian Culture. Hampi is and remains one of India's greatest heritage sites in India. Not confined to temples or palaces but an entire medieval city, the magnificence of Vijayanagar in Karnataka, Hampi is an exquisite collection of monuments that date back to the 14th century.



Spread across 262 pages, and aided by an expansive display of 158 photographs by Clare Arni, author Subhadra Sen Gupta's comprehensive chronicle captures these timeless ruins in all its splendour and architectural glory.

In the past, many titles have been dedicated to this UNESCO World Heritage Site but what sets this coffee table book apart is the generous dose of information without an overkill; the frames captures life in those ages and juxtapose them with modern-day developments that have become integral to life in this historic city.

The eight chapters glide through the greatest years of the kingdom, the vision of its mightiest ruler, Krishnadeva Raya, its architecture and the fall of the empire -- there's enough to pique the mind of the intrepid traveller, the intellectual as well as the culturally curious.

It's sheer scale, detailed documentation of the art, architecture and daily life in the era and insights into Vijayanagar's lesser-known kings and forgotten temples doesn't exhaust the reader at any stage, thankfully. In fact, readers can pick up any chapter and embark on a historicu00a0 joyride of the what life must have been, in those vibrant times. On the flipside, we would have loved for more photospreads (in gloss, perhaps?) to translate this city's stone walled magnificence even better.

Hampi: Discover the Splendours of Vijayanagar, Subhadra Sen Gupta, Photographs: Clare Arni, Niyogi Books, Rs 995. Available in leading bookstores.