Hampi: Discover the Splendours of Vijayanagar

Author: Subhadra Sen Gupta
Photographs: Clare Arni
Publisher: Niyogi Books
(Pp 262, ISBN 978-81-89738-64-8)

No one forgets the first sight of Hampi. The road from the town of Hospet to Hampi climbs up the hill, curving higher and higher and then there is a steep suicidal turn and your heart stops. Spread across the landscape as far as the eye can see, are the remains of a city. Between the stony hills and by the Tungabhadra river and all around Hampi, history awaits you in red-gold silence, frozen in stone.

Such is the beauty of Hampi which has been brought alive in this book. Beautiful colour pictures printed on art paper, the book is a feast to the eyes, showing Vijayanagar through the lens and through equally appealing write-ups.

Hampi is one of the greatest heritage sites in India and a World Heritage Site of UNESCO – has not only temples or palaces but has the remains of the complete medieval city – the magnificent Vijayanagar. An exquisite collection of monuments lie scattered across a picturesque landscape.

The author Subhadra Sen Gupta aims to capture the fascinating, vibrant and many-hued aspects of the people, places and history of India while Clare Arni is a Bangalore based photographer who specializes in architecture, travel and documentary photography.
–V Verma