Many globetrotters string up Hampi in the same list as Angkor Wat, Bagan, and the Taj Mahal. They say it is the long-forgotten jewel in the crown of southern India, a place of such splendour and amazement that it is seriously hard to forget. They might just be right. 

The erstwhile hub of the Vijayanagar Empire and now a UNESCO site to boot, these 700-year-old ruins are an ideal spot to be enthralled by India's rich history. They contain vast marketplaces where diamonds are said to have been sold to Portuguese and Persian traders, in the ancient times. Also, there are elaborate Hindu shrines like the pillared Vijaya Vittala Temple, the stupa-topped Virupaksha Temple, and the chariot-shaped Garuda monument, along with age-old public squares, water tanks, and platforms. The whole lot of these attractions are encompassed by Mars-like landscapes dashed with greenery, set in the depths of wild Karnataka by the bends of the Tungabhadra River. These are all best explored with help from a qualified Hampi tour guide who can help chronicle the long history of the Vijayanagara Kingdom and their rise and fall.