Archaeological Museum Hampi

Hampi, the ancient capital city of the powerful Vijayanagar Empire, was founded by Harihara and Bukka in 1336, but was annexed by the Muslims in 1565, in the Battle of Talikota. This ancient city of Hampi soon was abandoned and left in ruins. Being a world heritage site, you can feel the pulse of the ancient dynasty that ruled the people of Vijaynagar.

It is the world’s largest open-air museum. The ruins are located in two areas, generally referred to as the Royal Centre. The Archeological Museum in Hampi is under the Archeological Survey of India.

On your tour to Hampi, which is situated in the ravine between two hills, the city offers you a picturesque scenario. The rugged terrain of Hampi has the Tungabhadra River flowing in the north and rocky granite cliffs on other sides. Amidst these natural surrounding stands the ruins of Hampi, an eternal architectural splendor. So aptly, the royal Muslim envoy, Abdul Razaq had commented about Hampi being incomparable to any other, when he traveled to its ruins in 1443.

There are two archeological museums in Hampi exhibiting sculptures, inscriptions and artifacts from the period between 1480 and 1680 when Adil Shahi Sultans ruled Deccan. The exhibits include miniature paintings, manuscripts, porcelain artifacts, coins, carpets and armory. Stone sculpture and inscriptions in Devanagari, Kannada, Arabic and Persian are also found in the Archeological Museum in Hampi. Architectural specimens of the structures in Aihole and Badami are also displayed in the second archeological museum of Hampi.