Insta
‘Hampi Rath’ Marches On: UNESCO Heritage Site Wins Asia’s Top Emerging Travel Destination Award For 2019
Swarajya Staff
Dec 28, 2018, 12:32 PM | Updated 12:32 PM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
The group of monuments at Hampi has been voted as one of Asia’s top emerging travel destinations for 2019, reports Deccan Herald (DH).
The awards, which were published on the travel website TravelLemming.com, were curated with inputs from world's top travel bloggers, vloggers, and influencers. They were asked to help select the top destinations around the world from dozens of nominations by tourism boards.
“India is one of those places that's always surprising and can so easily captivate you as a traveller. And honestly: there's nowhere in the world quite like Hampi,” said Adam Groffman, one of the judges.
“Its Flintstones-like scenery and laid-back atmosphere stands in stark contract to other places in India, yet it still feels as magical as anywhere else—just maybe a bit more beautiful," he added.
Hampi, a UNESCO site, was the last capital of the last great Hindu kingdom, the Vijayanagara empire. The site is dotted with many Dravidian-style temples and palaces, built by prosperous princes.
By 16the century, the Hampi-Vijayanagara was the world's second-largest medieval-era city after Beijing, and perhaps also India's most prosperous at the time. It attracted traders from Persia and Portugal and won the admiration of travellers between the 14th and 16th centuries.
However, the city was plundered and pillaged for six months by the Bahmani Sultans, when the Deccan Muslim confederacy conquered the Hindu Vijayanagar empire in 1565. Now, the UNESCO site contains only ruins of the lost great city.
Also Read: Ten Thousand Pictures Of Vijayanagara: How John Gollings Has Captured Hampi For 40 Years
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.