Hampi

Hampi, on the south bank of the Tungabhadra river in northern Karnataka, is one of India's greatest archaeological sites and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986.

• The ruins are the remains of Vijayanagara, the 14th–16th-century capital of the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire that once rivalled medieval Rome in size and wealth — at its 1500 CE peak under Krishnadevaraya, the city held an estimated half-million residents before Deccan sultanate armies sacked and abandoned it in 1565.
• Today the ruins sprawl across 26 sq km of an extraordinary geological landscape: massive granite boulders, some the size of houses, piled in seemingly impossible balanced formations along the river.
• The Royal Centre (Lotus Mahal, Queen's Bath, the elephant stables, the Mahanavami Dibba audience platform) and the Sacred Centre (Virupaksha Temple — still active worship, dating from the 7th century — the iconic Vittala Temple stone chariot, and the musical pillars of the Vittala mandir hall) are the two essential clusters.
• The Tungabhadra river divides the ruins from "Hippie Island" (Virupapur Gaddi) on the north bank, a low-key café-and-guesthouse zone with sunrise views back across the boulders — reached by a 5-minute ferry coracle ride.
• For vegetarian travellers, Hampi is naturally easy: the entire Hampi Bazaar zone around Virupaksha is pure-vegetarian by temple convention, and the cross-river café scene serves international vegetarian (banana pancakes, hummus bowls, masala dosa) with riverside sunset seating.
• October to February is the comfortable window; avoid April-June heat above 40°C.