This week, The Musafir Stories speaks to host of the hit podcast "Echoes of India" - Anirudh Kanisetti!Today's destination: Hampi!Nearest Airport: Hubli Airport (HBX)Nearest Railway Station: Hospet Junction (HPT)Prerequisites - NAPacking - Pack according to the weather - summers can be HOT!Time of the year - Nov to Jan is a good time to visit!Length of the itinerary- 5 daysItinerary Highlights:- Anirudh speaks about the origins of history, rise of the Vijayanagara empire and the dramatic fall.- Hampi is located in the state of Karanataka, close to the Andhra Pradesh border- Vijayanagara empire rose to fame after the fall of the Kalyana Chalukyas, and the capital was established in the city of Pampa - who was married to Virupaksha, a form of Shiva and is also believed to be the land of Kishkinda or Ramayana.- Anirudh talks about the layout of Hampi, which was described by many travellers as one of the biggest and wealthiest cities in the world.- The city is divided into the sacred centre and the royal enclosure. The sacred centre mushroomed around the Virupaksha temple. The royal enclosure was a bit further away and consisted of the royal residences.- Close to the sacred centre is the Hampi Bazaar, a crowded bazaar that was frequented by travellers and traders from different parts of the sub-continent and even abroad.- We also discuss about the Vittala Temple complex built by one of the famous Vijayanagara rulers - Krishna Deva Raya, and the layers of history within the temple complex: From musical pillars to the story behind the chariot.- Anirudh also calls out other important places in the ruins, from the hills of Hemakuta and Mathanga, to the Tungabhadra river and the hippie town and it's stories!- The royal enclosure has several important structures like the elephant stables, Lotus Mahal, Navami Tibba, Hazara Rama temple, Queens bath, pushkarni and many other important structures.- Finally, Anirudh talks about the fall of the great empire in the war of Talikota to a coalition of the Deccan Sultanate.Links:Link to Anirudh's podcast:"Echoes of India" - https://ivmpodcasts.com/echoes-of-india-a-history-podcast"Yuddha" - https://ivmpodcasts.com/yuddhaFollow Anirudh on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AKanisettiFollow Anirudh on IG: https://www.instagram.com/aniryuddha/Picture credits:Ayush Kumar @soul.traveller.kumar on IGThank you Ayush!(https://www.instagram.com/soul.traveller.kumar/)Attribution:Battle music:Sota War (https://freesound.org/people/YleArkisto/sounds/258207/) by YleArkisto (https://freesound.org/people/YleArkisto/) is licensed under CC by 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)Follow the Musafir stories on:Twitter : https://twitter.com/musafirstories?lang=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/themusafirstories/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musafirstoriespodcast/?hl=enwebsite: www.themusafirstories.comemail: themusafirstories@gmail.comApple podcasts -  https://apple.co/2LPtTA3Google podcasts - http://bit.ly/2toY7ljwebsite - http://bit.ly/2xFZqOVSaavn - https://bit.ly/2J5rIqiSpotify - https://spoti.fi/2HLPSViGaana - http://bit.ly/2NClUYYpocketcasts - https://bit.ly/2xu3Ewgcastbox - https://bit.ly/2sqBDQiOvercast - https://bit.ly/2LN9wnfStitcher Radio - https://bit.ly/2JiBbhwaudioBoom - https://bit.ly/2oZZowSTuneIn - https://bit.ly/2xyQH4aRadioPublic - https://bit.ly/2snY9u0iHeartradio - https://ihr.fm/2xvOG8RDeezer - https://bit.ly/2L7GmOo