An updated edition of the book 'City of Victory: Hampi Vijayanagara' by George Michell and John M. Fritz offers a visual and historical portrait of the ancient city's ruins. Accompanied by a photo exhibition in Bengaluru, the publication highlights decades of documentation and photography by John Gollings. The work emphasizes the architectural and cultural significance of the Vijayanagara empire's capital.
The Vijayanagara empire ruled the Deccan region from the 14th to the 16th centuries, leaving behind the ruins of its capital at Hampi, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 'City of Victory: Hampi Vijayanagara,' published by Pictor, serves as a definitive account of this medieval Hindu kingdom's thriving center. Authored by archaeologists George Michell and the late John M. Fritz, with photographs by John Gollings, the book updates their 1991 landmark publication.
Michell has reorganized the scholarship and incorporated ongoing documentation since 1991, presenting the material in a large-format edition for modern audiences. At the recent book launch in Bengaluru's Venkatappa Art Gallery, a photo exhibition showcased Gollings' black-and-white images, captured over 45 years. These photographs depict the site's granite landscapes, temples, and sculptures, using dramatic light and shadow to convey scale and detail.
One notable image features the 6.7-metre monolithic Lakshmi Narasimha statue, commissioned by King Krishnadevaraya in 1528. Gollings noted a change in its iconography: “In the 1980s, well-meaning conservators from the Archaeological Survey of India introduced a stone yogapatta — a supporting band across the knees — to stabilise the sculpture. In doing so, they inadvertently transformed the iconography.” Originally, the sculpture showed the goddess on Narasimha’s lap, but the addition led to its reinterpretation as Yoga Narasimha.
The book structures content around 'areas of interest' like landscapes and temples, as suggested by Fritz. It traces the empire's timeline, examines religious architecture's role in urban planning, and includes maps, drawings, and plans. Descriptions cover Hampi's boulder-strewn terrain along the Tungabhadra river, with granite mandapas and reservoirs designed for flooding and temple needs. Gollings' images evolve from analogue to digital processes, aiding both casual readers and scholars in understanding the site's spatial logic and monumental forms.