When Ruins Breathe Again: Hampi’s Week Of Living History

Hampi: From the crest of Matanga Hills, the world heritage town of Hampi usually appears frozen in time— a scatter of stone temples, deserted bazaars and broken pillars left behind by a fallen empire. But once a year during the Hampi Utsav, the stillness breaks. They come to life. Lamps glow where torches once burned, music floats across the Tungabhadra plains, and for a brief, radiant week, the Vijayanagara era seems to rise from history and walk the streets again among its people.

While the main festival runs from February 13 to 15, related programs continue for nearly a week, keeping Hampi alive with music, art, and celebration.

This year, the Utsav culminates on February 15 with Mahashivaratri, a fitting tribute to Hampi’s deep bond with Lord Shiva. The Virupaksha Temple, which held great importance in the Vijayanagara Empire, takes on special significance as devotees and visitors gather to celebrate.

The annual Hampi Utsav does not merely decorate history; but many of the events re-enacts it. The same streets that fell quiet after the catastrophic Battle of Talikota now thrum with artistes, scholars, farmers, tourists and ministers. What was once the richest city of its age becomes, for three intense days and a full week of satellite events, a living museum of art, faith and rural life and a hub of activity. In short the Lost City of Hampi comes back to life again. Just as it once drew crowds from neighboring kingdoms, Hampi Utsav now captivates visitors not only from Vijayanagar and Ballari districts but from across India and around the world.

The idea of reviving Hampi through a grand cultural festival was born decades ago, inspired by the Mysuru Dasara celebrations. The vision of former Minister MP Prakash was simple: allow modern India to glimpse the glory of one of the famous Empire of India— its love for art and architecture. Originally held every November, the festival drifted in dates after the pandemic. This year, during the inaugural event Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a return to the traditional November calendar, a move welcomed by local leaders and people. The result will be a rare spectacle in 2026 — two Hampi Utsavs in one year.

This year’s celebration unfolded across five major stages- MP Prakash Vedike, Sri Krishnadevaraya Vedike, Sri Virupaksheshwara Temple vedike, Sasivekalu Ganapa Vedike and Vidyaranya Vedike and several smaller spaces.

Even before the formal inauguration, Hampi was already busy with events. Cyclists rode past temple walls in a special bicycle event. Devotees gathered by the Tungabhadra for an aarti and Vasantha Vaibhava procession was a crowd puller.

The rangoli contests near the Virupaksha Temple, fruit-and-flower shows, fish show, and food festivals were some of the attractions on the inaugural day. Every department right from fisheries, agriculture, forest and horticulture had something unique to showcase.

The rural games at Hampi Utsav drew large crowds, bringing the vibrancy of village life to the festival. Villagers and tourists alike cheered, marveling at the skill and strength on display.

One of the attractions on the first day was the bullock show. Farmers brushed and decorated their bullocks, and led them towards Hampi for the bullock show, just like their forefathers might centuries ago. More than 180 pairs arrived — Hallikar, Amrit Mahal, Ongole, Malenadu Gidda and Kilari breeds — each animal polished to a sheen, horns adorned, bells chiming softly.

Judges examined them with clinical precision: teeth, muscle, gait, coat, even the care shown by their owners.

The rangoli competition held in front of the famous Virupaksha Temple were not mere event but they formed messages. Forty-one women who participated came out of various images like Krishnadevaraya, Lions, the Varaha emblem and Shiva lingas. One rangoli stood out for its words: “Save the girl child.”

The ground situated at the base of Matanga Hills had many other attractions.

The Forest Department’s exhibition stall showcasing the rich biodiversity of Vijayanagara district is attracting visitors. The Forest Department has recreated the Daroji Bear Sanctuary within the Hampi festival grounds. Rows of hills, caves between rocks and green cover have left visitors amazed. As visitors step inside the stall, replicas of tigers, leopards, bears and various reptiles welcome them. These artistically designed models look so real that tourists are seen taking photographs and selfies with them. For children in particular, the stall serves as a classroom of the forest world. There are also boards that have been installed to create awareness about environmental conservation and the importance of wildlife.

The fruit-and-flower exhibition is another natural halt for visitors. A towering floral Badavi Shivalinga and a mustard-seed Ganapati dominate the display, standing out as its main attractions. Crafted from white, red, purple and yellow chrysanthemums, roses and marigolds, the two installations turn flowers into sacred forms. Nearly 10,000 blooms were used for the Badavi Shivalinga and about 5,000 for the mustard-seed Ganapati.

A flower-made sculpture of Krishnadevaraya is drawing admiration for its grandeur. A sculpture of environmentalist Salumarada Thimmakka made from millets, shown with folded hands, inspires viewers to protect nature. Bonsai art featuring dwarf trees, and displays introducing horticultural crops of the district, are also part of the fruit-and-flower exhibition.

The agricultural exhibition showcases indigenous and traditional farm produce, opening a window into farmers’ livelihoods. Ganapati sculptures made of millets, along with models of the KSDA emblem and Nandi, are attracting crowds. Demonstrations of drone use in agriculture, tractors, integrated farming with animal husbandry, silk farming, sales of millet-based foods and organic farm products are among the highlights of this year’s agricultural exhibition.

The harvest festival and agricultural exhibition have brought the life of farmers into the spotlight. At the inauguration of the harvest celebrations, Deputy Commissioner Kavita S. Mannikeri performed a ritual worship of heaps of food grains.

Scenes of Sankranti celebrations, heap worship, seed cleaning and rural women singing folk songs while grinding grain on stone grinders, along with bullock carts, vividly portray the typical village life for visitors.

The Fisheries Department brought the waters to Hampi with a vibrant fish fair, showcasing over 50 varieties of ornamental fish, from Windows Angel and Koi Carp to Tiger Oscar, Red Cap Gold, and Lion Head. Visitors were captivated by the colors, movements, and unique shapes of these aquatic jewels. Beyond the spectacle, the fair highlighted ornamental fish farming as a viable self-employment opportunity, while government schemes aimed at supporting the trade were explained to curious visitors. A replica of the Tungabhadra Reservoir illustrates the region’s rich fish diversity and its vital role in sustaining local fishermen’s livelihoods.

Aerial storytelling took center stage at Hampi with a spectacular drone show, where hundreds of drones danced across the sky to form images of Hampi’s Stone Chariot, Virupaksha Temple, Ugra Narasimha and Emperor Krishnadevaraya. They also depicted Daroji Bear Sanctuary and Badavi Linga.

The show displayed state government schemes such as Shakti and Annabhagya, and concluded with portraits of CM Siddaramaiah, Dy CM DK Shivakumar, Ministers H.K. Patil, Shivaraj Tangadagi, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, MLA HR Gaviappa and actor Puneeth Rajkumar. The show will mesmerize the people for three days.

The Hampi Utsav soared into the skies on Saturday with a vibrant kite festival at Vijayanagara College grounds in Hosapete. Hundreds of colorful kites, from horse-shaped to octopus and tri-colored “BHARAT” various designs, filled the sky.

Even after the three day festival ends, Hampi will not fall silent immediately. At the Elephant Stable, a sound-and-light show retells the rise and fall of the Vijayanagara Empire with battle scenes, music and narration performed by over a hundred artists. It will run for seven days.

As every year, Hampi by Sky offers a bird’s-eye view of the heritage city, with visitors able to take helicopter rides to see Hampi from above.

During the three- day event over 10 lakh visitors are expected to attend the Hampi Utsav. Free transport facility has been made from all taluks. While the parking facility stretches across 20 acres, drinking water, shaded rest zones and toilets have been set up. Food and accommodation have been arranged for artists and dignitaries participating in the event.

Security, too, has been scaled to festival size — eight SPs, fifteen DySPs, hundreds of officers, 250 CCTV cameras, watchtowers and a special women’s team ensuring safety amid celebration.