Anegundi

Anegundi is a village on the north bank of the Tungabhadra, facing Hampi, and is older than the Vijayanagara capital itself. The name means 'elephant pit' in Kannada; local lore holds that the war elephants of the Vijayanagara army were kept here. Tradition identifies the area with Kishkindha, the monkey kingdom of Bali and Sugriva in the Ramayana, and relics such as Maurya Mane and Onake Kindi point to very early settlement.

The area's recorded past runs back to Ashokan rule in the 3rd century BC, followed by the Satavahanas, Kadambas, Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas. Anegundi is regarded as the first capital of the Vijayanagara dynasty and later sheltered the royal family in troubled years; descendants of Krishnadevaraya, now in their 19th generation, still live here. Gagan Mahal, the old palace, is its best-known building. Today the village is known for rural tourism, farm crafts and a landscape of boulders, river, valleys and woods.