City of Victory: Hampi Vijayanagara | KOMMAREDDI LECTURE SERIES
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Dr. George Michell, Guest Lecturer
Vijayanagara—today known as Hampi—was founded in the fourteenth century and served as the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, one of the most powerful kingdoms in South India, and at its height among the largest and most cosmopolitan cities in the world. Covering a vast area of more than 30 square kilometres, the remains of the central part of Vijayanagara illustrates the magnificence of a medieval Hindu city. Despite its scale and importance, the site remained under-documented until George Michell carried out the first comprehensive architectural and archaeological survey of the site—mapping its urban landscape, documenting hundreds of monuments, and reconstructing the city’s history and spatial organization.
In this lecture, Michell will illuminate the history, architecture, archaeology, and cultural significance of Hampi through historic maps, archival material, and contemporary photographs, offering a unique perspective on one of South Asia’s most remarkable artistic and architectural achievements.
London-based George Michell is one of the world’s leading historians of Indian architecture. Trained as an architect in Melbourne, he wrote his doctoral thesis on the Badami Chalukya temples for the School of Oriental African Studies at the University of London. Over a distinguished career spanning more than five decades, he has authored more than fifty books on the art, architecture, and cultural history of South Asia. He is co-founder of the Deccan Heritage Foundation and has played a pivotal role in documenting, preserving, and interpreting the architectural heritage of the Deccan. George is internationally recognized as the foremost authority on Hampi, having devoted more than twenty years to researching and documenting the site through the Vijayanagara Research Project. His work has fundamentally transformed scholarly understanding of the imperial capital of the Vijayanagara Empire and has brought this extraordinary cultural landscape to the attention of audiences around the world.
Vijayanagara—today known as Hampi—was founded in the fourteenth century and served as the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, one of the most powerful kingdoms in South India, and at its height among the largest and most cosmopolitan cities in the world. Covering a vast area of more than 30 square kilometres, the remains of the central part of Vijayanagara illustrates the magnificence of a medieval Hindu city. Despite its scale and importance, the site remained under-documented until George Michell carried out the first comprehensive architectural and archaeological survey of the site—mapping its urban landscape, documenting hundreds of monuments, and reconstructing the city’s history and spatial organization.
In this lecture, Michell will illuminate the history, architecture, archaeology, and cultural significance of Hampi through historic maps, archival material, and contemporary photographs, offering a unique perspective on one of South Asia’s most remarkable artistic and architectural achievements.
London-based George Michell is one of the world’s leading historians of Indian architecture. Trained as an architect in Melbourne, he wrote his doctoral thesis on the Badami Chalukya temples for the School of Oriental African Studies at the University of London. Over a distinguished career spanning more than five decades, he has authored more than fifty books on the art, architecture, and cultural history of South Asia. He is co-founder of the Deccan Heritage Foundation and has played a pivotal role in documenting, preserving, and interpreting the architectural heritage of the Deccan. George is internationally recognized as the foremost authority on Hampi, having devoted more than twenty years to researching and documenting the site through the Vijayanagara Research Project. His work has fundamentally transformed scholarly understanding of the imperial capital of the Vijayanagara Empire and has brought this extraordinary cultural landscape to the attention of audiences around the world.
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1120 E Kearsley St, Flint, MI, United States, Michigan 48503
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Host or PublisherFlint Institute of Arts
