Anegandi

Anegandi stands among granite hills on the northern bank of the Tungabhadra, opposite the great ruins of Vijayanagara. Its fortified settlement predates the imperial capital across the river. Local tradition associates the surrounding hills with Kishkindha, the kingdom of the monkey kings in the Ramayana, while the Kannada name Anegundi means an elephant enclosure.

By about 1330 Anegandi was the fortified residence of a family of chiefs. The river and rugged hills gave the settlement a strong defensive position, though the northern bank remained exposed to attacks from that direction. The early rulers of Vijayanagara were connected with this older centre before their capital grew on the opposite bank. Temples and other remains at Anegandi preserve traces of both the older settlement and the great empire that arose beside it.