The Battle of Talikota in 1565 and the Abandonment of Vijayanagara, One of the World's Largest Cities
On 23 January 1565 the allied Deccan sultanates destroyed the army of Vijayanagara and beheaded its de facto ruler on the field. The capital — a metropolis European visitors ranked with Rome, perhaps half a million people — was sacked for months and never recovered. Its granite ruins at Hampi are now a World Heritage site.
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