Hampi, India

Postmarked London, though with Indian stamps. Dated 31 December 1980.

Rock charriot - Humpi (Karnataka)
[The spellings are not mine but copied from the back of the card]

Hampi was once the capital city of the Vijayanagara empire which covered several states. It was laid waste by invading Moghuls. The ruins of Hampi of the 14th Century lie scattered in about 26 sq. km area. It is now a World Heritage Site.

This is another of the postcards sent to my father by a merchant seaman. I find the messages interesting:

Once again on my travels, round India - Bombay, Madras, Calcutta, Chittagong. Should be back in England by the end of February if all goes well. The weather is very hot now. On the way to Madras we hit the tail end of a cyclone. A bit rough. Christmas will be quiet, still I hope it's the last one deep sea for me.

Bombay, Madras and Calcutta have all since changed names to Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata respectively.

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