The durian is a large spiny fruit from Southeast Asia that divides people sharply: many prize its custard-like flesh while others find its smell overpowering. Its odour is often compared to sulfur, onions and rotting fruit. Around 30 durian species are known, but one, Durio zibethinus, dominates the global market, and demand from China has grown rapidly. The fruit has deep cultural roots in the region, appearing as a symbol of abundance on the 9th-century Borobudur temple in Java and in creation myths from the Philippines. Its smell is why it is banned on some hotels and public transport.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.