'Veena' is not one instrument but a whole family of stringed instruments from the Indian subcontinent, from lutes to zithers to arched harps, with regional versions such as the Rudra, Saraswati and Vichitra veenas. The North Indian rudra veena is a stick zither up to about 1.2 metres long, with two large gourds at each end and four melody strings plus three drone strings, plucked with plectra worn on two fingers. The South Indian Saraswati veena is a long-necked, pear-shaped lute used in Carnatic music. In North India the sitar has largely replaced the veena in performance.

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.