Commercial sriracha began in 1932 in Thailand, when La-Orr Suwanprasop, from the town of Si Racha, sold her chili sauce in Bangkok. Her sauce won a gold medal, and because a district name could not be registered as a brand, the bottle carried the Gold Medal name. The internationally known Sriraja Panich brand followed in 1935 and was made by another Si Racha native. The sauce may descend from a Cantonese garlic and chili sauce that Chinese immigrants brought to the town in the early 1900s.

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.