Loneliness as we think of it is a modern idea. Before the 19th century, people spoke of solitude, which could be a torment, as the poet John Donne wrote in 1623, but also a spiritual or moral good. Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719) is isolated for years on an island, but he finds meaning in work and faith rather than suffering a distinct state of loneliness. Today, nearly one in five people in Britain, over 9 million, describe themselves as lonely. The historian Barbara Taylor argues that the modern concept of loneliness took shape in the 19th century, as cities grew and old social bonds loosened.

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.