In 2024 about 18.5 million people born in India were living abroad, a little over 1% of the country's population. According to UN estimates compiled from national censuses and population registers, a large share of them live in the Gulf states. Together, Gulf countries host more Indian-born residents than the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada combined. Many work in construction, services and healthcare, sending remittances home. The chart shows how migration routes have shifted toward the Gulf over recent decades.

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.