The evil eye is the belief that a glance, often an envious one, can bring bad luck, illness or even death to the person it lands on. It appears in scripture, literature and folklore across the Middle East, the Mediterranean and beyond, from classical antiquity to today. Islamic tradition has no explicit mention of the evil eye in the Quran, but it draws on verses about envy, and a saying attributed to the Prophet Muhammad warns that the evil eye can bring a man to his grave. Compliments are seen as the trigger, since praise draws attention, so people often add protective phrases such as Mashallah, meaning God has willed it. Protection takes material form too, through blue glass beads, amulets and Quranic verses engraved on pendants. The belief survives in modern life, where many people keep these habits even without believing in the curse.

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.