Bigfoot, also called Sasquatch, is a hairy, ape-like humanoid said to live in North American forests, especially the Pacific Northwest. The legend draws on the European wild man figure, Indigenous stories and similar creatures worldwide, such as the Yeti and the Australian Yowie. Enthusiasts offer sightings, photographs, footprint casts and hair samples as evidence. Scientists explain these as a combination of misidentified animals, deliberate hoaxes and folklore, and no verified specimen has ever been found. The creature became a cultural icon in the mid-20th century and now has its own subculture.

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.