The sarod is a plucked lute of Hindustani music, known for a deep, weighty and introspective sound that contrasts with the sitar. It has no frets, so the player presses the strings hard against the fingerboard with the fingernails, which makes it demanding to play. The fretless neck allows meend, the continuous slides between notes that are essential to Indian music. Its roots lie in the Afghan rubab, which musicians adapted in the 19th century by fitting metal strings and a metal plate, giving longer-lasting notes. Its design developed in Lucknow and Gwalior, and in the 20th century the Maihar school of Allauddin Khan added more drone and sympathetic strings. Modern sarods typically have 17 to 25 strings.

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.