Rangoli is an Indian art of making patterns on floors or tables with coloured powders, rice flour, sand or petals. It is made across the subcontinent, most often for festivals such as Diwali, Onam and Pongal, and designs are passed from one generation to the next. Traditionally it is placed outside the threshold in the early morning to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and good fortune. The materials have practical roles as well: powdered limestone was believed to keep insects out of the house, while cereal powders were scattered so that ants and other small creatures could feed, a gesture considered a form of care. Styles differ by region, from the grid-based designs of northern India to the intricate symmetrical kolams of Tamil Nadu.

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.