Once the capital of the Hindu Vijayanagara kingdom, Hampi is described as an open-air museum, filled with magnificent stone ruins on the banks of Tungabhadra river. It was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1986.
Thursday’s assault took place in Sanapur village, which is about 28km (17 miles) from the main ruins of Hampi.
Located on the other side of the river from Hampi, the village is “a very isolated area”, says Ram Arasiddi, the superintendent of police of the district.
Many tourists, especially from Israel and Europe, who visit Hampi stay at Sanapur, which too has towering ruins and a famous Hindu temple.
“Overall, about 100,000 or more foreign tourists visit the area every year,” says Virupaksha V Hampi, general secretary of the Karnataka tourist guides’ association.
However, since the news of the attack, most visitors have either cancelled bookings or left.
“Almost 90% of the tourists, most of whom are Israelis, have vacated homestays and left the area after Thursday,” Syed Ismael, a tour guide, told BBC Hindi.
Mr Ismael added that those who were staying had been advised to move in groups and avoid venturing too far out.
Some said they’ve had to make last-minute changes to their plans.
“The incident is really scary and we are concerned about our safety. We had plans to stay here until [the Hindu festival of] Holi, but now we will be heading to Rajasthan state,” Talia Zilber, a 21-year-old Israeli tourist, told The Indian Express, external newspaper. Mr Zilber left the guest house where he was staying with his five friends on Sunday.
State minister Shivaraj Tangadagi has also cautioned people against travelling late at night in the area.
