This colorful, entertaining festival is held during the first week of November. During this time there are various celebrations and the ruins around Hampi are dressed up in colorful lights.

Climb Mantanga Hill, the center of Hampi and its highest point, for a view over the ruins; look south toward the Elephant Stables, a well preserved series of 11 chambers where the Vijayanagar kings kept their prized pachyderms.

Take a walk down the street where diamonds and other precious gems were sold during ancient times. While the exact rationale for the street's name remains unclear, historians believe it may have been named for paan, or areca nut wrapped in betel leaf and sweeteners.

Organize your climbing gear and then head for the excellent rock climbing that Hampi has to offer. Enjoy the sun and the outdoors as you scale the boulders!

With your guide, spend an afternoon touring the remarkable ruins, including Virupaksha Temple, with its 16-story gopura, or entrance tower; the Narasimha Monolith, a 20-foot-tall, half-man, half-lion representation of Vishnu dating to 1528; and the astonishing Vitthala Temple, featuring hollow columns that produce various musical pitches when you rap on them.