Hidden quietly along the banks of the Tungabhadra lies something even older than the temples themselves.

A couple of kilometres beyond Virupaksha, near the river’s edge, is Baramadevara Gundu — a rock shelter home to ancient red ochre paintings believed to date back to the Mesolithic period, roughly 5,000 to 10,000 years ago.

Unlike the grand stone monuments Hampi is known for, these paintings sit low against the rocks, close to the flowing river. Reaching them isn’t always easy. The path winds past banana plantations and along uneven stretches of the riverbank, and access is only possible when water levels are safe enough to cross.

What makes the site even more fascinating is its connection to Karnataka’s wider prehistoric landscape. The style of the paintings closely resembles rock art found at places like Hire Benakal, linking Hampi not just to medieval history, but to human life from thousands of years earlier.

Most visitors come to Hampi for the ruins of the Vijayanagara Empire. Few realise the landscape also preserves traces of people who lived here long before kingdoms, temples, or carved stone chariots existed.

So the next time Hampi calls you back, look beyond the postcards and famous viewpoints. Some of its oldest stories survive quietly beside the Tungabhadra, painted in red across ancient rock.