Located within the ruins of the Vijayanagar Empire, Hampi, was the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Located in Karnataka, India, it predates the city of Vijayanagara. It an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other monuments belonging to the old city. It is also listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Hampi is charismatic and enigmatic even in its ruined state. It is dotted with vast stretches of boulder-strewn hills and around 500 plus monuments. Among them are beautiful temples, basement of palaces, remains of aquatic structures, ancient market streets, royal pavilions, bastions, royal platforms, and treasury buildings. The monolithic sculptures and monuments along the temples speak volumes about the excellent workmanship of the artists and the splendor of the Hindu culture and Vijaynagar Empire. The area of Hampi is protected by the tempestuous river Tungabhadra in the north and by rocky granite stones on other three sides.

The Vithala temple, dating back to the 15th century,is one of the most splendid monuments of Hampi and is situated on the Southern bank of the Tungabhadra River. Built during the reign of King Devaraya, the temple is built out of hard granite around an area of 500 by 300 feet. It has 56 pillars in the main hall, which produce musical notes when struck. In the courtyard is the life-size chariot carved out of granite with actually revolving wheels. The temple is famous for its beautifully carved gopurams and mandapas.

The Virupaksha or the Pampapathi temple is the main center of pilgrimage at Hampi and was parts of the temple date back to the 6th century. It was renovated by King Devaraya in 1510. This temple is in ruins but is still in worship and is dedicated to Lord Shiva, known here as Virupaksha or Pampapati, as his wife Pampa is associated with Tungabhadra River(daughter of Lord Brahma). It is situated in picturesque surroundings on the southern bank of the Tungabhadra river to the north of Hemkuta hill. The temple has a 50 m tall, elaborately carved gateway and has several mandaps and murals(statues).

Hampi is full of wonders . You’ll get to see the King’s Balance where kings were weighed against grain or gold which was then distributed to the poor, the Queen’s Bath, a swimming pool, 50 ft.long and 6 ft.deep, with its arched corridors, projecting balconies and lotus-shaped fountains that once sprouted perfumed water, the two-storeyed Lotus Mahal, shaped like a lotus flower from top, this two-story structure has beautiful arc ways set in geometric regularity. It was an air-cooled summer palace of the queen.

There are Elephant Stables, which are a beautiful example of Hindu-Muslim style of architecture, housed about 11 elephants in separate compartments. Also see the Mahanavami Dibba, the platform which King Krishnadevaraya would ascend during the Mahanavami festival, where he would perform worship and view the parades of animals, musicians and dancers, mock battles, and fireworks below.

Best time to visit: October to March
How to get there
By Air :  The nearest airstrip at Tornagallu in Sandur Taluk which is 32 kms. from Hospet.  The second nearest airport  is Bellary (74 kms). Other convenient airports are at Belgaum (190 kms) and Bangalore (353 kms).

By Rail: Hospet is the nearest railway station (13 kms). Hospet is linked by rail to Bangalore  , Bijapur, Hubli and Guntakal.

By Road: Hampi is 350 kms from Bangalore. KSRTC Buses ply regularly from Hospet.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 at 3:48 am and is filed under Historical Places. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.