Hampi

At a distance of 13 km from Hospet, 64 km from Bellary, 104 km from Gadag, 160 km from Hubli, 340 km from Bangalore & 377 km from Hyderabad, Hampi is an ancient village situated on the banks of Tungabhadra River in northern Karnataka. Hampi is a renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site. The village stands within the ruins of the city of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. It is one of the top destinations of Karnataka Tourism and also one of the best heritage sites in India.

It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in South India. Hampi, also known as Pampa-kshetra, Kishkindha-kshetra or Bhaskara-kshetra, is derived from Pampa, which is the old name of the Tungabhadra River.

Hampi is an extremely significant place in terms of history and architecture. The first settlement in Hampi dates back to 1st century AD and a number of Buddhist sites belonging to that time have been found nearby. The seat of the Vijayanagara Empire was established by Saint Vidyaranya in 1336 AD with the help of two of his disciples, Hakka Raya and Bukka Raya. The kingdom flourished under the rule of Emperor Krishnadevaraya and stretched over the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire and was an extremely important part of the Empire from 1343 to 1565. It maintained a huge army to protect it from other kingdoms. As a capital of the Vijayanagar Empire, Hampi grew as a trade center for cotton, spices, and gem stones. It was one of the richest and largest cities in the world during 15th and 16th centuries. After the death of Krishnadevaraya, the invading Deccan Sultanate forces destroyed Hampi and the rampage was continued for one year.

The ruins of Vijayanagara Empire in and around the village of Hampi are spread over an area of more than 26 Sq.km. The place is a significant religious center of the Vijayanagara Empire due to the presence of the historic Virupaksha Temple along with many other monuments of the old city. The main tourist spots in Hampi can be divided into two broad areas; the Hampi Bazaar area and the Royal center near Kamalapur. Hemakuta Hill, south of the main Hampi temple, contains early ruins, Jain temples and a monolithic sculpture of Lord Narasimha. The famous Vittala Temple is located 2 km east of the Hampi Bazaar.

Hubli Airport is the nearest airport at a distance of 166 km from Hampi, India. Hospet Railway Station, 13 km from Hampi is the nearest railhead. Hospet is well connected to Bangalore, Hyderabad, Hubli, Chennai, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Panjim, Kolkata, Mysore, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Kolhapur and Shiridi. Hampi is well connected by road through KSRTC bus services. It has regular bus from Bangalore, Hubli, Goa and Karwar. The best way to explore Hampi is by foot or on a bike.

Hampi Festival, held for 3 days in November is the most important festival celebrated here. It is organized by the Government of Karnataka with dance, music, drama and processions.

Oct to Mar is best time to visit Hampi. At a distance of 9 km (or 2.3 km by walk) from Hampi Bus Stand and 5.5 km from Kamalapura Bus Stand, Vittala Temple is an ancient monument located on the southern bank of the Tungabhadra River. It is one of the largest and the most famous structures in Hampi. This temple is famous for Stone Chariot and Musical Pillars.

The Vijaya Vittala or Vittala Temple is the most famous and popular tourist attraction in Hampi. It was built around 15th century AD during the reign of King Devaraya II (1422 - 1446 AD). Several portions of the temple were expanded and enhanced during the reign of Krishnadevaraya (1509 - 1529 AD). This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu in the form of Vittala. The temple is well-known for its exceptional architecture and unmatched craftsmanship. This predominant monument of Hampi is a major attraction of Hampi and is a must see for visitors.

The temple is built in Dravidian style and stands in a large rectangular enclosure. The three lofty Vijayanagara towers on the east, north and south are now dilapidated. The entire complex houses several temples, enclosures, pavilions and halls.

In front of the temple is the world famous stone chariot or ratha. This is one of the three famous stone chariots in India, the other two being in Konark and Mahabalipuram. It originally enshrined Garuda, the vehicle of Lord Vishnu. The chariot, built on a rectangular platform, is built out of giant granite blocks. All around the base of chariot is carved with mythical battle scenes. A series of concentric floral motifs adorn the wheels of the chariot. The wheels of the chariot can be rotated but the ASI cemented them to avoid the damage caused by the visitors. Two elephants are positioned in front of the chariot but originally there were two horses positioned here.

The complex contains four large mandapas. The south, north and the east ones are still intact. The central western hall is collapsed during the attack of Deccan Sultanates that led to the downfall of the Vijayanagara Empire in 1565 AD. The main mandapa contains 56 musical pillars, 40 of which are regularly disposed to form an aisle while the remaining 16 form a rectangular court in the center. These musical pillars are also known as SAREGAMA pillars, indicating the musical notes emitted by them. The musical notes are emanated when the pillars are tapped gently.

There is a set of main pillars and several sets of minor pillars inside the Mantapa. Each main pillar provides support to the ceiling of the Mandapa. The main pillars are designed as musical instruments. Every main pillar is surrounded by several minor pillars that emit different sounds of the instrument.

The other attractions in this temple complex are the Goddess's shrine, the 100-pillared hall, the Kalyana Mandapa and the pillared corridor all around the enclosure wall.

Timings: 8.30 AM to 5.30 PM

Entry fee: Rs. 10 for Indians, $ 5 for Foreigners, and Rs. 25 for Video cam. Hampi Bazaar is located beside the Hampi Bus Stand and located in front of the Virupaksha temple. It is also known as Virupaksha Bazaar. About a kilometer long, the eastern side of the bazaar ends at the foothill of Matanga Hill.

Hampi Bazaar is a unique attraction of Hampi. Both sides of the street have a series of very old pavilions, some single storied and others two storied. These buildings were once the part of a booming market and houses of the upper class merchants. The arcades are open structures with no doors. It was once a place where merchants used to sell precious stones, jewellery, silk clothes, etc. during Vijayanagara rule. It was also a market where cows and horses were traded. The Hampi Bazaar still functions as a market place, though it is no longer as attractive as it was. The western end of the street has been encroached by a number of shop owners and small restaurants. These shops that sell items like ethnic clothes, bags and pooja artifacts.

A huge Nandi, also known as Yeduru Basavanna, is located at the eastern end of the street. A two-storied pavilion near the bull acts as a photo gallery. Photos of Hampi taken by Alexander Greenlaw in 1856 are on display here. An open platform nearby is the main stage of the annual Hampi festival.

Hampi takes on a vibrant look during the annual festival, the Hampi Utsav. Every year the Hampi Utsav is held in the month of November. Hampi Bazaar becomes the center of all festive happenings that occur in Hampi during these days. At a distance of 800 m from Hampi Bus Stand, Ugra Narasimha Temple is located south of Sri Krishna Temple in Hampi. The Lakshmi Narasimha statue is one of the most imposing sculptures found in Hampi.

The specialty of the sculpture is that it is the largest monolith statue in Hampi with a height of 6.7 m. It was carved in 1528 AD during the rule of Krishnadevaraya. The protruding eyes and the facial expression are the basis for this name. This is considered to be among the most important monuments found in Hampi and is visited by a large number of people throughout the year.

Lord Narasimha is sitting on the coil of a giant seven-headed Adisesha (guardian snake of Lord Vishnu) and the lions guard the sides of the idol. The heads of the snake act as the hood above his head. The Lord in this temple is in cross-legged yoga position with the belt supporting the knees. The original statue contained the image of goddess Lakshmi, consort of the god, sitting on his lap. But due to the destruction in 1565 AD the Goddess Lakshmi statue was badly damaged. The entire image is set within a Makara torana or an arch with a lion-mask above the hoods of Adisesha.

In the process of destruction, one of the hands of Goddess Lakshmi was broken and even today the broken hand of the Goddess can be seen resting on the back of Narasimha. Now the damaged statue of Lakshmi resides in the Archaeological Museum at Kamalapura. At a distance of 1 km from Kamalapur Bus Stand and 3 km from Hampi Bus Stand, Queen's Bath is located close at the entrance of the Royal Enclosure in Hampi.

The Queen's Bath is believed to be constructed by Achyuta Raya for the women of the royal family of Vijayanagara. Built in Indo-Islamic style, the Queen's Bath is an elaborate structure with a simple exterior and an ornate interior. It is a rectangular building and is surrounded by ornate balconies, each having a set of three windows. Each arched bay surrounding the bath is decorated with intricate carved stucco ornamentation on the ceilings and the vaults placed above the arched bays. The depth of the pool is 6 feet and has stone steps leading to the bottom of the tank.

This 30 square meter structure is surrounded by a moat on all sides and a bridge like structure is made to reach the pool. Probably this was designed to prevent people from entering the area when the royals were bathing.

The Queen's Bath is an empty structure now. The floor of the bath has some empty sockets that were once used to support pillars. These pillars are believed to have been part of a canopy that was destroyed during the Deccan Sultans attack on Hampi.

Timings: 6 AM to 6 PM At a distance of 3.5 km from Hampi Bus Stand and 2 km from Kamalapur Bus Stand, The King's Audience hall, also known as Durbar Hall is located inside the Royal Enclosure at Hampi. It is a ruined structure whose remnants can be spotted on the western side of the Mahanavami Dibba or Dasara Dibba.

The King's Audience Hall was built during the time of the Vijayanagara Empire. According to the famous historian Abdul Razzak, who visited Hampi during the reign of Devaraya II, the King's Audience Hall was one of the most magnificent buildings in Hampi during that time. It is believed that this is the place where the king addressed his administration and the public.

The King's Audience Hall was a huge building built with huge blocks of stone and wood. The structure has a ruined stone stairway at the rear of the hall that suggests it might have been a two storied building. The super structure is not present right now. Vestiges of pillar sockets and bases show that it was originally a hall of 100 pillars. It is believed that the superstructure of the building was mostly made of wood and the pillars were carved out of sandalwood trees. It is believed that the building was destroyed by fire during the Deccan Sultanate attack in 1565 AD.

The southern side of this platform has a staircase rising from the ground level to a height of about 4.5 m above the floor level of the platform. These staircases were used by the royal ladies to gain access to the top storey of the audience hall to witness the Durbar. In front of the audience hall is a large paved court, where dancers, jugglers and wrestlers made their performances.

It is believed that several noblemen used to attend the court of the King of Vijayanagara held at the Durbar Hall. These noblemen used to come from near as well as far off places. Today, only the basement of the Hall is survived. At a distance of 10 km from Hampi Bus Stand (or 1.5 km by walk) and 6 km from Kamalapur Bus Stand, King's Balance is located southwest of Vittala Temple, at the end of the Kampa Bhupa's Path in Hampi. It is also called as Tula Bhara or Tula Purushadana. This is located near Vittala Temple.

King's balance is regarded as one of the unique monuments of Hampi. It consists of two lofty carved granite pillars about 15 feet high supporting a stone beam about 12 feet in length. It has three hoops on the underside from which the balances or scales are hung. One of the pillars has a bas-relief depicting a king and two queens, possibly Krishna Deva Raya and his consorts. The structure appears like an archway.

According to the legend, the balance was used by the king to weigh himself with gold, gems, silver and precious stones and distributed to the temple priests on certain occasions like Solar or Lunar eclipse, New Year's Day, Coronation day etc.