Tourism
Hampi
A brief history
Hospet is famous for its close proximity to Hampi, the famous site of the great Vijayanagar kingdom. Located about 13 km from Hampi and about 350 km from Bangalore, Hospet is known as the gateway to Hampi.However, the main importance of Hospet lies in its proximity to Hampi, a world Heritage site. Hampi has the distinction of being the most beautiful ruins of any significance to be seen in India. Many attractions here include the Virupaksha Temple, King's Balance where kings were weighed against grain, gold or money to be distributed to the poor, the Queen's Bath with lotus-shaped fountains that once supplied perfumed water, Lotus Mahal and Vithala Temple with its musical pillars and many more like them waiting for you to explore them.
Lotus Mahal Elephant Stables Virupakshi Temple (Top View)
Stone Chariot Sasive Kalu Ganesha Ugra Narasimha Sister Stones
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. The Lotus Mahal is the two storied pavilion located inside the Zenana enclosure.The elegant structure is a beautiful fusion of the Hindu and Muslim styles of architecture.The ornamentation is Hindu in character.The pillars and arches are Islamic in character.
Elephant Stables: This huge stable, a beautiful example of Hindu-Muslim style of architecture, housed about 11 elephants in separate compartments.
Virupaksha Temple is the oldest temple in Hampi located on the south bank of the river Tungabadra river.The temple was built in 7th century AD. The presiding deity is Virupaksheshwara or Pampapathi, an incarnation of Lord Shiva who is worshipped here.The annual festival
here attracts huge crowds.
Sasive Kalu (Mustard) Ganesh: Thanks to the resemblance the giant monolithic Ganesha statue is locally called Sasivekalu(mustard seed)Ganesha. This is located on the southern foothill of the Hemakuta Hill. In Hindu mythology Lord Ganesha (also known as Ganapathi or Vinayaka) is notorious for his food habit. One day he ate so much of food that his tummy almost busted. He just caught a snake and tied it around his tummy as a belt to save his tummy from bursting. On this statue you can see the snake carved around his tummy. Also he holds the goad, pasha (noose), and his broken tusk. The hand which holds modak (a kind of sweet ball) is broken and not reconstructed. This monolithic statue carved out of a huge boulder measures about 2.4 meters (8 feet). An open pavilion is build around the statue. According to inscriptions found nearby this pavilion was built by a trader from Chandragiri (in present day Andhra Pradesh)in 1506 AD, in memory of one of the Vijayanagara king – Narasimha II (1491-1505 AD).
Sister Stones :These are two giant boulders 
leaning against each other, making an archway like formation. You can find them on the left side of the main road when you go from the Underground Shiva Temple towards Hampi bus station. The road almost passes through under the stones. Akka Tangi Gundu means ‘sister stones’ in the local language. The local folklore has it that it that they were two sisters and they became stone as a curse when they ridiculed the place!
Tungabhadra Dam(Hospet):
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Tungabhadra Dam is built across the river Tungabhadra. It is one of the biggest multi purpose dams in Karnataka. It is spread over an area of 400 sq.kms. It has 33 gates from which water gushes out forming it into a breath-taking site. The water canals of this Dam genarate 27 mega watts of electricity and also irrigates thousands of acres of lands. This dam also forms a great place of recreation for tourists with its beautiful gardens, children play parks, aquarium and musical fountain. The Tungabhadra is a river of southern India. It is the chief tributary of the Krishna River. It formed by the confluence of two rivers, the Tunga and the Bhadra, which rise in the eastern slope of the Western Ghats, in the state of Karnataka. The Tungabhadra flows east across the Deccan Plateau, joining the Krishna in Andhra Pradesh state, from where the Krishna continues east to empty into the Bay of Bengal. |
Sriramulu Park:
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Sriramulu Park is newly developed park on station Road.It was inaugurated on 02/10/2011 for public. It contains musical fountain . Location: It is about half kilometers from Bus Stand and less than half kilometer from Railway Station. |
This page is maintained by Nagamma, Sr. Programmer, City Municipal Council, Hospet ,updated on 16/01/2012
