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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)
Virupakshi Temple Stone Chariot
Sasive Kalu Ganesha Ugra Narasimha
Music Pillars Vittal Temple
Ramayana
Carvings
Sister
Stones Vittal Temple
Local Sights
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The Hampi Bazaar,
35 yards wide and nearly 800 yards long was known to be a "very
beautiful street with very beautiful houses".
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The Virupaksha
Temple rises majestically at the western end of the famous Hampi
Bazaar. The temple has a 120 feet tall tower on its eastern entrance.
The temple contains the shrines of Shiva, Pampa and Bhuvaneswari.Parts
of this temple are older than the Vijayanagar kingdom itself. The work
of this style dates back to the 11th or 12th century. |
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Nearby is the 6.7m
tall monolith of Ugra Narasimha. An inscription nearby states
that it was hewn from a single boulder in 1528 during the reign of
Krishnadeva Raya. |
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Vithala Temple
Complex
The most splendid monument of Hampi is undoubtedly the Vithala
Temple Complex with its 56 musical pillars. |
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To the east of the
hall is the famous Stone Chariot with stone wheels that
actually revolve. In front of the shrine stands the great mantapa.
Resting on a richly sculpted basement, its roof is supported by huge
pillars of granite, about 15 feet in height, each consisting of a
central pillar surrounded by detached shafts, all cut from one
single block of stone. Several of the carved pillars were attacked
with such fury that they are hardly more than shapeless blocks of
stones and a large portion of the central part has been destroyed
utterly. Nearby is the 'Purandra Dasara Mantapa' which
has been also declared a protected monument. |
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Westwards from the
House of Victory, leading through two ruined gates, the path leads to
the Hazara Ramaswami temple. This temple is believed to have
been the private place of worship of the royal family. The chief
attraction of the temple is the series of scenes from the Ramayana
carved on two of the inside walls of the mantapa. The genesis
of the place known today as Hampi dates back to the age of the Hindu
epic Ramayana when it was the site of Kishkinda, a monkey kingdom.
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King's Balance
Hampi is also full of surprises: like the King's Balance where
kings were weighed against grain, gold or money 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
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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.
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Elephant Stables:
This huge stable, a beautiful example of Hindu-Muslim style of
architecture, housed about 11 elephants in separate compartments.
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Mahanavami Dibba:
The foundation of a lion story wooden structure from which the royalty
viewed Hampi with pomp, colour and revelry during the Mahanadu
festival. This platform has beautiful carvings. |
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Mustard Ganesh: This is a 9 feet
tall single stone statue which is also known as Sasivikalu Ganesha.
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Kadale Kaalu Ganesh |
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Sister Stones |
What to see
-
Virupakshi
Temple
- Lotus
Mahal
- Vittal Temple
- Sasive Kalu
Ganesha
- Stone
Chariot
- Ugra Narasimha
-
Anesaalu-Ontesaalu
- Badavi Linga
Tunga
Bhadra Dam
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 for ming
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
continu es
east to empty into the Bay of Bengal.
The wedg e
of land that lies north of the Tungabhadra, between the Tungabhadra and
the Krishna, is known as the Raichur Doab.Vast stretch of Beautiful
Garden enhances the unforgettable view of the Dam. Every Visitor takes
home happy memories, How impact-making nature could be!! Pleasure trips in
Motor Launches for the Tourists are also available.
How to Reach
What to see
-
Musical Fountain - Acquarium
- Deer Park
- Tunga Bhadra River
- Vaikunta Guest House - A beautiful Garden in Japanese Style
 
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