Hampi - A stroll through the Vijayanagar dynasty ruins

Intro

Hampi falls in Bellary district of Karnataka and is around 12kms from nearest well connected town Hospet.The ancient Vijayanagar capital which is now known as Hampi is on the southern banks of river Tungabhadra and is centered around the old religious center Virupaksha Temple.

How to reach

Bangalore to Hospet - via train (424km) or bus (380km)  [ Train : Hampi Express , 16592 ]

Hospet to Hampi (12kms) - via bus or shared auto (Rs 15) or auto(~Rs 150)

From Anywhere else to Hospet can be done by either trains or buses.

Places to visit

Virupaksha Temple, Monolith Bull, Lotus Temple, Elephant Stables, Ugra Narasimha, Queen's Bath, Matanga Hill, Mahanavmi Dibba, Tungbhadra Dam

My Diary

Caught the night train from Bangalore to Hospet (Hampi Express - 16592), which takes around 9 hours and we reached Hospet around 7.45, half an hour late.

Now as we were passing by Bellary town, got an opportunity to have a glance at Jindal Steel Plant

(JSW) where a lot of our college friends work.

Took a guide book of Hampi, two mopeds and off we were to the historical sites.

We started with the Krishna Temple which is on the road to Kamalapur (nearby town ~ 5kms from Hampi). This temple was built by Krishnadevraya, it is protected by a thick wall (fort) on all sides, the carvings on the pillars depict the life story of Krishnadevraya in a pictorial form.

The central portion Rangamantapa (below) is very spacious and beautiful.

Krishna Temple (Rangamantapa)

Inside shot of the entrance structure

 All the pillars were carved with pictures and it could be comprehended to some extent, but this pillar took my attention and I could just take a snap staring at it like a lame duck.

There we missed not having a guide. Probably he could have given an interpretation of this lipi or you never know he would have made up a story and narrated.

So having spent a good amount of time in Krishna Temple we moved towards the Krishna Bazar and a small Puskarni  (btw Puskarni means a well ) which was immediately opposite to the temple.

Krishna Bazar

Puskarni(well) at the end of Krishna Bazar - This stepped water tank was the main source of domestic water in Vijayanagar dynasty

Moving on the Kamalapur road  the next places were Badavi Linga (Shivling) and Ugra Narasimha huge idol. A minute walk from the road, these two temples are opposite to each other. 

This is the biggest of all lingas in Hampi and is made of black stone. The structure is always surrounded by water because of the small canal flowing along the temple.

The Ugra(angry) Narasimha is the biggest idol in Hampi. The idol is quite sits on the coils of a snake "Adisesha" who rises behind him with seven hoods. To me it looked a little scary and funny at the same time. The smile on this idol reminds me of the Batman's Joker (The Dark Knight). 

"Why so serious son, Let's put a smile on your face"

The small irrigation stream near the temple was quite a relief in that scorching April heat. Vinnie was juggling around the stream to test "auto mode" of the camera and finally was able to take this snap.

500m from this spot onto the Kamalapur road is a small and lesser know temple called Chandikeshwara Temple. The carvings on the Mukhmantapa pillars(central part) have roaring lions, trailing elephants and vaishnava representations carved on them.  Due to the Vaishnava representations it is believed that the temple was originally dedicated to Vishnu and the creation of this temple dates back to 16th century.

The next spot was the underground Shiva temple.
The snap on the left shows the entrance of Shiva Temple and it is atleast 15 m below the ground level

The inside chambers in this temple are dark and all the snaps were clear because of flash. 

The darkest and innermost chamber of the temple with Shivalinga

One of the most beautiful carved water storage tank with four steps.This tank is built in chloride schist and was used by royal family members and for religious purposes.

Mahanavmi Dabba (down) is the highest formation in Hampi. It is a square structure with carvings of elephants, horses and people. People climb up here to spend time for watching sunrise and sunset. We shunned climbing up due to scorching heat

 Lotus Mahal in Zenana Enclosure

This rich beauty of the surrounding and the ambiance of the place is remarkable.

Full shot of "The Elephant Stable"

On the eastern side of Zanana Enclosure this building is a fine example of Indo-Islamic architecture. It has eleven large rooms with high ceiling and  was used to tie royal elephants.

Hazari Rama Temple - This temple is dedicated to Lord Rama and has large number of Ramayana Panels on the walls. This temple was considered to be the private place of worship of Royal Family. The Ramayan epic is carved in detail even on the outside walls of the temple. Below are the few idols and carvings in this temple.

A shot while returning back to the Hampi City

On the way to the most famous restaurant in Hampi "The Mango Tree". The walk towards the restaurant with tall trees and cool breeze will set the tone for one of the most relaxed meals you can ever have. This place is set along side the banks of river Tungabhadra.

View from one of the tables inside Restaurant. The setting is such that you need to sit on the stepped floor with raised cemented tables. The river view, mango tree shades and excellent food makes this place one of the most relaxing and cool places in Hampi. You can spend hours reading a book, sipping one of the best lassis and relaxing here.

The food is a bit expensive though as they charge premium for the view I suppose

We headed towards the famous Tungabhadra dam after a heavy lunch which is around 16 kms from
the Hampi. One of the most mesmerizing thing about this dam is the vastness of the river which makes it look like a sea. The snap on the right  and bottom explains what I am trying to express better.