Once upon a time, the city Hampi used to be the capital of one of the mightiest Hindu empires of South India, the Vijayanagara Dynasty. The importance of this temple town was no less that Mathura or Kashi, other holy cities of India. However, what stand here now are just majestic ruins reminding one of the times gone by. Reason enough for the western traveller to ensure it features on his/her Indian itinerary, to catch glimpses of a world where art and day to day life went together.

To begin with, Hampi, the last capital of the kingdom of Vijayanagara was built around 1336 A D. This town housed numerous palaces and temples, built in the Dravidian style of architecture. And, ironically, just like today, it was a much visited destination - albeit for different reasons - being a major stop for spiritual travellers between the 14th and 16th centuries.

Before its conquest, Hampi was a cynosure of all eyes. People were attracted to it not only because of its riches, but also its exquisite architecture. It was also a spot for trade.

But sadly like all things - good and bad - come to an end, so did the prosperity of this grand kingdom. It was conquered by Muslim invaders in 1565 and was subjected to systematic pillaging for about six months, and later after divesting it of its riches, the marauders abandoned the city.

This ancient city is also one of UNESCO's World Heritage sites. The Indian government too is involved in the restoration, excavation and protection of the ruins of this once grand city.

Hampi and Anegondi are twin towns situated on the opposite banks of the Tungabhadra river in the Bellary district of the Indian state of Karnataka. Many legends surround these two ancient cities as well as the surrounding areas. Hampi itself covers an area of over 25 square kilometres.

According to one of the legends, Pampa, the daughter of Brahma (of the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh), went into deep meditation and penance for she wanted Lord Shiva as her husband. Shiva granted her this boon and married her, hence he became 'Pampapathi' (the husband of Pampa). It is said that after this wedding, he settled down in this region.

Hampi and Kishkinda, an area close to Anegondi, are even mentioned in the great Hindu epic the Ramayana. According to which, Kishkinda was the capital of the ape kings Vali and Sugreeva. Lord Rama won the battle with the demon-king Ravana, who had kidnapped his wife Sita, thanks to the help of Sugreeva and his minister Hanuman. In fact, certain names of areas around these two cities reflect their deep connection to the story of King Rama. Some of these names are Rampada, Sita Sarovara, Vali Bhandara and Shabari Ashram. Some of the hillocks located nearby bear names like Rishyamooka and Malya - vanta, again suggesting their link to the Ramayana era.

As one comes to the end of the main bazaar, one reaches the oldest and most famous temple in Hampi, the Virupaksha Temple, very outstanding with its towering gopuram (entrance tower). The rich sculptures atop the gopuram depict the religious zeal of the people who built the temple to their resident deity Lord Shiva.

The 15th century temple has a long tunnel like entrance to the inner courtyard. Within the temple compound lies a large open courtyard and several shrines. Huge pillared halls are the special and distinctive features of this temple.

Narasimha
Close to the Virupaksha temple stands tall a sculpture of Narasimha (half man, half lion). The speciality of this is the fact that it is carved out of a single mound of rock.

Close to the massive Narasimha statue is a large rock carved Shiva lingam which is impressive in its own way

Vittala Temple Complex
The 16th century Vittala Temple Complex is situated close to the Virupaksha temple. This temple is a declared World Heritage Monument. Although this temple was never consecrated, as the city was conquered before this could happen, the sculptural work on the walls of the temple is exquisite. It is considered the epitome of the arts of the Vijaynagara empire.

Musical Pillars
The main pavilion of the temple houses 56 'musical pillars'. All these pillars are superbly carved and emit different musical notes due to the reverberation caused when tapped. However, this practice is currently discouraged as the government believes that this will add to the wear and tear pressures of the monument.

Musical Pillars	Stone Chariot

Stone Chariot
Towards the Vittala Temple's eastern side is located the famous and extremely beautiful Stone Chariot, a chariot carved out of stone and depicted being pulled by an elephant. The speciality of this sculpture is that it is perfectly proportioned and thanks to its superior engineering technology its wheels can actually rotate!

Elephant Stables
The elephant stables is close to the Lotus Mahal with eleven stalls domed in different styles.

King's Balance
As one explores the city another spot that is interesting is the King's Balance. It is said that in the olden days, the rich Dravidian kings of the Vijaynagara Dynasty actually used to be weighed on a giant scale against grain or gold, which was later distributed to the poor in the kingdom.

Queen's Bath
Amongst the ruins one point that still shows the magnificence of the days gone by is the Queen's Bath. It is built in typical Islamic architectural style, which is open to the sky and surrounded by a moat. It boasts of arched corridors, projecting balconies and lotus-shaped fountains. It is said that when the Queen of the later day sultans used to bathe here, water mixed with perfume would spew out of the fountains. Our modern day showers and Jacuzzis are but poor cousins of this royal bath!

The Hava Mahal
The Hava Mahal or Wind Palace is actually the Lotus Mahal, a two-storeyed pavilion formed by intermingling a series of vaults and domes to form a striking geometric pattern.

Natural beauty
Apart from architectural marvels, Hampi is rich in natural beauty. It is marked by hillocks and the terrain is covered by huge grey-brown boulder like rocks. The most surprising aspect is the placement of these boulders, which look almost surreal as if some giant hand had lifted them and placed on top of each other at dangerous-looking angles. But, the strangest part is the rocks have existed in this shape since time immemorial, a curious quirk of nature, one presumes!

The Pushkarini pool has only been recently excavated but it is worth a visit. This is classic Indian pool architecture with patterned steps of green chlorite.

Amongst the reasons why Hampi is so well visited, especially by the foreign traveller, is the fact that not just are the local people of the area very co-operative, but also because the weather and natural beauty of the land is captivating. As one interacts with the people who live in the hamlets around the ruins, one gets to see Greek, Italian and French delicacies as a part of their food, although the people preparing the same may have never tasted the famed Punjabi curry! All thanks to the travellers from around the world who after days of staying at Hampi, along with taking back memories of this culture left behind a little of their own lands.

By Air
From Bangalore one can take a flight to Bellary, which is 77 kms from Hospet.

By Rail
Hospet is well connected to Bangalore. It is a nine and a half train ride from Bangalore.

By Road
The ruins of Hampi are located 13 kms away from the town of Hospet in East Central Karnataka. The best way to get to Hospet is from the state capital of Bangalore.

From Hospet one can hire taxis to travel to Hampi. Hampi is well connected by road from Bangalore as well as other prominent cities of Karnataka. Bangalore (353 kms) is linked to most parts of India by air, rail and road.

In the summer months of late March till early July, the temperature ranges from 41-37 degree centigrade. The winter months of late November till mid-March remain pretty warm with the mercury ranging between 27-24 degree centigrade.

The best season to visit Hampi is from October to March.

Some of the recommended places are

Hotel Malligi
10/90, J.N. Road,
Hospet, Karnataka
Pin-583 201
India
Tel: (08394) 428101
Fax: (08394) 427038
Email: malligihome@hotmail.com

Hotel Mayura Vijayanagar,
Thungabadhra Dam
Hospet, Karnataka
India
Tel: (091)-8394-48270.

Hotel Priyadarshani,
Station Road,
Hospet, Karnataka
India
Tel: (091)-8394-48838.

Hotel Mayura Bhuvaneswari,
Kamalapur,
Hospet, Karnataka
India
Tel: (091)-8394-51374.

Karnataka State Tourism Department Corporation Cottages.
Tel: (091)-8394-8108

Also Read Gods - Shiva Gods - Rama

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