When it
comes to the important world heritage sites in India, the ruins of Hampi hold
the top position in the prestigious list. Hampi is basically a village located
in the Northern part of Karnataka, which forms an integral part of the ruins of
Vijaynagara (the once capital of the Vijaynagara Empire).
Thousands of
people visit the ruins of Hampi every year for the purpose of sightseeing,
study or research thereby reinforcing the cause of tourism in this region. This
helps the government in two major ways, first of all having so many tourists
every year boosts their economy, and tourism helps in several ways to protect
this beautiful site from negligence and destruction.
So if you
are planning on visiting Hampi in the near future, then here is a bit of
essential information that you would need to know before you visit this place.
Wonderful
Places to Visit in Hampi
Here's a
list of some of the best places to see in Hampi :
1. Archaeological Museum
The
Archaeological Museum of Hampi is one of the principal attractions of the place
that houses collections of sculptures and assorted antiques. Although a lot of
these findings were made by the British officers who stored them in elephant
stables, the Archaeological Survey of India established this museum and started
shifting the antiques in 1972.
2. Monkey Temple (Hanuman Temple)
As mentioned
earlier, Hampi has a close association with the incident of Ramayana. One of
the important evidences that pinpoints this fact is the Monkey Temple, which is
located at a serene spot on Anjanadri Hill in Anegundi.
This Hampi
Temple is located 4 km from Hampi and is believed to be the birth place of Lord
Hanuman. This Monkey Temple is basically a small concrete structure consisting
of a granite carved statue of Lord Hanuman along with a small shrine of Lord
Rama and his wife Devi Sita. As you reach the main site, a flight of granite
steps lead you inside the temple.
3. Vijaya Vittala Temple
Built in
15th century AD the Vijaya Vittala Temple is a rich architectural temple that
serves as one of the important places to visit in Hampi. This temple has an
expansive campus which consists of several other Hampi temples, pavilions and
halls.
This temple
as its name suggests is dedicated to Lord Vittala who was one of the
incarnations of Lord
Vishnu. Lord Vittala is believed to be like an ordinary
person and is worshipped by the cattle herds.
4. Virupaksha Temple
Lord
Virupaksha is believed to be the principal deity of the Vijaynagara rulers,
dedicated to whom this temple has been constructed in Hampi. This beautiful and
architecturally rich Hampi temple is one of the most important places to visit
in Hampi and it also serves as the main centre of pilgrimage in this region.
This temple
is considered to be built somewhere around the 7th century and it initially
started as a small shrine only to be later developed into a marvellous temple
under the reign of the Vijaynagara rulers. Several evidences found in the
temple indicate towards the fact that a lot of additions were done in the
temple during the late Chalukya and Hoysala periods.
5. Royal Enclosure
The present
day fortified area or the Royal Enclosure of Hampi was once the seat of power
of the Vijaynagara rulers. In current times this Royal Enclosure is basically a
wide open ground consisting of a number of small shelters.
Some of the
important structures in here are spread across hundreds of square metres of
land and consists of a number of interesting and important relics. Some of the
important structures of the Royal Enclosure are the King’s Audience Hall or the
100-Pillared Hall, stepped tank, an underground chamber and the Mahanavami
Debbie to the commonly called Dossier Platform.
6. Riverside Ruins
Located to
the North of the Kodandarama Temple, the riverside gorge is an imminent site
for some clusters of remarkable ruins. These relics feature some of the finely
carved Shiva Lingas on the flat rock surface along with a reclined structure of
carved Anandashayana Vishnu on the rock cleft.
Once you go
close to the edge of the river you will be able to notice a couple of Shiva
Linga mandalas carved in an array of 108 and 1008 in a square area. The numbers
are such chosen due to their significance in Hindu religion.
7. Queen's Bath
If you enter
the Hampi complex from the South-West corner, then the Queen’s Bath is the
first of the ruins that you would visit. From outside this building appears to
be a plain rectangular complex encircled by a big water channel that one might
need to cross at some places using the bridge-like structure.
8. Hampi Bazaar
The Hampi
Bazaar, also well known as the Virupaksha Bazaar is a kilometre long street at
the foothill of the Matanga Hill located in front of the Virupaksha Temple. On
both sides of the street are an array of old pavillions, which were once the
part of the thriving market and also the residence of the nobles.
At present
this whole area has been mostly encroached upon, either to be converted into
shops or the dwellings of poor villagers of this place. Above this a part of
this ancient structure houses a nursery school for the village children, making
it one of the oldest nursery school buildings in the world.
9. Underground Temple
This
underground temple of Lord Shiva is one of the oldest temples in Hampi. This
temple for some reasons was built several metres below the ground level due to
which the sanctum as well as the main parts of the temple remain under water for
most of the time round the year.
One enters
the temple by passing through the main tower, which is supposedly an incomplete
addition done later on. There is a series of steps along the axis of this tower
that leads you to the sanctum, which further takes you down to the inner part
of the temple.
10. Old Palace (Gagan Mahal)
Located in
the small village of Anegundi (a place of great historical importance during
the rule of the Vijaynagara dynasty) near Hampi, Gagan Mahal or the old palace
is a place of great importance soaked in legends and history.
A lot of
tourists visit this place as part of their tour to Hampi. This place is
considered to be constructed around the 16th century and is surrounded by a
fort most of which is actually in ruins. This yellow coloured palace consists
of beautifully decorated windows and four spectacular towers.
11. Hemakuta Hill Temples
To get an
amazing view of the beautiful ruins of Hampi there could be no better place
than the Hemakuta Hill, which consists of a large number of temples, archways
and pavillions being guarded by the tall wide stoned walls, the ruins of which
can still be seen here.
Most of the
temples here are dedicated to Lord Shiva, as there runs a myth that it was on
this hill that the Lord had married the local girl Pampa after his penance and
also that it was the same place where he had burnt Kama the God of lust for
having distracted him from his penance in order to help Pampa marry him.
12. Sasivekalu Ganesha
This Lord
Ganesha’s statue derives its resemblance from that of the mustard seed, which
is referred to as Sasivekalu in the local dialect thereby leading to its name.
This statue is located on the Southern foothill of the Hemakuta and is almost
half the size of Kadalekalu Ganesha located on the Northern slope of the same
hill.
This statue
derives inspiration from an incident of Hindu mythology when one day Lord
Ganesha had eaten so much food that his stomach almost burst. So in order to
protect his stomach the Lord tied a snake around his belly. On this statue one
can see the figure of the snake carved in front of his stomach.
13. Krishna Temple
When it
comes to places to visit in Hampi, the Krishna temple is a place that should
not be missed. This temple was built in 1513 AD in order to commemorate the
conquest of the Eastern kingdom of Udayagiri (present day Odisha State) by king
Krishnadevaraya.
A figure of
Balakrishna (infant Lord Krishna) was the main idol to be installed in the
temple, which in present time is displayed in the Chennai State Museum. The
history of this temple is inscribed on a huge slab that is installed in the
temple’s courtyard.
About PRABISH BISHUNGKHE
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