- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Oct 24, 2024, 12:00 PM
- ☁️ 29 °C
- Altitude: 469 m
- IndiaKarnatakaBellaryMalapannanagudi15°17’41” N 76°26’12” E
Majestic and awe-inspiring Hampi
October 24 in India ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
2 day trip to Hampi, 350km North of Bangalore. A UNESCO World Heritage Site which is a must to visit for every India Traveller. We found it extremely impressive, the landscape, the number of temples, the size of the stones and the stone work capabilities including the cravings. It reminded us sometimes to Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
The grandiose site of Hampi was the last capital of the last great Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar. Its fabulously rich princes built temples and palaces which won the admiration of travellers (like Nicolo Conti, 1395-1469) between the 14th and 16th centuries. Conquered by the Deccan Muslim confederacy in 1565, the city was pillaged over a period of six months before being abandoned. The monuments are covering an area of 24 hectares next to the river Tungabhadra. There are more than 1600 surviving remains that include forts, riverside features, royal and sacred complexes, temples, shrines, pillared halls, Mandapas, memorial structures, gateways, defence check posts, stables, water structures, etc..
I will highlight only a few places we saw in Hampi.
There are 2 areas, the sacred area and the royal area.
We started at the Vitthala Temple in the sacred area. The temple is known for his creative architecture such as a moving stone chariot and the musical pillars.
We strolled along the river, passing the King’s Balance (it’s a 15th century stone scale that weighed the king against gold that he gave to the priests), walked along the Hampi Bazaar, saw the Monolithic Bull (very impressive) and ended up at the Virupaksha Temple which is a 7th century Shiva temple. The Virupaksha temple is built in South Indian architecture style. It has three gopurams; the eastern gopuram is the largest and shown on the first photo, the other two are the smaller gopurams in the inner east and the inner northern sides of the temple complex. The gopuram on the eastern entrance has nine storeys and is 50 meters tall. Beautiful sculptures of many Hindu Gods adorn the outer face of the gopurams.
Sunset was seen on Hemakuta Hill which by itself had a few temples (35) onsite, many of them dedicated to Lord Shiva.
On the second day we explored the Royal Centre in the south-west part of the site which contains structures that seem to have been palaces, baths, pavilions, royal stables and temples for ceremonial use. For this day we had a guide which gave us the chance to ask loads of questions and of course to hear more details about Hampi.
We started with the monolithic Ganesha Temple (financed by a mustard trader), followed by the Krishna Temple. Very impressive carvings in the last one.
One of the highlights of the day was the Royal Palace with remnants of the royal complex where the king of the Vijayanagara empire lived.
Next stop the Hazara Ramachandra Temple. It is located in the core of the Royal Centre and is known for its wall friezes depicting the great epic Ramayana and a few episodes of Bhagavata. It is dated to about 14"-15* century CE and dedicated to Vishnu in the form of Rama.
According to the legend, the epic took place when Lord Ramayana and Lord Lakshman reach the Land of Monkeys. The place where they reach is said to be Hampi.
Next destination was the Zenana (Women) Enclosure which is a structural complex with tall enclosure walls and 3 watch towers. Inside is the Lotus Mahal which was built in Indo-Islamic style and is an exemplary manifestation of Vijayanagara secular architecture. This palace was the designated area for the royal women of the Vijayanagara Empire. Final stop before our return to Bangalore were the Elephant Stables. They served as an enclosure for royal elephants back in the day of the Vijayanagara Empire and the stables are one of the last remaining unruined structures in Hampi during its attack by the Mughals.
Hampi was popular in the 70ties and 80ties amongst the Hippie community but the government closed down many businesses in the late 80ties in the inner part of Hampi to secure the religious importance of the sacred area.
Intensive cultural 2-day injection but was absolutely another highlight in India.Read more
Traveler Looks very impressive! 🙏🏻
Traveler It was! A real highlight!