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Hampi is an important village, in the Bellary district of
Karnataka. Thevillage 343 Kms away from Bangalore, is
situated on the banks of the river Tungabhadra. Hampi lies
74 Kms away from district headquarter Bellary and 13 Kms
from Hospet, the taluka headquarters. The village is
situated with in the ruins of Vijayanagara, the ancient
capital of the Vijayanagara empire. Hampi was the one of the
major centre of the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from
1336 to 1565. |
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The ruins of the 14th century lies scattered
in an area of 26 sq. km amidstgiant boulders and vegetation.
The village is also referred as 'The City of Ruins' and has
been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hampi is an
important religious centre and has many temples and several
monuments of the old city. The Vijaynagara kings were
patrons of excellent art and architecture. One can see the
glimpse of grandeur of Vijayanagara empirehere. The main
languages spoken by the people are Kannada, Telugu and
English. The Government of Karnataka organizes the
Vijayanagar Festival,every year in December, that recreates
the grandeur of the Vijayanagar empire. |
Attractions at Hampi :
» Virupaksha Temple - Also known as the
Pampapathi temple, it is situated to the western end of
Hampi Bazaar. It is a Shiva temple built during by
Vijayanagara empire. The temple has a 120 feet hightower
on its eastern entrance. The Virupaksha temple complex
has the shrines of Hindu goddesses Bhuvaneshwari and
Pampa.
» Ugra Narashima - Near the Virupaksha temple is
the 6.7 metre high monolith statue of Ugra Narashima.
The idol depicts Narshima as a seated four-armed figure
under a canopy of a seven-hooded snake. An inscription
nearby depicts, that it was made of a single stoneduring
the rule of Krishnadeva Raya.
» Vithala Temple Complex -
The temple is located
about 2 Kms east of Hampi Bazaar. The ruins of the temple
have been listed as a World Heritage monument. The temple
complex is relatively in a better condition of
preservation and depicts the sculpture work of Vijaynagar
art. The temple has 56 musical pillars that reverberate
when tapped.
» Malyavanta Raghunathaswamy Temple - The
Malyavanta Raghunatha swamy temple stands on the
Kamalapura- Hampi road.Built in Dravidian style the outer
walls of temple has been carved with strange looking
fishes and marine monsters.
» Shivlinga - The massive Shivlinga is situated
next to Narasimha statue. The 3 metre high figure stands
in water that comes through an old channel.
» Virupaksha Bazaar - The 32 metre wide and 728
metre long street, is the longest street built by the
Viaynagara kings. It runs between the Virupaksha Temple
and the foot of the Matanga Hill.
» King's Balance -
The King's Balance was the place where kings were
weighed against grain, gold or money that was then
distributed to the poor.
» Lotus Mahal - This two-storeyed pavilion is
located in the 'Zenana' enclosure. This palace is a
beautiful example of the Hindu and Islamic styles of
architecture. The palace shaped like a lotus flower from
top, has beautiful arc ways set in geometric regularity.
It wasan air-cooled summer palace of the queen.
» Queen's Bath -
It is situated in the fortress area, south of the Hazaara
Rama Temple. The Queen's Bath is a massive square shape
structure known for the perfect contrast between its plain
exteriorand the nicely ornate interior. The bath measuring
15 metre in width and 1.8 metre depth is surrounded by
finely decorated arched corridors and projecting balconies.
» Hazara Rama Temple - The temple located at the
centre of royal capital, lies with in a rectangular complex.
The temple dates back to early 15th century has a huge hall.
The delicately carved basalt inside the hall depicts the
incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The exterior walls of the hall
have three rows of statue sillustrating stories from the
Ramayana.
Accessibility :
Hampi is not directly connected to Air or Rail link, but the
buses from nearby towns ply to the village regularly.
» Air - The nearest airport from Hampi areTornagallu
(32 Kms from Hospet), Bellary (74 Kms), Belagum (74 Kms) and
Bangalore (353 Kms).
» Rail - Hospet (13 Kms) is the nearest railway
station from Hampi. Hospet is linked to Bangalore, Bijapur,
Hubli and Guntakal. One has to take the bus journey from
here to Hampi.
» Road - KSTRA buses run regularly from nearby places
to Hospet. From Hospet bus services are available for Hampi. |
Hampi
Travel Packages:
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