My Visual Travel Experience: Hampi

My parents took me to Hampi back in 1983, when I was 10 years old. The beautiful temples and fascinating sculptures left a very positive impression in my mind, and in 1999, when I got an opportunity because my work had taken me to the area, I visited Hampi again. Then in January 2020, I took my wife and son to Hampi, for my third visit. I had a car with me, and I drove across from Bangalore. The road was unbelievably good and the distance of over 360 km took just about 6 hours, and that too, with a break for lunch. The route from Bangalore to Hampi was via Nelamangala, Tumkur and Chitradurga. The closest big town to Hampi is Hospet, and we stayed at a reasonably priced and comfortable hotel in Hospet called Hotel Malligi.

Hampi lies in the South Indian state of Karnataka. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th century AD and was a prosperous city along the banks of the Tungabhadra River, with numerous temples, farms and trading markets. It was considered one of the biggest and most prosperous settlements not just in India but anywhere in the world!

The region around Hampi was a part of the Mauryan Empire in the 3rd century BC. By the 10th century AD, it was a pilgrimage centre under the Chalukya Empire. The Hoysala Empire was in power between the 12th century and the 14th century. In the early 14th century, the armies of the Delhi Sultanate under Alauddin Khalji invaded and pillaged the region, and the Hoysala Empire was destroyed. The Kampili Kingdom followed, but it did not last long and ended after an invasion by the Sultanate under Muhammad bin Tughlaq. The Vijayanagara Empire arose from the ruins of  the Kampili Kingdom in 1336 AD, and it ruled for the next 2 centuries. In 1565 AD, the Vijayanagara Empire  was defeated by a coalition of Sultanate armies, the king (Aliya Rama Raya) was beheaded, and the city was pillaged and left largely in ruins. These ruins are what are now collectively known as the Group of Monuments at Hampi.

Virupaksha Temple dates back to the 7th century AD, well before the Vijayanagara Empire. The temple underwent a lot of expansion during the Vijayanagara Empire, under the directions of Lakkana Dandesha, a chieftain who served under the ruler Deva Raya II. Parts of the temple were also built in 1510 by Krishnadevaraya, to mark his accession to the throne. The city was destroyed in 1565, but Virupaksha Temple continued to be a place of worship. The temple gateway is 50 meters tall and is intricately carved. On our visit, we saw a temple elephant blessing pilgrims and children as they placed fruits and money into its trunk. The temple complex was also full of monkeys, but they were a harmless lot, very used to pilgrims and visitors.

Gopuram, Virupaksha Temple

Nandi, Virupaksha Temple

Ganesha Idol, Virupaksha Temple

Hanuman Idol, Virupaksha Temple

Temple Elephant, Virupaksha Temple

Monkeys, Virupaksha Temple

Vitthala Temple is famous for its stone chariot in the temple courtyard. The temple dates back to the mid 16th century. It has a large entrance gopuram, intricately carved with sculptures of gods. Outside the temple, there is a long colonnaded  market street that is largely in ruins.

Stone Chariot, Vitthala Temple

Entrance Gopuram, Vitthala Temple

Pillars, Vitthala Temple

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple has a 6.7 meter tall monolithic statue of Narasimha, the half man, half lion reincarnation of Lord Vishnu, who came to earth to rid it of the feared demon Hiranyakashyap. The statue originally also featured Vishnu’s consort, Lakshmi. This statue has gone on to become almost synonymous with Hampi, and is one of its most visited sites.

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple

Badaviling Temple has a 3 meter tall monolithic linga standing on water. It lies right beside the Lakshmi Narasimha Temple.

Badaviling Temple

Hazararama Temple dates back to the early 15th century. The temple is dedicated to Lord Rama. The inner walls of the temple have friezes depicting scenes from the Ramayana. The outer walls have friezes showing Hindu festive processions.

Hazararama Temple

Detail, Hazararama Temple

Kadalekalu Ganesha is named after Ganesha’s gram shaped belly, and has a 4.5 meter tall monolithic statue of Ganesha.

Kadalekalu Ganesha

Sasivekalu Ganesha is named after Ganesha’s mustard seed shaped belly, and has a 2.4 meter tall monolithic Ganesha statue.

Sasivekalu Ganesha

Elephant Stables consist of 11 square chambers. The openings to the chambers are arched, and the chambers are topped by domes. The chambers are of course large enough to accommodate elephants.

Elephant Stables

Lotus Mahal is constructed in Hindu temple architectural style. The purpose of this structure is unclear, but it is believed that it was used as a council hall. Lotus Mahal lies next to the Elephant Stables.

Lotus Mahal

Queen’s Bath is a square shaped stone structure, with a bathing area inside, and was apparently used by the queen for her baths. The corridors running along the four sides feature arches and domes.

Queen's Bath

Interior, Queen's Bath

Dome, Queen's Bath

So we had a fascinating time exploring the sites of Hampi, and found ourselves going back to another era. It was unfortunate that the city was left in ruins, but many of the temples and sculptures are fairly well preserved. We had a full day in Hampi. It was certainly not enough to see all the various sites, but it was adequate to see the main temples and sculptures. Having a car with us made our visit that much easier, because the ruins of Hampi are scattered over a large area, and it would have been impossible to cover everything on foot. There are of course autos that are easily available but given the hot, sunny day that it was, our air conditioned car made it a comfortable visit. If one is in Bangalore and has a few days to spare, I would say Hampi should certainly not be missed!