Hampi – An Introduction

Hampi

By kevinstandagehotography on April 15, 2015 • ( 10 Comments )

Virupaksha Temple dominating the Hampi landscape at sunset

Hampi in Karnataka, also known as Vijayanagar, is one of India’s most important archaeological sites, and one of exceptional beauty. The ruined city is in a remote location, with temples, palaces, avenues, towers, bridges and statues, all spread over a huge area along the Tunghabhadra river and beyond.

The setting is simply gorgeous, surrounded by water, hills and huge boulders of stone. There’s not a trace of ASI landscaping here, all the monuments are in their natural context, and the remoteness of Hampi together with a relatively modest tourist infrastructure means that it is not overrun with tourists at any time.

According to some Hindu traditions, Hampi is the site of Kishkinda from the epic Ramayana, the forested home of the monkeys who helped Rama’s wife Sita from the demon king Ravana. More recently it was the capital of the Hindu Vijayanagar Empire, which flourished in the mid-14th to mid-16th century. It was abandoned following defeat of the Vijayanagar kings to the Deccan sultanates in 1565.

In its heyday, the Vijayanagar Empire was one of the richest and most powerful in India, and several extensive accounts by European visitors to the city exist, all of them amazed by the size of the city and the opulence that existed.

The entire site is indeed huge, it’s possible to wonder around the suburbs of the city for hours without bumping into anyone else. To see everything Hampi has to offer would take several days, but three days would be sufficient to see the major monuments and for none of it to become a bit of a blur (which can happen after a while I know!).

Over the next few days I will be blogging about the major sites of Hampi, with the obligatory photographs and a little running commentary to give you a bit of background as to what there is to see. Hampi can be broadly split into two distinct areas, the Sacred Centre and the Royal Centre, here’s what I will be covering :

Sacred Centre

• Virupaksha Temple
• Hemakuta Hill
• Krishna Temple
• Narasimha Monolith
• Vitthala Temple
• Achutaraya Temple (also known as Tiruvengalanatha Temple)
• The best location to watch stunning Hampi sunset

Royal Centre

• Elephant Stables
• Haza Rama Temple (also known as Ramachandra Temple)
• Lotus Mahal
• Mahanvami Platform
• Queen’s Bath

Some of the lesser sites along the way will be added to their nearest larger attraction, otherwise I will have enough blogging material to last a lifetime !

So be sure to check my blog regularly as the wonder of Hampi unfolds over the next few days. Hampi is a very special place, one visit will never do it justice.

---

If you’re interested in using any of my photography or articles please get in touch. I’m also available for any freelance work worldwide, my duffel bag is always packed ready to go…

KevinStandage1@googlemail.com

Categories: Hampi, India, Introduction, Karnataka

Tagged as: featured, Hindu Temples