Halebidu, 14km east of Belur and 42km north of Hassan, is identified as Dorasamudra, the great Hoysala capital. Vishnuvardhana (1108-1141 A.D.) was the first great ruler of Dorasamudra, and was responsible for expanding much of the Hoysala kingdom. Along with later rulers (Ballala II and Narasimha), military triumphs […]
Shravanbelagola (also known as Sravanabelgola or Sravanabelagola) is a celebrated Jain pilgrimage town 36km east of Hassan, just off the NH48 via Nelamangala. The main sites here are clustered around two granite hills overlooking the village; Vindhyagiri, and Chandragiri. My visit here was sadly limited for time, so […]
Located in the Royal Centre, the superbly decorated walls of the Haza Rama Temple (also known as Ramachandra Temple) make it one of Hampi’s most impressive monuments. I would recommend making this temple one of your last visits on any itinerary you may have, it’s a great way […]
Having rested for a while in the pretty gardens surrounding the Lotus Mahal, I exited the Zenana Enclosure through a doorway in the east wall which leads to the Elephant Stables. This is by far the most impressive and imposing courtly structure in the Royal Centre of Hampi. […]
A visual tour of the stunning Lotus Mahal, located within the Zenana Enclosure of the Royal Centre of Hampi, Karnataka.
The Mahanavami Platform (or Dibba) is one of the more unusual buildings in the Royal Centre of Hampi. Located to the northeast of the Royal enclosure, it’s a pyramidal three tiered stone platform built in granite and encased in sculptured stone, rising to a height of 8m. Each […]
The area of Hampi now known as the Royal Centre is set apart from the Sacred Centre by a narrow valley used for agriculture. The landscape is quite stark, devoid for the most part of trees, with many of the monuments almost blending into the bare rock that […]
Long before I visited Hampi I knew it was potentially a great location to photograph sunset. You only have to google “hampi sunset photos” to see what I mean. But in many of the photos I poured over online, the sense of drama just wasn’t there – everything seemed too […]
Kevin Standage 
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