Planning a holiday in India , everyone is trying to visit the ancient city of Hampi, located next to the homonymous little village in the northern part of Karnataka. On its territory there are more than 300 temples that were built in different epochs. They are of great historical value, therefore Hampi is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. This area is also part of the ancient capital of the Hindu capital of the Vijayanagar empire, so sometimes it is called that.
Going on an excursion to Hampi is easiest from Goa , since the popular resort is only a few hours drive, so there are always a lot of visitors.
To make it easier to determine what you want to see in Hampi, you should familiarize yourself with its sights in advance.
Monuments of the history of India in Hampi
The entire territory of the ancient settlement is conditionally divided into 3 parts:
- a bazaar for the village and its environs;
- The Royal Center;
- the region of Anogondi, located beyond the river.
Temple of Vibupaksha
This is the oldest temple, built roughly in the 15th century, but it still works. It is also sometimes called the temple of Pampapatha, since it was dedicated to the marriage of Pampapati (one of the names of Shiva) on the goddess Pampe. It consists of three towers 50m high each, which can be seen from anywhere in the town of Hampi. The interior is not as interesting as the view from the outside, but when you visit the interior you should be careful, there are a lot of monkeys that can attack.
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On the territory among the remains of the Jain temples you can find interesting sculptures: Narasimha (monolith of half man-half lion), God Ganesha, Nandin - which can be seen on the hill of Hemakunta. Here the most ancient sanctuaries are still located.
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Temple of Vital
To see the buildings of the best architectural mastery of the inhabitants of the Vijayanagar age, you should pass from the bazaar 2 km to the north-east. Near the temple you can see the thin columns, called singing, and the old shopping arcade. The internal premises were very well preserved, so there is something to see: columns with animals and people, beautiful friezes, sculptures of 10 avatars of Vishnu.
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Here is the symbol of Hampi - a stone chariot created in the 15th century. Its peculiarity consists in wheels, made in the form of a lotus, which spins around the axes.
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Also here you can see the temples of Vithal, Krishna, Kodandarama, Achyutaraya and others.
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The road to the royal center will pass by the temple of Khazar Rama, on the walls of which the Mahabharata scenes are carved, and the statues of Hanuman.
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The royal center of Hampi was formerly intended for the elite, therefore it was surrounded by a stone wall with towers, which in some places still survived. The main attractions of this part are the stables for elephants and the palace of Lotos, which was built to rest in the summer. Due to the complex architecture inside you can always feel the wind blowing, and because of the shape of the ceilings and domes on the towers, it got its name.
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Also in this area are royal outdoor bathhouses.
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In Kamalapuram there is an archaeological museum, which collected an interesting collection of sculptures and other objects of the Vijayanagar era.
To get to the ancient settlement of Anogondi, you should cross the river Tungabhadr on a leather boat, as the bridge is just being restored. This village existed before the domination of the Vijayanagar empire. Here remained the palace of Hookah-Mahal, on the main square, a 14th-century temple, stone walls with bastions, baths and clay dwellings characteristic of the people of the time.
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In order to inspect the abandoned city of Hampi and get acquainted with the history of India, it is better to allocate at least two days.