05/02/20 - Hampi

05/02/20 - Hampi

5/02 : Hampi : We got up and had a nice breakfast of idli and aloo puri. We began the day badly. We booked our trip for the day through Trip Advisor, who cheated us totally. They charged Rs. 6350/- person and so we paid Rs.13750/-, since we were senior citizen, we wanted comfortable trip. We expected to be taken around in car or mini bus with other tourists. We were supposed to be picked up from our hotel and taken for the ride. Rickshaw came with the driver who doubled up as our guide. We blasted both the driver and the coordinator, after 3 halts the guide turned up in his bike and took us around but he was explaining in Hindi only.

Kadalekalu Ganesha : We visited the slope of Hemakuta hill, where saw Kadalekalu Ganesha which is one of the largest statues of Lord Ganesha that exists in the southern part of India. The shrine housing the statue of Kadalekalu Ganesha is situated on the slope of the Hemakuta Hill in Hampi. It is a remarkable monolithic statue. The towering statue of Kadalekalu Ganesha has a height of 4.6 metres (15 feet). The giant statue was carved out of a single huge boulder. The belly of Ganesha has been chiselled in such a manner that it resembles a Bengal gram (known as Kadalekalu in the local language). Hence, the statue has been given the name of Kadalekalu Ganesha






We moved on to visit Sasivealu Ganesha Temple, a huge big rock monument on the hills of Hemakutha.

Sasiveklu Ganesha Temple : The temple is devoted to Lord Ganesha's form Sasivekalu. A huge statue of the God has been installed in the temple, which is about 2.4 mtrs high. The irony is that Sasivekalu in Kannada means mustard. The statue is shown seated on an open mantap with square pillars all around. The statue is holding an Ankush (broken tusk) in the right hand and looped pasa (noose) in the left. Like all other monuments, statues and temples in Hampi, the Sasivekalu temple has also faced a lot of trouble. The statue is carved out of a single huge piece of rock and measures about 8 feet in height. According to the Hindu mythology, Lord Ganesha is quite famous for his quirky habits, including his love for food. A story goes, when he had too much to such an extent that his stomach almost bursted. To stop this, he found a snake and tied it across his belly; the same is depicted in the statue.

Sasivekalu Ganesha, named after mustard seed shaped belly, is carved with his mother Parvati, whose lap he sits. She is only visible from the back of the statue. The monument is housed inside an opened-pillared mandapa, the left hand and tusk has been damaged.




From here we moved on to visit the most important site of Hampi – the Vittala Temple. The Vittala Temple in Hampi is an ancient monument that is well-known for its exceptional architecture and unmatched craftsmanship. It is considered to be one of the largest and the most famous structure in Hampi. The temple is located in the north eastern part of Hampi, near the banks of the Tungabhadra River.



The iconic temple has amazing stone structures such as the incomparable stone chariot and the fascinating musical pillars. This predominant monuments of Hampi is a major attraction of the ruined town and is a must-see for visitors and tourists.



The renowned Vittala Temple dates back to the 15th century. It was built during the reign of King Devaraya II (1422 – 1446 A.D.), one of the rulers of the Vijayanagara Empire. Several portions of the temple were expanded and enhanced during the reign of Krishnadevaraya (1509 – 1529 A.D.), the most famous ruler of the Vijayanagara dynasty. He played a significant role in giving the monument its present look.

The Vittala Temple is also known as Shri Vijaya Vitthala Temple. It is dedicated to Lord Vitthala, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. An idol of Vitthala-Vishnu was enshrined in the temple. Legend has it that the temple was built as an abode for Lord Vishnu in his Vitthala form. However, the Lord had found the temple to be too grand for his use and had returned to live in his own humble home.

History of Vittala Temple, Hampi : The renowned Vittala Temple dates back to the 15th century. It was built during the reign of King Devaraya II (1422 – 1446 A.D.), one of the rulers of the Vijayanagara Empire. Several portions of the temple were expanded and enhanced during the reign of Krishnadevaraya (1509 – 1529 A.D.), the most famous ruler of the Vijayanagara dynasty. He played a significant role in giving the monument its present look.

The Vittala Temple is also known as Shri Vijaya Vitthala Temple. It is dedicated to Lord Vitthala, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. An idol of Vitthala-Vishnu was enshrined in the temple. Legend has it that the temple was built as an abode for Lord Vishnu in his Vitthala form. However, the Lord had found the temple to be too grand for his use and had returned to live in his own humble home.

Splendid Architecture of Vittala Temple, Hampi : The Vittala Temple is presumed to be the grandest of all temples and monuments in Hampi. The temple exemplifies the immense creativity and architectural excellence possessed by the sculptors and artisans of the Vijayanagara era.The Vittala temple is built in the Dravidian style of architecture. It has traits and features that are characteristic of typical south Indian temple architecture. It’s elaborate and artistic carvings and magnificent architecture is unmatched by any other structure found in Hampi. The temple complex is a sprawling area that is surrounded by high compound walls and three towering gateways. The temple complex has many halls, shrines and pavilions located inside it. Each of these structures is made of stone and each structure is a beauty in itself.

Notable among these structures are the shrine of the Goddess (also known as Devi shrine), Maha Mantapa or main hall (also known as Sabha Mantapa or congregation hall), Ranga Mantapa, Kalyana Mantapa (marriage hall), Utsava Mantapa (festival hall), and the famous Stone Chariot.

Main Attractions of Vittala Temple, Hampi

The Vittala Temple is regarded as the most ornate of the Vijayanagara temples. The temple comprises of several attractions that makes it a must-visit structure for tourists. In fact it is the most visited monument in Hampi and as such, it is also the most photographed monument in Hampi. Among the main attractions of the Vittala Temple are:

Maha Mantapa: The Maha Mantapa or main hall of the Vittala Temple is situated in the inner courtyard of the temple complex. It is a structure of immense beauty and is situated on a highly ornate base. The base is decorated with carvings of warriors, horses, swans and several other ornamental designs. The Maha Mantapa comprises of four smaller halls. The steps on the eastern side of the Maha Mantapa are decorated with elephant balustrade. There are forty pillars lining the facade of the temple. Each of these pillars has a height of 10 feet. The central part of the Maha Mantapa has sixteen intricately decorated pillars having beautiful sculptures of Narasimha and Yali. These set of sixteen pillars forms a rectangular court. The ceiling of the Maha Mantapa is a richly designed structure. The beautifully sculpted ornate pillars of the Maha Mantapa exemplify the splendour of this magnificent temple.

Stone Chariot: The Vittala Temple Complex has the richly sculpted Stone Chariot, which is considered to be the most stunning architecture of the Vijayanagara kingdom. The Stone Chariot or Ratha stands in the courtyard of temple. It is one of the three famous stone chariots in India.

The Musical Pillars of the Ranga Mantapa: The Ranga Mantapa is one of the main attractions of the Vittala Temple. The large mantapa is renowned for its 56 musical pillars. These musical pillars are also known as SAREGAMA pillars, indicating the musical notes emitted by them. The musical notes emanated when the pillars are tapped gently.

The Vittala Temple is in a partially ruined. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple once contained an idol of Lord Vittala.

The Musical pillars was the main attraction for me to see and feel the music, but this temple was under close down and repairs. The Guard over there touch the pillars with stick and let us hear the musical sound from the pillars. This was the hall where the two famous dancers, later they were the queens who danced for the King and the hence this hall was enclosed when they were dancing.

From here we went to Zenena Enclosures, built by Krishnadevraya which included Harem for bathing of the Queens and royal ladies with sandalwood and flowers.



Bathing Room of Queens & Royal Ladies/Mahanavami Dibba

Just 2 metres away from the Zenena enclosures which had 2 separate palaces for the 2 queens and their royal ladies. These palaces had water moat around it. The Enclosures has 3 watchtowers by the Eunuchs soldiers protecting the Queens and the harem ladies. Both the palaces are in ruin, just the base has remained, the palace has disappeared.



Elephant's Stable / Lotus Mahal / Watch Tower

Opposite these ruined palaces was the Kamal Mahal (Lotus Mahal), where the King use to reside. It was built by mortars and it would be cool even in hot summer. Perhaps there was arrangement for water to flow through here. From here you can walk across to the Elephant stable, (11 stables) meant for royal elephants.



King's Balance/ carving on floor showing people bowing before King

King's Balance is located southwest of Vittala Temple, at the end of the Kampa Bhupa's Path in Hampi. It is also called as Tula Bhara or Tula Purushadana. This is located near Vittala Temple.

King's balance is regarded as one of the unique monuments of Hampi. It consists of two lofty carved granite pillars about 15 feet high supporting a stone beam about 12 feet in length. It has three hoops on the underside from which the balances or scales are hung. One of the pillars has a bas-relief depicting a king and two queens, possibly Krishna Deva Raya and his consorts. The structure appears like an archway.

According to the legend, the balance was used by the king to weigh himself with gold, gems, silver and precious stones and distributed to the temple priests on certain occasions like Solar or Lunar eclipse, New Year's Day, Coronation day etc.t craftsmanship of Vijayanagara’s sculptors.

Enclosure : Zenana enclosure was a secluded area reserved for the royal women. This walled harem houses many interesting highlights. The major attraction is the Lotus Mahal located at the southeast corner.

As the name suggests, you would enter a sprawling compound with a mud road running through the middle of the compound. Probably the only thing your eyes catch soon when you are inside is the pastel colored Lotus Mahal at the far right corner. It’s a two-storied arched pavilion.

The whole area was the private enclosure for the royal women folks. The Queen’s Palace (visible only the basement) is located at the middle of this area, on the left side of your path. Measuring about 46 x 29 meters, this has been the largest palace base excavated in the Hampi ruins so far. Also the three-tired elaborate base structure speaks of its importance as a palace. The super structure was made of wooden or less durable materials compared to the stone base. Along with the other royal structures, a fire during the rival incursion could have destroyed the palace. A rectangular deep tank (now empty) just at east of this probably used as a water source to the palace.

Opposite to the palace base, across the central path, at the east lie the remains of a water pavilion. This is basically a decorated platform at the center of a shallow pool. This low laying spot is the first you would visit once inside the enclosure.

Three watchtowers can be seen at the corners of the enclosed area. You can spot these two storied towers close to the southeast, northeast and northwest corners. These again were built in the hybrid Indo-Islamic architecture style. Being the ladies quarters, it has been said that eunuch soldiers guarded the area. It’s possible to climb to the top floor of one of these towers (if very crowded, the guards may not allow this). It’s a vantage position to survey this area and the Elephant stables behind the Zenana Enclosure.

It’s Interesting the royal Treasury building too was located in this enclosure. At the northwest corner you can spot an otherwise featureless rectangular building. Some believes that it was the quarters of the eunuch guards who protected this area. The structure has a simple entry at the east. A corridor runs all around inside with arches at regular intervals. The absence of windows and light inside makes it believe that this was at the best a kind of store rather than a living space.

The whole Zenana enclosure is encircled with a tall and broad walls made out of cut stones arranged in interesting patterns. The construction style of the wall is noteworthy. The enclosure had been strategically designed for the women folks to watch the royal ceremonial functions or the march past in privacy.

The path to the other locations like the Elephant Stable, Guard’s Quarters and a few other temples’ runs through the center of this area. The whole area is now made into a sort of open garden with sprawling lawns. You can see people take nap under the trees in the noontime. A good site map too is located in this area, if you need to (you will need to!) reassure your location and the next direction.

We moved to the Royal Enclosures : which had lot of individual items. The major ones being Mahanavami Dibba, Stepped well, and Sri Krishnadevaraya audience hall.



Bathing Room of Queens / Step Well

Mahanavami Dibba / Dasara Dibba : At a distance of 3.5 km from Hampi Bus Stand, Mahanavami Dibba or The House of Victory is a beautiful stone platform situated inside the Royal Enclosure of Hampi. It is also known as Dasara Dibba and is one of the most impressive structures in Hampi. It was built by King Krishnadevaraya in 1513 AD after his conquest over the kingdom of Udayagiri, present day Orissa. The grand platform was used as a stage by the kings to watch the army march-past, the war games and the royal procession that were held during the Mahanavami festival, also known as the Dasara festival, hence the name Mahanavami Dibba.

Dasara Dibba represents the typical Vijayanagara style of architecture. The stone platform is about 12 m height. The huge structure is a square platform with three layers that are richly decorated with beautiful carvings. The carvings at the lower portion of the Dasara Dibba are the most fascinating. The sides of the platform are also engraved with elaborate carvings of merchants, royal processions, musicians, elephants and animals. Some of the carvings in the Dibba depict foreign traders.

The platform has two stairways to reach the top - one situated at the front and the other at the back of the structure. The front stairway is decorated with ornate carvings of elephants, horses, soldiers and processions. The top of the platform provides a splendid view of the surrounding.

Also, there is one item which cannot be seen until you go near it. the underground meeting room. This is supposed to be a secret underground chamber used by the king to meet his ministers and spies



Way to Secret Rooms

Adjacent to the palace, is the Hajara Rama Temple, which means a thousand Rama, which refers to multitude of relics depicting the reigning deity of the temple. The walls of the temple depicts the story of Ramayana. Inner temple has Pillars made of black marble.



History of Hazara Rama Temple, Hampi : Hazara Rama Temple was built in the early part of the 15th century by the then king of Vijayanagara, Devaraya II. It was originally built as a simple structure. It consisted of only a sanctum, a pillared hall and an ardha mantapa. Later the temple structure was renovated to add an open porch and beautiful pillars.

The uniqueness of Hazara Rama Temple : The Hazara Rama Temple is a unique temple in many aspects. The first thing that draws attention about the temple is its name. The term ‘Hazara Rama’ literally means a thousand Rama and refers to the multitude of relics depicting the reigning deity of the temple. The walls of the temple carry the story of Ramayana carved on stone. The outer walls of the temple are decorated with bas-relics of Rama and Krishna.

The relics also portray processions of horses, elephants, attendants, soldiers and dancing women taking part in the Dasara festival rally at that time. The relics are among the most extensive ones to be found anywhere in India.Hazara Rama Temple Outer Wall, Hampi.

The beautiful structure of Hazara Rama Temple : The temple has a sprawling lawn on its northern side. There are two huge gateways that give access to the temple compound. The interior of the temple has ornately sculpted columns. An empty pedestal with three holes signifies that the temple once had idols of Rama, Lakshmana and Sita. There is a smaller shrine inside the temple complex with similar epic wall carvings.

The only addition is that there are depictions of Lord Vishnu also on the walls of this shrine. The temple stands as an example of the excellence.

From here, we went to Lakshima Narasimha Temple. Here you get to see 22 feet high statue of Narasimha sitting on the coil of 7 headed Snake. He is sitting in a cross legged Yoga position. This statues had been damaged in the raids. It had Lakshmi sitting on his lap earlier. The statues has Lion face and hence called Narasimha




Narasimha / Badavi Linga

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple : This is the largest statue in Hampi. Narasimha is sitting on the coil of a giant seven-headed snake called Sesha. The heads of the snake acts as the hood above his head. The god sits in a cross-legged Yoga position with a belt supporting the knees.

Sometimes this is referred as Ugra Narasimha (i.e. Narasimha in its terrifying form). The protruding eyes and the facial expression are the basis for this name.Narasimha (means half-man’half-lion in local the languages) is on of the ten incarnations (avatar) of Lord Vishnu.

The original statue contained the image of goddess Lakshmi, consort of the god, sitting on his lap. But this statue has been damaged seriously during the raid leading to the fall of Vijayanagara. Even the damaged portion of such a large statue of Lakshmi carved on his lap is missing. Probably it may be laying around in tiny pieces. But the goddess’s hand is visible resting on his back in embracing posture. If you get a chance to go inside this enclosure, it is possible to see the hand of the goddess. Even the nails & the rings on her fingers are so perfectly executed.

From the Narasimha Temple, we move towards Linga, called Badavi Linga, which is immersed in water around it, since a canal passes through this temple. This is the biggest of all Lingas in Hampi, made of black stone, nearly 12 feet in height. Its inner sanctum has no ceiling.

We returned back tired to our hotel but day spent well in this beautiful ruins. I got fulfillment of my bucket wish by visiting this city. It is real crime that we are not taking care of our heritage and letting it to deteriorate. After refreshing ourselves, we had dinner in small restaurant, which served only veg meals (Indian/Chinese/Italian etc)