MUST VISIT PLACES OF HAMPI (FROM HOSPET)

At a distance of 400 m from Hampi Bus Stand, Sri Virupaksha temple is a Hindu temple located at the western end of Hampi Bazaar in Hampi. It is the most famous and important temples in Hampi, and among the must include places in Hampi Packages.

Virupaksha Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is renowned as one of the most sacred pilgrimage in Karnataka. Virupaksha is an incarnation of Lord Shiva, and among all the surrounding ruins, this temple is intact and is still in use. This temple is also called the Pampapathi temple and is one of the most places to visit in Hampi. Situated on the southern bank of the Tungabhadra River, it is a part of the Group of Monuments at Hampi, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

According to history, this temple has been functioning uninterruptedly ever since .....

Hampi Bazaar is located beside the Hampi Bus Stand and located in front of the Virupaksha temple. It is also known as Virupaksha Bazaar. About a kilometer long, the eastern side of the bazaar ends at the foothill of Matanga Hill.

Hampi Bazaar is a unique attraction of Hampi. Both sides of the street have a series of very old pavilions, some single storied and others two storied. These buildings were once the part of a booming market and houses of the upper class merchants. The arcades are open structures with no doors. It was once a place where merchants used to sell precious stones, jewellery, silk clothes, etc. during Vijayanagara rule. It was also a market where cows and horses were traded. The Hampi Bazaar still functions as a market place, though it is no longer as attractive as it was. The western end of the street has been encroached by a number of shop owners and small restaurants. These shops that sell items like ethnic clothes, bags and pooja artifacts.

A huge Nandi, .....

At a distance of 500 m from Hampi Bus Stand, Sri Krishna temple is situated on the Hampi main road. Krishna temple is one of the important places to visit in Hampi, and among the Group of Monuments which is currently listed as a part of the World Heritage Monuments by UNESCO.

The temple is situated close to the Virupaksha Temple. According to the history, Bala Krishna Temple was built by Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire in 1513 AD. He built this temple to commemorate his victory over Prataparudra Gajapati, the ruler of the eastern kingdom of Udayagiri (now Orissa) which is mentioned in the inscriptions on the slab. The main idol installed in the temple was the figure of Bala Krishna and now it is preserved in the State Museum at Chennai.

This temple was built in Panchayathana style with two enclosures. Built-in the center of .....

At a distance of 800 m from Hampi Bus Stand, Ugra Narasimha Temple is located south of Sri Krishna Temple in Hampi. The Lakshmi Narasimha statue is one of the most imposing sculptures found in Hampi.

The specialty of the sculpture is that it is the largest monolith statue in Hampi with a height of 6.7 m. It was carved in 1528 AD during the rule of Krishnadevaraya. The protruding eyes and the facial expression are the basis for this name. This is considered to be among the most important monuments found in Hampi and is visited by a large number of people throughout the year.

Lord Narasimha is sitting on the coil of a giant seven-headed Adisesha (guardian snake of Lord Vishnu) and the lions guard the sides of the idol. The heads of the snake act as the hood above his head. The Lord in this temple is in cross-legged yoga position with the belt supporting the knees. The original statue contained the image of goddess Lakshmi, consort .....

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 in Hampi. It is also known as Dasara Dibba and is one of the most impressive structures to be visited during your Hampi Trip.

Mahanavami Dibba 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. It is one of the most fascinating Hampi tourist places.

Dasara Dibba represents the typical Vijayanagara style of architecture. The stone platform is about 12 m in height. The huge structure is a square platform with .....

At a distance of 100m from Mahanavami Dibba and 3.5 km from Hampi Bus Stand, The Stepped tank is located in Durbar Area in Royal enclosure of Hampi. This famous Stepped Tank was excavated by Archeological Survey of India during 1980-1983. This tank is very ornate and one of the most beautiful monuments of Hampi.

The Stepped Tank is constructed using finely finished blocks of black stones. This Tank was probably used by the royals for religious purpose. The beautiful tank is about 22 square meters and about 7 meters deep. It has five distinct tiers, each fitted with steps set in a pleasing pattern. The marks on the tank and individual blocks indicate the direction of flow of water. The water to this tank was drawn through the intelligently designed stone channels which are well preserved till date.

Timings: 6 AM to 6 PM

At a distance of 3.5 km from Hampi Bus Stand and 2 km from Kamalapur Bus Stand, The Royal Enclosure in Hampi is a huge fortified area that was once the heart of the Vijayanagara Empire.

This was the place where the royal family of the Vijayanagara Empire used to reside and the durbar used to be performed. Spread over an area of 59,000 square meters, it is believed to have once housed over 45 buildings, all used by the royal family. This center was separated from the main Hampi center by an irrigation canal. The sprawling area was protected by double walls. It had three entrances, two on the northern side and one on the western side.

The Royal Enclosure contains the ruins of several palace bases, water tanks, temples, ornate platform and canals and many other structures. Unlike the temples, which were constructed with stone, many of the palaces were built out of wood. The most impressive structure in the Royal Enclosure is the Mahanavami .....

At a distance of 3 km from Hampi Bus Stand, Hazara Rama Temple is a beautiful temple located at the center of Royal Enclosure. The temple is dedicated to Lord Rama.

Hazara Rama Temple was built in the early part of the 15th century by Devaraya II. The term Hazara Rama literally means a thousand Rama and refers to the large number of Ramayana panels depicted on the walls. This temple is believed to be the private temple of the kings and the royal family of Vijayanagara..

It was originally built as a simple structure within a rectangular complex. It consisted of only a sanctum, a pillared hall and an ardha-mandapa. Later the temple structure was renovated to add an open porch and beautiful pillars. The pillared hall has unique black stone pillars which are raised on a stone platform at the center of the hall. The interior of the temple has richly ornately columns. An empty pedestal with three holes signifies that the temple once had idols of Rama, Lakshmana and Sita.

Hazara .....

At a distance of 500 m from Hazara Rama Temple, 3.5 km from Hampi Bus Stand and 2 km from Kamalapur Bus Stand, Lotus Mahal is situated within Zenana Enclosure, a secluded area reserved for the royal ladies of the Vijayanagara Empire. This is also known as Chitragani Mahal and Kamal Mahal.

Lotus Mahal is the primary attraction of the Zenana Enclosure. Shaped like a lotus flower from the top, the archways of the structure resemble petals of a lotus and provide the whole structure the shape of a half-open lotus. The central dome is carved in the shape of a lotus bud.

Lotus Mahal is built in Indo-Islamic style. The two storied structure is symmetrically laid out, with equal projections on four sides. The base of the structure resembles Hindu temple style while the upper superstructure is Islamic in architecture with pyramidal towers.

The upper floor of the Mahal has balconies with arched windows. The arches of the ground floor are recessed and ornate. The walls are protected .....

At a distance of 500 m from Hazara Rama Temple, 3.5 km from Hampi Bus Stand and 2 km from Kamalapur Bus Stand, The Zenana enclosure is located near the Royal Enclosure at Hampi. This was a fortified and secluded area reserved for the royal ladies of the Vijayanagara Empire.

The structures of the Zenana Enclosure are designed in the Indo-Islamic style of architecture. Zenana Enclosure has several structures such as the Lotus Mahal, Basement of the Queen's Palace, Water Pavilion, Treasury Building and the Watch Towers. The major attraction inside the enclosure is the Lotus Mahal. Apart from this, there are remains of water pavilion with a decorated platform in the center and Elephant Stables. The Queen's Palace is located at the middle of this area. This is the largest palace base excavated in the Hampi ruins so far. The Royal Treasury Building is a rectangular structure that is located in the north-western corner of the enclosure.

The enclosure is surrounded by a fortifying .....

At a distance of 500 m from Hazara Rama Temple, 3.5 km from Hampi Bus Stand and 2 km from Kamalapur Bus Stand, Elephant Stable is an ancient monument located just outside the Zenana Enclosure in Hampi.

The Elephant Stable is an impressive structure that was used to provide shelter for the royal elephants of the Vijayanagara Empire. It is one of the very few structures not suffered the damage during Deccan Sultanate attack on Hampi and is a major attraction among the tourists.

This is a beautiful example of Indo-Islamic architecture. There are 11 domed tall chambers. The whole building looks symmetric with respect to this central hall. The center chamber is specially decorated and big. The other 10 domes represent the Islamic style of architecture. Each of the domes was decorated with ornate plaster on the interior as well as the exterior.

Metal hooks on the inside roof can be seen. The elephants were tied to these hooks from the center of the ceiling. At the rear of .....

At a distance of 300 m from Kamalapur Bus Stand and 4 km from Hampi Bus Stand, The Archaeological Museum at Kamalapur is dedicated to the ruins of Hampi and surrounding places.

The sculptures from various locations of the Hampi ruins were collected by British officers and housed earlier at elephant stables. The first museum of Archaeological Survey of India was established here in 1972. The antiquities were shifted to a modern building at Kamalapur. This museum exhibits elegant replicas of Krishnadevaraya and his queens greeting the visitors at the entrance. The Museum houses a large collection of sculptures and artifacts spread across four galleries.

The first gallery of the museum contains two scaled models of Hampi along with all historical monuments. The larger model presents a complete topography of the region along with the monuments and temples located on it. It also displays the hills and rivers in Hampi. It provides an excellent idea about the various attractions .....

At a distance of 9 km (or 2.3 km by walk) from Hampi Bus Stand and 5.5 km from Kamalapura Bus Stand, Vittala Temple is an ancient monument located on the southern bank of the Tungabhadra River in Hampi. It is one of the largest and the most famous structures to visit as part of Hampi tour packages.

The Vijaya Vittala or Vittala Temple is the most famous and popular tourist places to visit in Hampi. This temple is famous for its Stone Chariot and Musical Pillars. It was built around the 15th century AD during the reign of King Devaraya II (1422 - 1446 AD). Several portions of the temple were expanded and enhanced during the reign of Krishnadevaraya (1509 - 1529 AD). This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu in the form of Vittala. The temple is well-known for its exceptional architecture and unmatched craftsmanship. This predominant monument of Hampi is a major .....