Hampi: A cosmopolitan legacy

Hampi, with its temple complexes, palaces and fortresses, epitomised the rich historical, architectural-cultural and cosmopolitan legacy of the Vijayanagara Empire, which flourished on the banks of the Tungabhadra for more than 200 years from the mid 14th century. It is second on The New York Times list of 52 places to visit in 2019.

 

A bird’s-eye view of the Virupaksha temple and the monuments at Hemakuta Hill.

The Queen’s Bath. It is a pavilion with balconies overlooking a square central pool.

The stepwell at the Royal Enclosure along with an aqueduct.

The double-storeyed gateway and King’s Balance near the Vitthala temple.

Incarnations of Vishnu and the characteristic horse rider sculptures on piers in the kalyana mandapa within the Vitthala temple complex.

The interior of the Hazara Rama, or Ramachandra, temple, built by Devarya I, with its polished black stone pillars carrying images of Vishnu and scenes from the Ramayana

Scenes from the Ramayana on the outer wall of the mandapa of the principal shrine at the Hazara Rama temple.

The Underground Siva temple, which is mostly flooded, lies west of the Hazara Rama temple.

Two-storeyed Talarigatta Gate, which was built into the fortification wall that enclosed the capital city.

The Lotus Mahal and a watchtower (on the right) in what is popularly, though erroneously, called the Zenana Enclosure.

The Elephant Stables, one of the most impressive courtly structures at Hampi.

The inner and outer entrance gateways of the Virupaksha temple as seen from the inner courtyard.

The monolithic Lakshmi-Narasimha statue, which Krishnadevaraya commissioned in 1528. It is 6.7 metres high and depicts the man-lion god sitting in a yogic posture on the coils of the cosmic serpent, Sesha Naga.

The Monolithic Kadalekalu (Bengal gram) Ganesha, so named because the belly looks like unsplit Bengal gram.

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The Stone Chariot temple, dedicated to Garuda, within the Vitthala temple.