Hampi 🇮🇳 India - the Capital of the Great Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar

Hampi, the 14th century capital of one of the greatest empires of medieval India, called the Vijayanagara Empire, lies in the Deccan heartland in the state of Karnataka. The 14th century ruins of Hampi lie scattered in about 26 square kilometer areas, amidst giant boulders and vegetation, protected by the tempestuous river Tungabhatra in the north and rocky granite ridges on the other three sides. The ruins silently narrate the story of grandeur, splendor and fabulous wealth. The Virupaska temple is located at the foot of the hill called Hemakata hill and is the core of the village of Hampi. The temple, often called Pampapatik temple, is the most sacred of the temples of this place. Historically speaking, this temple has an uninterrupted history from about the 7th century. The temple contains the shrines of Lord Shiva, Pampa and Bhuvaneshwari. The monuments of the Vijayanagara city were built between AD 1336 and 1570 from the times of Harihara I to Sadashivaraya. A large number of royal buildings were raised by Krishna Devaraya, the greatest ruler of the dynasty. Besides the temples, the impressive complex of civil, princely or public monuments are enclosed in the massive fortifications which, however, were unable to repulse the assault of the five sultans of Deccan in 1565. This capital offers an outstanding example of the type of structure which illustrates a significant historical situation. This part of the temple consists of pillars relieved with sculptures. These pillars are aesthetically composed and skillfully constructed. Thanga Bhadra is a major river in the south Indian peninsula. Hampi is located on the south bank somewhere in the middle of this river's path. In this area, the river takes a number of twists and turns owing to the rocky terrain. The river has immense significance in forming the political and religious history of Hampi. The ancient name of the river was Pampa. According to the legends, Pampa, the daughter of Brahma, the god of creation, did penance to please Lord Shiva. Impressed by her devotion, Shiva married her and took the name Pampapati, which means husband of Pampa. On the banks of the river, there are numerous shrines and idols associated with the worship of Lord Shiva. This is not one of the tallest hills in Hampi, but this hilltop and its slopes offer a splendid view of the sprawling ruined site. This hill is sprinkled generously with a large number of temples, archways and pavilions. Myth have it that it was on this hill that Lord Shiva, the god of destruction, did penance before marrying a local girl, Pampa. Hindus treat Hampi as a sacred land. According to the folklore, a number of mythical events are associated with Hampi. The name Hampi is evolved from Pampa, the ancient name of the river Tungabhadra. Also Pampa is the daughter of Brahma, the creator god. She was a devoted worshipper of Shiva, the god of destruction. Impressed by her dedication, Shiva offered her a boon and she opted to marry him. The place thus came to be known as land of Pampa and Shiva as Ponsod of Pampa. All these places have immense religious significance for the Hindus in South India, especially the devotees of Lord Shiva. In the beginning, Pampa was a local folk deity. Through the concept of marriage with Shiva, goddess Pampa is associated into the pantheon of the Hindu gods. The places mentioned here have a continuous religious history ever since known time frame. Even today, the annual ceremonial marriage festival and the betrothal are important festivals in Hampi. With time, Shiva became more popular here than Virupaska. Virupaska, an incarnation of Shiva, literally means the one with an oblique eye. This refers to the fact that Shiva has three eyes. The third fire eye on his forehead opens when he do his destructions. The Krishna temple was built to celebrate the conquest of the eastern kingdom of Udayagiri or Utkala. In the present day Orissa state, the entrances to the temple hall flanged with impressive carvings of elephant balustrades. This temple for Lord Rama is popularly called Harsari Rama temple or Harsara Rama temple because of the large number of Ramayana panels on the walls. This temple is believed to have been the private place of worship of the royal family. Originally, the temple consisted of a sanctum, an Ardha Mantapa and a pillared hall to which an open porch with tall and elegant pillars were added subsequently. A high wall encloses the entire complex with the main entrances set on the east. Though the temple is small, it is a fine example of the skill of Udayanagar sculptures. An area lying between the Kamalapura and the Whittler temple was known as the Islamic quarter. Religion was one of the strong inspirations in Hampi. Its religious history is much older than the political history. The presence of Islamic faith in the Hampi's social moorings is interesting. As an imperial capital, Hampi had a cosmopolitan outlook. Though the sultans of the Deccan brought down the empire, Hampi had a sizable Muslim population. It's peculiar to see the religious carvings on the temple structures with Muslim characteristics. A mosque is located at the center of the area known after Ahmed Khan, a high officer in the court of Krishna Devaraya II. The architecture is a pleasant deviation from the typical Islamic style. The Pattabhirama temple is a major pilgrimage center in the ruined city of Hampi. Along with the Virupaska and Whittler temples, the Pattabhirama temple embodies the prolific temple building ventures of the Udayanagar rulers. This preceding deity of the Pattabhirama temple is Lord Rama. Hampi, built in the year 1336, flourished and had a population of over half a million. The city was important not just for the traders, but also for devotees and poets. There were temples built in hundreds, which stand as an evidence to the religious inclination of Hampi. Over the years, Hampi developed a unique style of architecture, later came to be known as Vijayanagara architecture. It borrowed boldly from various schools of architecture prevailed at the time and blended them superbly to make its own style of architecture. For example, the Ornette temples look more of the Tamil country style. Making their palaces in using the Islamic style architecture was no taboo to the otherwise Hindu kingdom. Some of the beautiful monuments in Hampi are made out of a brilliant mix of the Hindu and Islamic style of architecture. Any number of words would fail to do justice to this wonderful Sri Vijaya Vittala temple, dedicated to Lord Vittala or Lord Vishnu. The construction of this temple started during the reign of King Krishna Devaraya in the year 1513 AD. The project was so colossal that the additions continued for almost five decades until the empire fell down in the year 1565 AD. A variant of the original Dravidian temple architecture, this temple, like many other temples in Hampi, is using the Vijayanagara temple architecture. There is a small main inner sanctum where the deity idols are placed. The temple today does not have the idol that was worshipped and is defunct in terms of religious activity. The temple stands on a strong stone basement with richly carved designs of the king's army and dancing girls. The carvings on the temple give an insight into the architectural splendor achieved by the artisans of the Vijayanagara empire. The temple consists of 56 musical pillars. When tapped gently, these pillars produce musical sounds. These pillars are popularly known as musical pillars or Sarigama pillars after the saptaswaras of the Indian classical music. With their sophisticated structure, where each supporting element is scanned by bundles of pilastars or colonnades which project from the richly sculpted walls, may be counted among the next extraordinary constructions of India. Millions upon millions of boulders shape the geography of Hampi and even its history. Hampi's architecture falls in three categories, civil, military and religious. Each of them apply different codes. The far end of religious history of Hampi somehow morphs into mythology. The significant events narrated in the Hindu epic Ramayana is believed to have happened in the setting surrounding Hampi. The most imperative is the section narrating the monkey kingdom, Kishkindha. Hinduism in Hampi had two major sects, the Saivites and the Vaishnavites. The former worship the destroyer god Shiva whereas the later worships Lord Vishnu, the preserver or maintainer. Both of these cults of Hinduism had been in practice in Hampi and then there are a number of sub-cults branched out of these faiths. Out of these two, the Shiva worship had been the oldest in Hampi. The epicentre of this cult was the Virupaksha temple. Even today it is one of the important pilgrimage centres for Shiva worshippers. The Virupaksha temple stands within high walls with three gateways on the east, south and north. The top portion of the pyramidal tower is made of stone and mortar. The horns resemble that of cows, a sacred animal in Hinduism and the tower is thus called Gopuram. The remains of Hampi are huge historical, architectural and ethnic museum of the time. In 1986, the Hampi group of monuments was granted the prize of UNESCO's World Heritage.