World Class Historic UNESCO Site,Poetry In Stone Hampi, India

My last visit to the state of Karnataka in India took me to a place which is a world heritage site of UNESCO - Hampi poetry in Stone. Beside the river Tungabhadra it is a 800 years old city named Vijay Nagar a Hindu kingdom of by gone era.

Hampi (Kannada: ಹಂಪೆ hampe) is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. Hampi a city made of Stone is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, this village continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple. The village of Hampi contains several other monuments belonging to the old city. It extends into some of the old ceremonial streets of Vijayanagara. As the village is at the original centre of Vijayanagara, it is sometimes confused with this ruined city. The Vijayanagara ruins are listed as the Group of Monuments at Hampi as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hampi formed one of the cores of the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from 1336 to 1565. It was destroyed by Muslim sultans. Hampi was chosen because of its strategic location, bounded by the torrential Tungabhadra River on one side and surrounded by defensible hills on the other three sides.

What a level of sculpture and architecture India had produced at that time you can see at the location. Hampi is situated on the banks of the Tungabhadra river. It is 353 km from Bangalore, 254 km from Bijapur and 74 km away from Bellary. Hosapete, 13 km away, is the nearest taluka headquarters. The chief languages spoken are Kannada and Telugu. The principal industries of the village are agriculture, the support of the Virupaksha temple and some other local holy places in the vicinity, and tourism. The annual Vijayanagar Festival is organized by the Government of Karnataka in November. Due to the presence of several mineral deposits in this region (iron-ore, manganese), mining has been going on for many years now. But a recent boom for the supply of iron-ore in the international market has led to excessive mining in this district. The World Heritage Site at Hampi as well as the Tungabhadra Dam are now under threat. Important sites

• Virupakska Temple


• Vitthala temple with musical pillars, Hoysala style multi-gonal base Hampi


• Achyutaraya Temple/Tiruvengalanatha Temple


• Akka Tangi Gudda Anegondi


• Anjeyanadri Hill Aqueducts and Canals


• Archaeological Museum at Kamalapura


• Badava Linga Chandramauleshwar Temple


• The Kings’ balance


• The Underground Temple Tungabhadra River


• Uddana Veerabhadra temple


• Ugra Narasimha Virupaksha Temple


• Vittala temple


• Yeduru Basavanna


• Yentrodharaka Anjaneya temple


• Zenana enclosure


• Virupapura Madhavan Palace with more than 1,000,000 pillars Sasivekalu Ganesha


• Elephant's Stable


• Lotus Temple

Best way to visit Hampi is going to Bangalore the capital of Karnataka, India and then takes Hampi Express from Bangalore Central Station or KSRTD conducted tour from Badami House Bangalore. You have to get down at Hospet station for Hampi and stay at Krishna Palace Hotel or ITDC Hotel at Hampi.

Have your own vehicle from Hotel as the place is spread across 27 sq KM. Must visit Vittal Temple, Virupaksha temple, Lotus Palace, Podium, Chariot and Kings Balance etc.

A place to visit for lifetime experience on Indian Art and Creative mind from by gone era.