HAMPI

Hampi (Kannada: ಹಂಪೆ, Hampe in Kannada) is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. The name is a corruption of Pampa, which is the puranic name of the Tungabhadra River on whose banks the city is built. Hampi is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara empire. Possibly 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. Hampi is also called "The City of Ruins". The Vijayanagara ruins are listed as the Group of Monuments at Hampi as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[1]

The name "Hampi" is an anglicized version of the Kannada Hampe (derived from Pampa, the ancient name for the Tungabhadra river). Over the years, it has also been referred to as Vijayanagara and Virupakshapura (from Virupaksha, the patron deity of the Vijayanagara rulers).

[edit] History

A Hindu temple naga decoration at Hampi.Hampi is identified with the mythological Kishkindha, the Vanara (monkey) kingdom which finds mention in the Ramayana. The first historical settlements in Hampi date back to 1 CE.

Hampi formed one of the cores of the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from 1336 to 1565. It was destroyed by Moslem 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.

The site is of great importance in terms of architecture and historical significance. The demography is abundant with large stones which have been utilized to make larger than life statues of god. One can see a structure of historic importance every quarter of a mile.

Sadly the city is in ruins as it was not able to defend itself against Islamic aggressions who treat Idol worship as blasphemy, Many statues have been destroyed or damaged, the successive governments have not been able to keep the place free from treasure seekers who claim further damage.

Recently the Archaeological Survey of India is conducting continous excavations in the area to discover more artifacts and temples.

[edit] Geography

Hampi overviewHampi 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. Hospet, 13 km away, is the nearest taluka headquarters. The chief language spoken is Kannada. 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 of these minerals 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.

The City has been given Limited connectivity to preserve the character with no scarcity in elctricity, good GSM network coverages and amenities, it is becoming a popular tourist destination as on Oct 2007

[edit] Important sites at and near Hampi
Achyutaraya Temple/Tiruvengalanatha Temple [1]
Akka Tangi Gudda
Anegondi
Anjeyanadri Hill
Aqueducts and Canals [2]
Archaeological Museum[3] at Kamalapura
Badava Linga
Balakrishna Temple
Bhima’s Gate
Bhojanasala
Chakratirth
Chandrashekara temple
Coracle crossings [4]
Danaik's enclosure
Elephant Stables
Ganagitti Temple
Gejjala Mandapa
Guard’s quarters
Hampi Bazaar[5]
Hanuman Temple
Hazara Rama temple
Hemakuta Hill
Jain temples
Kadale Kalu Ganesha
Kings Audience Hall [6]
Kondarama Temple
Lakshmi Temple
lotus mahal[7]
Mahanavami Dibha
Malayavanta Raghunatha temple
Malyavanta Hill
Matunga Hill
Mint
Navabrundavana
Octagonal bath
Octagonal Water pavilion
Pampa Sarovar
Pattaabhi Rama temple
Purandaradasa mandapam
Pushkarani or the Stepped Tank
Rishimukh
Royal enclosure
Saraswati Temple
Sasive Kalu Ganesha
Sita Konda
Sugriva's Cave
The Kings’ balance [8]
The Underground Temple [9]
Tungabhadra River
Uddana Veerabhadra temple
Ugra Narasimha
Virupaksha Temple[10]
Vittala temple [11]
Yeduru Basavanna
Yentrodharaka Anjaneya temple [12]
Zenana enclosure
Virupapurgadde [13]

Where to stay in Hampi?
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Hampi on Karnataka map
Visitors stay at Hampi for many days. This is a norm considering the time it requires to ‘explore’ the sites. There are three or four clusters of accommodation locations.

Hospet town is the place where one can get accommodation that is rated as luxurious in Hampi’s scale. Kamalapura, a village centre close to Hampi is the second option. This is the place where the state run hotel with fair level of staying comfort is located.

Hampi village, the epicenter of backpacker tourism, is the budget type accommodation scene. In fact every other house here is a guest house. They rent out rooms within or attached to their homes.

Virupapur Gadde across the river is the den for the hippy genre.This is a place where you can rent huts, mostly located close to the riverbank

In general, gatecrash is a reputed check in style in town. But advance booking is preferred during the peak season.

You can make a decent tour of the ruins in 3 to 4 days. Though it's not uncommon to see tourists do a 1day crash tour of Hampi, it's not worth the effort

When to go?
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The popular tourist season is October to February with the New Year holidays as the centre peak. This period is the optimum time of the year with a pleasant weather.


Tourist Season, Hampi
However Hampi’s festival calendar is spread throughout the year.

Hampi Festival (November): This is the largest festival at Hampi. Generally they are scheduled for 3 days during the first week of November. The celebrations typically packed with shows of music, dance puppet shows fireworks and a pomp procession as the grand finale showcasing the cultural richness of the place. Of late items like rock climbing, water sports and rural sports also has been included in the schedule.


HAMPI PICTURE GALLARY

























Hampi-Maps