The second day of Hampi itinerary starts at the Vitthala temple - one of the most famous temples in Hampi. The itinerary covers roughly 3.5 km to explore different temple ruins along the bank of the Thungabadra river. One can cover the distance by walking, however given the hot climate of Hampi, it is better to hire a bi-cycle of a two wheeler. Some stretch in this itinerary requires a walk through the rock boulders to explore the riverside temples and monuments. You can park your vehicle at some place and do this stretch.
Hampi Day 2 Itinerary
8:00am - 10:00 am - Vitthala Temple Complex
If Hampi is the crown of Vijayanagara architecture, the Vitthala Temple is the crown jewel. The Vitthala temple is a sprawling complex with intricately carved pillars and grand Mantapas. The complex also houses the stone chariot, which is considered as the epitome of the Vijayanagara art and sculpture. Vitthala temple lies around 2.7km north-east of the Virupaksha temple, over the bank of the Tungabhadra river.
The temple was dedicated to Vitthala – a form of Lord Vishnu. Even though there is no clear evidence, scholars believe that the construction of the Vitthala temple started under the patronage of Devaraya II (1422-46 AD) and later expanded by Krishnadevaraya (1509-1529) and his queens.As we enter the Vitthala temple, be prepared to be owe struck. What we are about to witness is nothing less than an architectural magic, which would instantly transport you to the ancient times.
10:15am - 10:45 am Purandara Dasa Mantapa
Situated quite close to the Vitthala temple, there is a small Mantapa which stands partially inside the Tungabhadra River. It is the Purandara Dasa Mantapa. Purandara Dasa(1484-1564) was a great musician and composer of ancient times. He is considered as the father of the classical Carnatic music.It is said that Purandaradasa spent his last years in this very own Mantapa singing and composing songs that praise his favorite deity Lord Vitthala. He signed his compositions with the mudra (pen name), "Purandara Vittala".
During the raining seasons, the Mantapa becomes more picturesque as it partially get immersed in the river. Every year, a Karnatic classical music fest is conducted around here, known as the "Purandaradasa Aradhana" as a tribute to the legendary composer.
11:00 am - 11:30am Kings Balance and the Double storied Gateway
1:30pm to 2:30pm - Lunch break
There are not many hotels near the Narasimha temple, as most of the good restaurants are concentrated in Hampi Bazaar in the Virupaksha temple area. However, it is just around 1km from the Narasimha temple to the Hampi Bazaar. One can have lunch in the Hampi Bazaar and come back to the itinerary in an hour,
2:45pm - 3:00pm - Kodandarama temple
Kodandarama temple looks like any other ordinary temple from outside. Nevertheless, this small temple which faces the Chakratheertha of Thungabhadra River is a very important pilgrim spot due to its connection to the epic Ramayana. In Ramayana, Sugreeva is a monkey-king who helps Rama to reach Lanka, in order to rescue his wife from Ravana- the demon king.
The location of the temple is quite picturesque. It faces
one of the holiest points of Thungabadra river. There is a tall deepa stambha
in front of the temple and a pipal tree adjacent to it. one can enter into the
pillared double porch to reach in front of the sanctum.
From the Achyutaraya temple, one can start climbing the Matanga hill and on the other side of the hill we can find a stone pavilion contains the black monolithic sculpture of Nandi – the vehicle of Lord Shiva. This pavilion is built in 2 stories of pillars and it looks quite beautiful with the heaps of boulders in the background.
8:00am - 10:00 am - Vitthala Temple Complex
10:15am - 10:45 am Purandaradasa Mantapa
11:00 am - 11:30am Kings Balance and the Double storied Gateway
12:00pm - 12:15pm Sugreeva’s cave
12:30pm - 1:30pm Narasimha temple
1:30pm to 2:30pm - Lunch break
2:45pm - 3:00pm - Kodandarama temple
3:30pm - 4:30pm Achyuta Raya’s Temple complex
4:45 - 5:00pm Ranganatha Temple
5:15pm - 6:15pm Climb over the hill to reach Monolithic bull
6:30pm - 7:00pm Yantrodharaka Anjaneya Temple
If Hampi is the crown of Vijayanagara architecture, the Vitthala Temple is the crown jewel. The Vitthala temple is a sprawling complex with intricately carved pillars and grand Mantapas. The complex also houses the stone chariot, which is considered as the epitome of the Vijayanagara art and sculpture. Vitthala temple lies around 2.7km north-east of the Virupaksha temple, over the bank of the Tungabhadra river.
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The sprawling Vitthala temple By Archana Ramesh (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
The temple was dedicated to Vitthala – a form of Lord Vishnu. Even though there is no clear evidence, scholars believe that the construction of the Vitthala temple started under the patronage of Devaraya II (1422-46 AD) and later expanded by Krishnadevaraya (1509-1529) and his queens.As we enter the Vitthala temple, be prepared to be owe struck. What we are about to witness is nothing less than an architectural magic, which would instantly transport you to the ancient times.
10:15am - 10:45 am Purandara Dasa Mantapa
Situated quite close to the Vitthala temple, there is a small Mantapa which stands partially inside the Tungabhadra River. It is the Purandara Dasa Mantapa. Purandara Dasa(1484-1564) was a great musician and composer of ancient times. He is considered as the father of the classical Carnatic music.It is said that Purandaradasa spent his last years in this very own Mantapa singing and composing songs that praise his favorite deity Lord Vitthala. He signed his compositions with the mudra (pen name), "Purandara Vittala".
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The submerged Purandara Dasa Mantapa By Dr Murali Mohan Gurram (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
11:00 am - 11:30am Kings Balance and the Double storied Gateway
As we get off from the side road of Purandaradasa Mantapa and walk through the road
parallel to the Tungabhadra river, we pass through a double storied gateway.
Right in front of the gateway there is a curiously shaped structure, which at
the first sight looks like just another gateway.
However, it is known as the
“King’s Balance”. One of the interesting facts about the King’s Balance is that
one can find an image of Krishnadevaraya inscribed on the balance. It is rare
depiction of King Krishnadevaraya. The King’s Balance – as the name suggests-
was used to weigh the King against gold or other precious material and then as
a religious offering, the measured material was donated to the temple or
distributed to the Brahmin priests. This practice is prevalent in south Indian
states and known as “Thulabharam”.
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The King's Balance and double storied gateway By Srikar.agnihotram (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
12:00pm - 12:15pm Sugreeva’s cave
From the King's balance, a short walk through the rocky terrain along the river takes you to the Sugreeva’s cave. As the name suggests, this cave is related to Sugreeva – the monkey
king- from the epic Ramayana. The entrance of the cave is a crevice painted
with white and ochre stripes. There are many locations in Hampi that is closely
related to different events from the epic Ramayana.
According to the legends,
this cave is believed to be the place where Sugreeva hid the jewels of Sita
that was dropped down while she was being abducted by Ravana. Even though there
is not much to see within the cave, one can see large foot prints carved on to
the rock, which is believed to be that of Rama and Lakshmana.
There is also a pond near the Sugreeva’s cave, which is known as “Sitasarovar”
Entrance of the Sugreeva Cave This photo of Hampi is courtesy of TripAdvisor |
Interior of Sugreeva's Cave with huge foot prints This photo of Hampi is courtesy of TripAdvisor |
There is also a pond near the Sugreeva’s cave, which is known as “Sitasarovar”
12:30pm - 1:30pm Narasimha temple
Quite close to the Sugreeva's cave one can find the double storied gateway of the Narasimha temple. It is located on the slop of the Gandhamadana
hill facing the Tungabhadra River. This temple’s architecture suggests that it
was constructed in the Pre-vijayanagara period. The temple can be reached by
following a flight of steps starting from a double storied Mantapa. Pillars of
this Mantapa are carved with the images of Garuda and Hanuman. The inside
pillars have finely carved circular tops.
The Kadamba
architecture style of the Narasimha temple resembles that of the Jain temples.
Hence the Narasimha temple is also referred (wrongly) as the Jain temple.
The central sanctuary of the temple doesn’t have any idol
now however scholars are of the opinion that it was dedicated to Narasimha –the
fourth Avatar of Vishnu. The roof of the temple is a pyramid with eave-like
mouldings which resembles the shrines on the Hemakunta hill.
There are not many hotels near the Narasimha temple, as most of the good restaurants are concentrated in Hampi Bazaar in the Virupaksha temple area. However, it is just around 1km from the Narasimha temple to the Hampi Bazaar. One can have lunch in the Hampi Bazaar and come back to the itinerary in an hour,
2:45pm - 3:00pm - Kodandarama temple
Kodandarama temple looks like any other ordinary temple from outside. Nevertheless, this small temple which faces the Chakratheertha of Thungabhadra River is a very important pilgrim spot due to its connection to the epic Ramayana. In Ramayana, Sugreeva is a monkey-king who helps Rama to reach Lanka, in order to rescue his wife from Ravana- the demon king.
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View of the Kodandarama temple from Thungabhadra Photo courtesy:John and Siv O'Neall (http://sjoneall.net) |
3:30pm - 4:30pm Achyuta Raya’s Temple complex
Achyuta Raya’s temple, which is also known as the Tiruvengalanatha
temple is situated in a secluded valley created by the created by the Gandhamadana
hills to the east and Matanga hills on the west. he temple is popularly known by the name of King
Achyuta Raya- the younger brother of Krishna Devaraya .
Contrary to popular belief, it was not King
Achyuta Raya built this temple. It was built by by Hiriya Thirumalaraja, the
brother-in-law of Achyuta Raya in 1534. The main gateway is of particular interest because it has a
carved image of the Vijayanagara emblem, “the boar and the sword” which can
rarely be spotted on the Hampi ruins. The emblem of Vijayanagara might have
been the prime target of destruction during the invasion in 1565.
4:45pm - 5:00pm Ranganatha Temple
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Ariel view of the Achyutraya temple By ablogger aka albert (Flickr) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
4:45pm - 5:00pm Ranganatha Temple
As we exit the Achyuta Raya’s Temple and walk through
the courtesan street, there is a small temple which looks as if in a ruined
state. However this temple – known as the Ranganatha temple houses one of the
most detailed sculptures of AnantaShayana – the cosmic sleep of Lord Vishnu.
The sculpture is so rich in detail so that one can observe that the Brahma
sitting on a lotus that is sprouted from the naval of Lord Vishnu.
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Ranganatha temple entrance By G41rn8 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
5:15pm - 6:15pm Climb over the hill to reach Monolithic bull
From the Achyutaraya temple, one can start climbing the Matanga hill and on the other side of the hill we can find a stone pavilion contains the black monolithic sculpture of Nandi – the vehicle of Lord Shiva. This pavilion is built in 2 stories of pillars and it looks quite beautiful with the heaps of boulders in the background.
Nandi - The Monolithic Bull By Tania Dey (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
6:30pm - 7:00pm Yantrodharaka Anjaneya Temple
It is a small Hanuman shrine located close to the bull
statue. The idol of Hanuman is installed within an amulet or Yantra, hence the
name “Yantrodharaka”. Hanuman’s mother in Anjana and Anjenaya means the son of
Anjana. It is another name by which Hanuman is addressed. There is a more
famous Hanuman temple in Hampi – which is believed to be the birthplace of
Hanuman. It is located on top of the Anjaneya Hill.
Route Map for the Day 2 itinerary
Yantrodharaka Anjaneya Temple This photo of Hampi is courtesy of TripAdvisor |
Route Map for the Day 2 itinerary
Interesting, i hope i will visit sometimes.
ردحذفInteresting post!
ردحذفGreat post, Love this article.
ردحذفإرسال تعليق