Hampi, also known as Hampe, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the town of Hampi within the Vijayanagara district of east-central Karnataka, India. Hampi existed before the Vijayanagara Empire and is mentioned in ancient Hindu texts, the Ramayana and the Puranas, as Pampa Devi Tirtha Kshetra. Today, Hampi remains a religious center, featuring the Virupaksha Temple, an active monastery connected to Adi Shankara, and many monuments from the old city.

Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565, when it was abandoned. It was a fortified city. Travelers from Persia and Europe, including the Portuguese, described Hampi as a wealthy and grand city near the Tungabhadra River, with many temples, farms, and trading markets. By 1500, Hampi-Vijayanagara was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing and likely the richest city in India at that time, attracting traders from Persia and Portugal. The Vijayanagara Empire was defeated by a group of Muslim sultanates. In 1565, Muslim armies attacked, looted, and destroyed the city, leaving Hampi in ruins.

Located in Karnataka, near the modern town of Hampi and 13 kilometers (8.1 miles) from Hosapete, the ruins of Hampi cover 4,100 hectares (16 square miles). UNESCO describes the site as a grand but simple location with more than 1,600 surviving remains from the last great Hindu kingdom in South India. These remains include forts, riverside features, royal and sacred complexes, temples, shrines, pillared halls, memorial structures, water-related buildings, and other structures.

Etymology

The name Hampi comes from the old name of the Tungabhadra River, which was Pampa. In English, the name Hampi is based on the Kannada word Hampe.

Location

Hampi is located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River in the eastern part of central Karnataka, near the border with Andhra Pradesh. It is 140 kilometers (87 miles) southeast of the Badami and Aihole archaeological sites.

The name Hampi is also known as Pampa-kshetra, Kishkindha-kshetra, or Bhaskara-kshetra. It comes from the name Pampa, which is another name for the Hindu goddess Parvati. According to Hindu mythology, Parvati, who was a past life of Shiva’s wife Sati, wanted to marry Shiva, who lived as a lonely ascetic. Her parents tried to stop her, but she refused to give up. Shiva was deep in meditation and did not notice her. Parvati asked the gods for help to wake him. Indra sent Kamadeva, the god of love and desire, to awaken Shiva. Kamadeva shot an arrow of love, but Shiva opened his third eye and turned Kamadeva to ashes.

Parvati did not lose hope. She lived like Shiva, practicing asceticism and meditation, to win his attention. Shiva tried to discourage her by telling her about his flaws, but she refused to listen. Eventually, Shiva agreed to marry her. After their marriage, Kamadeva was brought back to life. According to tradition, Parvati lived on Hemakuta Hill, now part of Hampi, to win Shiva’s love. The river near Hemakuta Hill became known as the Pampa River. Over time, the name Pampa changed to Hampa, and the place became known as Hampi.

Hampi was an early medieval pilgrimage site called Pampakshetra. It became famous because of the Kishkindha chapters of the Hindu epic Ramayana, where Rama and Lakshmana met Hanuman, Sugriva, and the monkey army in their search for Sita. The area has many features similar to those described in the Ramayana. Local tradition says this is the place mentioned in the epic, which attracted pilgrims. The site was discovered by an engineer named Colonel Colin Mackenzie in the 1800s.

Emperor Ashoka’s Rock Edicts from Nittur and Udegolan, in Bellary district, dated 269–232 BCE, show that this region was part of the Maurya Empire in the 3rd century BCE. A Brahmi inscription and a terracotta seal from around the 2nd century CE were found during excavations. The town is mentioned in Badami Chalukya inscriptions as Pampapura, dating from the 6th to 8th centuries.

By the 10th century, Hampi became a center for religious and educational activities under the Kalyana Chalukya kings. Their inscriptions mention land grants to the Virupaksha temple. Inscriptions from the 11th to 13th centuries describe gifts to the goddess Hampa-devi. Between the 12th and 14th centuries, the Hoysala Empire built temples to Durga, Hampadevi, and Shiva. An inscription from around 1199 CE mentions that one of the Hoysala kings was called Hampeya-Odeya, or "lord of Hampi." During the Hoysala period, Hampi was also called Virupakshapattana or Vijaya Virupakshapura, in honor of the Virupaksha (Shiva) temple.

The Delhi Sultanate, including the armies of Alauddin Khalji and Muhammad bin Tughlaq, invaded and destroyed parts of South India. The Hoysala Empire and its capital, Dvarasamudra, were attacked and destroyed by Alauddin Khalji in the early 14th century and again by Muhammad bin Tughlaq in 1326 CE.

After the fall of the Hoysala Empire, the short-lived Kampili kingdom was established in north-central Karnataka, about 33 kilometers (21 miles) from Hampi. Kampili was destroyed by the armies of Muhammad bin Tughlaq. When Kampili soldiers were defeated, Hindu women committed jauhar, a ritual mass suicide. In 1336 CE, the Vijayanagara Empire rose from the ruins of Kampili. It became one of the most powerful Hindu empires in South India, ruling for over 200 years.

The Vijayanagara Empire built its capital around Hampi, calling it Vijayanagara. Historians believe the founders, Harihara I and Bukka I, were commanders in the Hoysala army stationed in the Tungabhadra region to protect against Muslim invasions. Some say they were Telugu people who took control of parts of the Hoysala Empire during its decline. Texts suggest they were treasury officers of Pratap Rudra, the king of the Kakatiya Kingdom. When Muhammad Bin Tughlaq sought Baha-Ud-Din Gurshasp, Pratap Rudra was overthrown, and the Kakatiya Kingdom fell. Harihara I and Bukka I then moved to the site of Vijayanagara, now Hampi. Vidyaranya, a spiritual leader, supported them, and the city was named Vidyanagara in 1336.

The Vijayanagara rulers improved infrastructure and built temples. By 1500 CE, Hampi-Vijayanagara was the second-largest medieval city in the world after Beijing and likely the richest in India. Its wealth attracted traders from the Deccan, Persia, and Goa. The empire supported intellectual and artistic growth, maintained a strong military, and fought wars with sultanates to the north and east. They invested in roads, water systems, agriculture, religious buildings, and public works. UNESCO describes the site as including "forts, riverside features, royal and sacred complexes, temples, shrines, pillared halls, mandapas, memorial structures, gateways, check posts, stables, water structures, and more." The site was home to people of many religions and cultures, with Hindu and Jain monuments standing side by side. Most buildings followed South Indian Hindu styles similar to Aihole and Pattadakal, but some, like the Lotus Mahal and public bath, used unique architectural elements.

Portuguese and Persian traders described Hampi as a city of great beauty and size. However, wars between the Vijayanagara Empire and Muslim sultanates continued. In 1565, a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire at the Battle of Talikota. They captured and killed the king, Aliya Rama Raya, and destroyed much of Hampi and Vijayanagara. The city was looted, burned, and abandoned for six months, leaving behind ruins now called the Group of Monuments at Hampi.

Hampi and its surrounding area remained a contested region throughout the 18th century,

Description

• View of Hampi Bazaar from Matanga Hill
• Entrance to Sri Krishna Temple
• Temple on top of Matanga Hill
• Sasivekalu Ganesha monument
• Dhwaja Stambha at Chandikesvara Temple, Hemakuta Hill
• Sri Prasanna Anjaneya Gudi on Hemakuta Hill
• Mandapam with water body.

Hampi is located in an area with many large granite rocks. The Hampi monuments, which are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, are a part of the ruins from the Vijayanagara Empire. Most of these monuments were built between 1336 and 1570 CE during the time this empire ruled. The site includes about 1,600 monuments and covers an area of 41.5 square kilometers (16.0 square miles).

Scholars have divided the Hampi site into three main areas. The first is called the "sacred centre," which includes temples near a river and older monuments that existed before the Vijayanagara Empire. The second area is called the "urban core" or "royal centre," which has over sixty temples built during the Vijayanagara Empire. This area also includes roads, water tanks, public buildings, gateways, markets, and monasteries. The third area includes the rest of the city. These divisions were helped by about seventy-seven stone inscriptions found at the site.

Most of the monuments are Hindu. Temples and public spaces like water tanks and markets have carvings and artwork showing Hindu gods and stories from Hindu texts. There are also six Jain temples, monuments, and one Muslim mosque and tomb. The buildings were made from local stone, and the main architectural style is Dravidian, which developed in southern India during the first half of the 1st millennium. This style also includes influences from the Hoysala Empire, which ruled from the 11th to 14th centuries, such as in the pillars of the Ramachandra Temple and the ceilings of the Virupaksha Temple complex. Some monuments, like the Queen’s Bath and Elephant Stables, show an Indo-Islamic style. UNESCO describes this as evidence of a society that included many religions and ethnic groups.

List of attractions

• Virupaksha Temple in Hampi
• Large Nandi statue at the eastern end of Virupaksha Bazaar in Hampi.
• Inner courtyard and pillared halls (mandapas) of the Virupaksha Temple complex in Hampi.
• Ruins of Vijaya Vittala Temple
• Gopuram (entrance tower) of Virupaksha Temple
• Relief of Hanuman in the court of the Uddana Veerabhadra Temple. The color blots on the relief are made by priests or devotees with sindoor (a type of red powder).
• Fresco in the interior of Virupaksha Temple
• Fresco in the interior of Virupaksha Temple
• Sculpture in the interior of Virupaksha Temple

The Virupaksha Temple is the oldest shrine in Hampi. It is a major site for pilgrims and visitors and is still used for Hindu worship. Parts of the Shiva, Pampa, and Durga temples existed in the 11th century. The temple was expanded during the Vijayanagara era. It includes smaller temples, a 50-meter (160-foot) high gopuram that is regularly repainted, a Hindu monastery dedicated to Vidyaranya of the Advaita Vedanta tradition, a water tank (Manmatha), a community kitchen, other monuments, and a 750-meter (2,460-foot)-long ruined stone market with a large Nandi shrine at its eastern end.

The temple faces east, aligning the sanctums of the Shiva and Pampa Devi temples with the sunrise. A large gopuram marks its entrance. The tower is pyramid-shaped with pilastered storeys, each decorated with artwork, including erotic sculptures. The gopuram leads into a rectangular court that ends in a smaller gopuram built in 1510 CE. To the south of this court is a hall with 100 columns, each decorated with Hindu-related reliefs on all four sides. This hall is connected to a community kitchen, a feature found in other major temples in Hampi. A channel in the rock delivers water to the kitchen and feeding hall. The court after the small gopuram includes a dipa-stambha (lamp pillar) and a Nandi statue.

This court leads to the main mandapa (hall) of the Shiva temple. The original square mandapa and a rectangular extension made of two fused squares and sixteen piers were built by Krishnadevaraya. The ceiling above the mandapa is painted, showing stories from Hindu traditions. One section shows the marriage of Shiva and Parvati, another shows the story of Rama and Sita, a third shows the love god Kama shooting an arrow at Shiva to attract him to Parvati, and a fourth shows the Advaita scholar Vidyaranya being carried in a procession. Scholars believe these paintings were added during a 19th-century renovation, and the original paintings are unknown. The mandapa pillars have large yalis, mythical creatures with features of a horse, lion, and other animals, with an armed warrior riding them—a common feature of Vijayanagara architecture.

The temple’s sanctum contains a mukha-linga, a Shiva linga with a face made of brass. Smaller shrines for two forms of Parvati—Pampa and Bhuvaneshwari—are located to the north of the main sanctum. The Bhuvaneshwari shrine is built in Chalukyan style using granite instead of pot stone. A smaller northern gopura opens to the Manmatha tank and a path to the river, with stone reliefs related to the Ramayana. To the west of the tank are shrines for Shaktism (goddess worship) and Vaishnavism (Vishnu worship), such as those for Durga and Vishnu. Some shrines on this path were whitewashed in the 19th century by British officer F.W. Robinson, who aimed to restore the temple complex. This whitewashing has continued as a tradition.

According to local tradition, the Virupaksha Temple remained a gathering place for Hindus and pilgrims even after Hampi was destroyed in 1565. The temple attracts large crowds. An annual festival with a chariot procession to celebrate the marriage of Virupaksha and Pampa is held in spring, as is the festival of Maha Shivaratri. The temple has faced criticism from tourists for the treatment of an elephant named Lakshmi, who lives in a narrow alleyway behind the temple.

The Krishna Temple, also called the Balakrishna Temple, is located on the other side of Hemakuta Hill, about 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) south of the Virupaksha Temple. It was built in 1515 CE, and this area is called Krishnapura in inscriptions. A long market street, known locally as the bazaar, lies in front of the ruined temple. A wide road between the ruined stone shops allowed chariots to transport goods and hosted ceremonies and festivals. To the north of this road and in the center of the market is a large Pushkarani—a stepped water tank with an artistic pavilion in the center. Next to the tank is a public hall (mandapa) for people to sit.

The temple faces east and has a gateway with reliefs of all ten avatars of Vishnu, starting with Matsya at the bottom. Inside are the ruins of the Krishna temple and small shrines for goddesses. The temple compound includes an outer and inner enclosure with two gopuram entrances. Inside, a 25-bay (5×5) open mandapa leads to a 9-bay (3×3) enclosed mandapa. The original image of Balakrishna (baby Krishna) is now in a museum in Chennai. A modern road runs in front of the eastern gopuram, connecting Kamalapuram to Hampi. The western gopuram has friezes of battle scenes and soldiers.

South of the Krishna Temple are two adjacent shrines. One contains the largest monolithic Shiva Linga in Hampi, standing in water inside a cubical chamber with three eyes sketched on its top. The other shrine holds the largest monolithic Yoga-Narasimha (man-lion) avatar of Vishnu. The 6.7-meter (22-foot) statue is seated in a yoga position. The statue originally had goddess Lakshmi beside it, but the shrine shows signs of damage and a carbon-stained floor, suggesting it was burned. The statue has been cleaned, and parts of the shrine have been restored.

The Achyutaraya Temple, also called the Tiruvengalanatha Temple, is about 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) east of the Virup

Reception

In the writings of Niccolò de' Conti, an Italian merchant and traveler who visited Hampi around 1420, the city had a circumference of about 60 miles (97 km). Its walls surrounded farmland and homes. In 1442, Abdul Razzaq, a traveler from Persia, described the city as having seven layers of forts. The outer layers were used for farming, crafts, and living areas, while the inner layers were very crowded with shops and markets.

In 1520, Domingo Paes, a Portuguese traveler, visited Vijayanagara as part of a trading group from Goa. He wrote a memoir called Chronica dos reis de Bisnaga, in which he said the city was "as large as Rome, and very beautiful to look at… the best-supplied city in the world." He also noted that there were many trees in the gardens, water channels flowing through the city, and lakes in some areas.

Cesare Federici, an Italian merchant and traveler, visited the area a few decades after the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire in 1565. According to Sinopoli, Johansen, and Morrison, Federici described the city as very different. He wrote, "the city of Bezeneger (Hampi-Vijayanagara) is not completely destroyed, yet the houses still stand but are empty, and no people live there, only tigers and other wild animals."

The historian Will Durant, in his book Our Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization, wrote about the fall of Vijayanagara. He called its destruction a discouraging tale and said, "its evident moral is that civilization is something that can be easily lost. The balance of order, freedom, culture, and peace may at any time be destroyed by war and violent attacks."

In 2006, scenes from a Telugu movie called Pournami were filmed in this area.