AN ANCIENT TEMPLE VILLAGE OF KARNATAKA

Hampi

     Hampi is an ancient temple village in Karnataka. Located inside Vijayanagara city, it is also known by its traditional names --- Pampa Kshetra, Kishkindha Kshetra and Bhaskara Kshetra. The history of Hampi dates back to the first century, but concrete information exists from the 12^th  and 13^th centuries when the city was established. In about 200 years, Vijayanagara was ruled by four dynasties --- Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva and Aravidu.

     The Vijayanagara empire was established and founded by Bukka and Harihara, who were also known as the Sangama brothers. They made Hampi their capital city in the 14^th century. The rulers of all the four dynasties built many monuments and sculptures; of these only 500 monuments now survive. The rest, present as ruins, are spread over 4,100 hectares of land and include forts, sacred complexes, temples, shrines and pillared halls. Some of the ruins worth visiting are as follows.

     The Virupaksha temple, also known as the Pampvathi Temple, is located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The structure dates back to the 9^th century and is known for its inscriptions. The temple has three gopuras and a 160 ft-high tower at the main entrance.

     The stone chariot located inside the Vitthala temple premises is another known and well-visited monument. The chariot was built by the king Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire during the 16^th century. It is said that the chariot was inspired by the Konark Sun Temple chariot of Odisha. The chariot is a shrine for Lord Vishnu's vehicle, the Garuda. It is built based on the Dravidian style of architecture, where slabs of granite have been used to look like a solid structure. The base of the chariot depicts a mythical battle scene and has sculptures of horses and elephants.

     Another attraction is the king's balance or the Tulapurushandana. Situated close to the Stone chariot, this 5mt-tall structure forms an archway-like structure. It is carved from stone and locals believe that during an eclipse and Dussehra, the king would weigh himself against gold and precious stones and these jewels were then handed over to the priests of the temple. 

     The Achyutaraya temple is another classic temple structure that was built in 1534. This was the last structure to be built before the empire fell to the Sultans. This temple is also dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple courtyard is lined by intricately carved pillars and the temple houses an antarala, rangamantapa and garbhagriha.

Some more information:

* The rocks of Hampi are thousands of years old. It is believed that they were formed from years of erosion of giant monoliths that existed during the prehistoric ages.

* The Vitthala Temple is known for its 56 melodic columns or musical pillars, which are also known as SaReGaMa Pillars. These stone pillars create musical sounds when tapped delicately.

* A simple scientific fact was used to break the stones that the temples are constructed out of. Artists cut the gigantic stones by drilling a sequence of holes on the stones' surface. Dry wooden pieces were then pegged into the holes and drenched in water. As the wooden pegs absorbed the water, they expanded, causing the stones to split and break.