Bangaluru.org - "Hampi-The capital city of Vijayanagar Empire"

Hampi Hampi 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.

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).

Hampi

History

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 emperors. 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, 'all' the idols 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.

Geography

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 . 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 scarce elctricity, no GSM network coverages and amenities, still it is becoming a popular tourist destination as on Oct 2007

For maps of Hampi see : http://www.hampi.in/map.htm

Important sites at and near Hampi

Achyutaraya Temple /Tiruvengalanatha Temple
Akka Tangi Gudda
Anegondi
Anjeyanadri Hill >>
Aqueducts and Canals
Archaeological Museum, Kamalapura >>
Ahmed Khans Mosque & Tomb >>
Badava Linga
Balakrishna Temple
Bhima's Gate
Bhojanasala
Bukka's Aqueduct >>
Chakratirth
Chandrashekara temple
Chandramouliswara Temple >>
Coracle crossings >>
Courtesans Street >>
Danaik's enclosure
Elephant Stables
Ganagitti Temple >>
Gejjala Mandapa >>
Granaries >>
Guard's quarters
Hachappa Mantapa >>
Hampi bazaar >>
Hazara Rama temple >>
Hemakuta Hill >>
Jain temples
Kadale Kalu Ganesha
Kings Audience Hall
Kondarama Temple
lotus mahal
Mahanavami Dibba >>
Malayavanta Raghunatha temple
Malyavanta Hill >>
Matunga Hill >>
Mint
Narasimha Temple >>
Octagonal bath
Octagonal Water pavilion
Palace of Vira Harihara >>
Pampa Sarovar >>
Pattaabhi Rama temple
Purandaradasa mandapam >>
Pushkarani or the Stepped Tank
Rishimukh >>
Royal enclosure
Riverside Ruins >>
Saraswati Temple
Sasive Kalu Ganesha >>
Sita Konda
Stone Doors >>
Sugriva's Cave
Talarigatta Gate >>
The Kings' balance
The Underground Temple
Tungabhadra River
Uddana Veerabhadra temple
Ugra Narasimha
virupapur gadde >>
Virupaksha Temple >>
Vittala temple >>
Vishnu Temple >>
Yeduru Basavanna
Yentrodharaka Anjaneya temple
Zenana enclosure >>
Virupapurgadde

Distance:-	364 km North of Bangalore More >>
By Road:-	7 hours
By Rail:-	10 hours
Location:-	The ruins of Krishnadeva Raya's capital lie beside the Tungabhadra River at the heart of Karnataka, 13 km from Hospet.
Route:-	NH4 to Chitradurga via Hiriyur then NH13 to Hospet via Kudligi then state road to Hampi.
When to go:-	The monsoon and winter are best.
Tourist offices:-	Depertment of Tourism Info Counter Government of Karnataka, Hampi Bazaar. Tel : 08394-441339 KSTDC(bookings and info) Badami House, NR Square, Bangalore Tel: 080-2275869, Fax: 2352626 Email: kstdc@vsnl.in
Where to stay :-	Hotel Pola Paradise No. 92/A, New Tank Bund Road, Bellary - 583 104 Tel: 08392-242101, 242302 - 04 Fax: 08392-242321 Email: hotelpola@hotmail.com Tariff Range: Rs. 540/- to Rs. 2800/- Hotel Malligi No. 6/143, J N Road, Hospet, Bellary - 583 201 Tel: 08394-228105 Fax: 08394-427038 Email: malligihome@hotmail.com Web site: www.hotelmalligi.com Tariff Range: Rs.1700/-toRs.2100/-+Tax Kishkinda Heritage Resort Near Broken Stone Bridge Cross, Sanapur, Gangavathi Taluk, Koppal - 583 231 Tel: 08533-287034/36 Fax: 08533-367635 Email: kishkindavillage@usa.net Web site: www.kishkindaheritage.com Tariff Range: Rs. 1200/- to Rs. 1700/- Hotel Sarvesh Vidhyaranya Road, Gangavathi Taluk, Koppal - 583 227 Tel: 08533-230912 Fax: 08533-330911 Tariff Range: Rs. 550/- to Rs. 1400/- Hotel Priyadarshini No. 5/45 A, Station Road, Hospet, Bellary - 583 201 Tel: 08394-228838/39, Fax: 08394-424709 Email: priyainhampi@india.com Web site: www.priyainnhampi.com Tariff Range: Rs. 950/- to Rs. 1350/-+Ta Padma Guest House Near Bus Stand, Behind Govt. School, Hampi, Bellary - 583 239 Tel: 08394-241330/31 Tariff Range: Rs. 500/- to Rs. 1000/-x Ranjana Guest House Behind Govt. School, Hampi, Bellary - 583 239 Tel: 08394-241696 Tariff Range: Rs. 600/- to Rs. 1000/- Ashoka Comforts No. 115, Court Road, Bellary - 583 101 Tel: 08392-279970 - 05 Fax: 08392-279977 Tariff Range: Rs. 399/- to Rs.950/-+Tax SLV Yatrinivas Opposite Rotary Club, Station Road, Hospet, Bellary - 583 201 Tel: 08394-221525 Tariff Range: Rs. 600/- to Rs. 800/- Hotel Karthik Boarding and Lodging 4th Ward, S P Road, Hospet, Bellary - 583 201 Tel: 08394- 220038 Fax: 08394-420028 Tariff Range: Rs. 600/- to Rs. 750/-+Tax Hotel Shivananda College Road, Hospet, Bellary - 583 201 Tel: 08394-420700 Tariff Range: Rs. 540/- to Rs. 700/- KSTDC Mayura Bhuvaneshwari Kamalapura, Hospet Taluk Bellary - 583 221 Tel: 08394-241574,141474 Fax: 08394-428537 Tariff Range: Rs. 250/- to Rs. 750/- Hotel Sreematha Gadag-Hospet Road, Koppal - 583 231 Tel: 08539-220908 Fax: 08539-421168 Tariff Range: Rs. 250/- to Rs. 700/- S S Hotel House of Lads, Kudligi Road, Sandur, Bellary - 583 119 Tel: 08395-260780 Tariff Range: Rs. 350/- to Rs. 650/- Hotel Rameshwari Opposite SRR Theatre, KalammaStreet, Bellary - 583 101 Tel: 08392-275050, Fax: 08392-277765 Tariff Range: Rs. 400/- to Rs. 600/-+Tax Krishna Tourist Home Opp.Government 100 Bed Hospital, Hospet, Bellary - 583 201 Tel: 08394-228835/156 Tariff Range: Rs.300/- to Rs. 600/- Hotel Pawan No. 89/13, Ananthpur Road, Bellary - 583 101 Tel: 08392-276710 - 16, Fax: 08392-271333 Tariff Range: Rs. 340/- to Rs. 570/- Gopi Guest House Roof Restaurant, Hampi, Hospet Taluk, Bellary - 583 239 Tel: 08394-241695 Tariff Range: Rs. 500/- +Tax Geetha Restaurant Near Bus Stand, Hampi, Bellary - 583 221 Tel: 08394-241648 Email: singhrahul2002@hotmail.com Tariff Range: Rs. 400/- to Rs. 500/- Ramakrishna Lodge Near Gandhi Chowk, Hospet, Bellary - 583 201 Tel: 08394-227114 Fax: 08394-426295 Tariff Range: Rs. 300/- to Rs. 500/- Shanthi Guest House River Road, Hampi, Bellary - 583 239, Tel: 08394-241568 Tariff Range: Rs.2 80/- to Rs. 500/- Vicky Guest House Janata Plot, Hampi, Bellary - 583 231 Tel: 08394-241694 Email: vickyhampi@yahoo.co.in Tariff Range: Rs. 300/- to Rs. 400/- KSTDC Mayura Vijayanagar T B Dam, Via Hospet Bellary - 583 225 Tel: 08394-259270 Fax: 08394-428537 Tariff Range: Rs. 360/- to Rs. 400/- Hotel Viswa Lodging Opposite KSRTC Bus Stand, Hospet, Bellary - 583 201 Tel: 08394-227171 Tariff Range: Rs. 100/- to Rs. 350/- Vishnu Guest House Hampi Main Bazar, Hampi, Bellary - 583 239, Tel: 08394-241415 Tariff Range: Rs. 300/- to Rs. 350/-