Oooh !!! Hampi

[smoothwanderer]

we were famished. we were taen to the Mango tree restaurant at Hampi town. the food was superb and there was chilled beer too. we spent an hour there and then went to see the archaelogical museum. it was boring and we weren't allowed to take photographs inside.

 

[smoothwanderer]

after the visit to the museum we went to see the royal enclosure. the first building was the Queens bath. its a very large bath built solely for the royalty. it was built by king Achutaraya. the building has a simple exterior and a well decorated interior. its built in the indo- islamic type of architecture. its a rectangular building with an area of 30 square metre. has a sunen bath in the centre with an area of 15 sq. metre and a depth of 1.8 metres. its surrounded by an arched corridor with pillars and projectng balconies.stone steps lead down into the bath. there is no ceiling above the bath. the queens bath is connected to an aqueduct for fresh water. the whole building is surronded by a moat.

 

[smoothwanderer]

after the queens bath we went on to see the rest of the attractions in the royal enclosure. the sun was beating down on us and the full tummy wasn't very comfortable either. we passed by the remanants of the queens palace. there was only the basement left of the magnificient structure. there was the guard tower which stood with an air of melancholy towering over the remains of what had been once a magnificient city.
the next big structure which caught our eyes was the Lotus Mahal.its atwo storied building. It is surrounded by a rectangular wall and four towers. These towers are also in pyramidal shape giving a lotus-like structure visual. Around 24 pillars are present to support the arched windows and balcony of the palace. The walls and pillars are carved beautifully with patterns like sea creatures and birds.

Royal Enclosure - Home of Erstwhile Kings and Queens

Royal Enclosure, Hampi used to be the homes of erstwhile kings and queens. Know more about Royal Enclosure and its architecture.

www.karnataka.com

 

[smoothwanderer]

we then walked on to the elephant stable. the Viaynagara empire in its zenith is said to have 10000 elephants. the royal elephants were said to have been housed in the elephant stable. its an indo islamic styled structure with 11 domes. they were paraded i the ground in front of the stable on special ooccassions.
https://www.hampionline.in/city-guide/elephant-stables-in-hampi

 

[Gaurav Chopra]

Neat history lesson this travelogue @smoothwanderer

 

[smoothwanderer]

Next on the list was the Vijaya Vittala temple. as it was a bit far away we drove there.. there was a car park and had to walk nearly a kilometre to reach the temple. the road was being repaired & filled with mud. the road goes through the remnants of the vittala bazaar where in the olden times horses were traded. the horses were said to have been brought even from Arabia.
The vittala temple is dedicated to lord Vishnu, reincarnation here as Vittala. the temple is considered as the most important and beautiful structure in Hampi. the temple dates back to the 15 th century. It was built by ing Devaraya II (1422 -1446 AD ) Several portions of the temple was expanded by ing Krishnadevaraya (1509 - 1529 AD ) the most famous of the vijayanagara rulers who gave the temple the present look. the temple is the perfect example of the creativity and architectura skill of the scuptrs and artisans of the vijayanagara era. its bult in the Dravidian architectural style. Legend says that the temple was built as an abode to lord vishnu but the lord fund the temple to be too grand for his liking and he went back to his humble homeThe temple complex is a sprawling area that is surrounded by high compound walls and three towering gateways. The temple complex has many halls, shrines and pavilions located inside it. Each of these structures is made of stone and each structure is a beauty in itself.

 

[smoothwanderer]

The temple compex is spread over a large area protected by a high compund wall and three gopurams. the complex consists of many halls, shrines and pavilllions. the major ones are 1) Devi shrine 2) Maha mantapa (main hall ) 3)Ranga mantapa 4) Kalyana mantapa 5) Utsava mantapa 5) Stone chariot

STONE CHARIOT
T

his is the first structure you see right in front of the temple. its one of the three famous stone chariots in the country the others being in Konark & Mahabalipuram. Its a shrine designed in the shape of a chariot the wheels of which could have been turned till recenty when it was cemented by the Archaeological survey of India to prevent damage to the beautifull structure.This structure is printed on the new 50 rupee notes. the chariot shrine is dedicated to GARUDA the vehicle of Lord vishnu and is enshrined in it.

 

[smoothwanderer]

Maha Mantapa: The Maha Mantapa or main hall of the Vittala Temple is situated in the inner courtyard of the temple complex. It is a structure of immense beauty and is situated on a highly ornate base. The base is decorated with carvings of warriors, horses, swans and several other ornamental designs.

The Maha Mantapa comprises of four smaller halls. The steps on the eastern side of the Maha Mantapa are decorated with elephant balustrade. There are forty pillars lining the facade of the temple. Each of these pillars has a height of 10 feet.

The main mandapa contains 56 musical pillars, 40 of which are regularly disposed to form an aisle while the remaining 16 form a rectangular court in the center. These musical pillars are also known as SAREGAMA pillars, indicating the musical notes emitted by them. The musical notes are emanated when the pillars are tapped gently.

There is a set of main pillars and several sets of minor pillars inside the Mantapa. Each main pillar provides support to the ceiling of the Mandapa. The main pillars are designed as musical instruments. Every main pillar is surrounded by several minor pillars that emit different sounds of the instrument.

 

[smoothwanderer]

more snaps

 

[smoothwanderer]

whille at the temple we noticed a softspoken gentleman in golden kurta. our guide told us that he is the present generation of the king of the vijayanagara empire. i was seeing a king at such close quarters for the first time. i humbly introduced myself and had some intersting talk with him and a selfie. he a qualified engineer and was residing at Anegundi. he told me that he was restoring the palace with carpenters from kerala. interestingly his name is Krishnadevaraya.......... it was 6.45pm and we returned to our room at Hospet for the night.