Hampi was founded by the Hindu Vijayanagar dynasty in 1336 AD, and quickly became one of, if not THE, most brilliant capital in all India. At its apogee, its population numbered in the hundreds of thousand and it spread over 30 square kilometers!!
When four Muslim sultans of the Deccan, unable to bear any longer the arrogance of the Hindu Raja united to take it, it fell after the battle of Talikota in 1565. The Hindu host is said to have numbered 600,000 foot soldiers, 100,000 horses and nearly 1000 elephants!
The sack of the city lasted for five months, and the heat of the fire is said to have cracked the huge basaltic rock hills scattered all over! Never perhaps in history had such havoc been wrought on so splendid a city, wealthy and prosperous one day, and on the next, seized, pillaged and reduced to ruins, amid scenes of savage massacre and horrors beggaring description (Sewell).
Today, all that remains are many perfectly preserved temples dedicated to the myriad gods of the Hindu pantheon, parts of SEVEN huge rings of fortifications, elephant stables for eleven, gorgeous kingly dwellings and a village bazaar.
For three centuries, the city had lain forgotten when an Englishman started restoration works in 1837. But it was after years of work by a French couple in this century that the UNESCO finally classified it in 1987!
Local Sights
Most of the ruins are along the road leading from Kamalapura to Hampi.Three kms down the road, on a commanding site, stands the temple of Malyavanta Raghunathaswamy.It is built in the Dravidian style. Strange-looking fishes and marine monsters carved along its outer walls are worth noticing.
The Hampi Bazaar, 35 yards wide and nearly 800 yards long was known to be a "very beautiful street with very beautiful houses".
The Virupaksha Temple rises majestically at the western end of the famous Hampi Bazaar. The temple has a 120 feet tall tower on its eastern entrance. The temple contains the shrines of Shiva, Pampa and Bhuvaneswari.Parts of this temple are older than the Vijayanagar kingdom itself. The work of this style dates back to the 11th or 12th century.
Nearby is the 6.7m tall monolith of Ugra Narasimha. An inscription nearby states that it was hewn from a single boulder in 1528 during the reign of Krishnadeva Raya.
How to Get There
Air:The nearest airstrip at Tornagallu in Sandur Taluk which is 32 kms. from Hospet. Bangalore based air-charter operator, Taneja Aerospace and Aviation Ltd (TAAL), has launched sightseeing charter flights to Hampi and Mysore in Oct 2002. Contact Anjan Rao at 98440-27699 for further details.
The second nearest airport is Bellary(74 kms)
Other convenient airports are at Belgaum (190 kms) and Bangalore(353 kms).
Rail: Hospet is the nearest rail head (13 kms). Hospet is linked by rail to Bangalore, Bijapur,Hubli and Guntakal.
Road: Hampi is 350 kms from Bangalore. KSRTC Buses ply regularly from Hospet.
Best time to visit: October to March
