HAMPI

In Hampi at every turn there is a surprise. Every monument hides more than what they reveal. As an open museum, Hampi has numerous popular (100 plus!) locations visitors throng.

Please explore this website on the Hampi Ruins ( some times called as Humpi) .

www.Hampi.in is cobbled with a range of information on Hampi. For example, descriptions & photo album of various monuments; Hampi ruin maps that you can print; travel details; tips for your Hampi trip; hotel locations, itinerary plan and so on...

Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. The name is derived from Pampa, which is the old 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. 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). Over the years, it has also been referred to as Vijayanagara and Virupakshapura (from Virupaksha, the patron deity of the Vijayanagara rulers
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. Hosapete, 13 km away, is the nearest taluka headquarters. The chief languages spoken are Kannada and Telugu. 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 no scarcity in electricity, good GSM network coverages and amenities, it is becoming a popular tourist destination as on Oct 2007

Vitthala temple with musical pillars, Hoysala style multigonal base Hampi

Hampi has various notable Hindu temples, some of which are still active places of worship. Most notable ones are:

Achyutaraya Temple/Tiruvengalanatha Temple

Akka Tangi Gudda

Anegondi

Anjeyanadri Hill

Aqueducts and Canals

Archaeological Museum at Kamalapura

Badava Linga

The Kings’ balance

The Underground Temple

Tungabhadra River

Uddana Veerabhadra temple

Ugra Narasimha

Virupaksha Temple

Vittala temple

Yeduru Basavanna

Yentrodharaka Anjaneya temple

Zenana enclosure

Virupapurg

Madhavan Palace with above 10,00,000 pillars

Virupaksha Temple complex: Also known as the Pampapathi temple, it is a Shiva temple situated in the Hampi Bazaar. It predates the founding of the Vijayanagar empire. The temple has a 160-foot (49 m) high tower at its entrance. Apart from Shiva, the temple complex also contains shrines of the Hindu goddesses Bhuvaneshwari and Pampa.