Virupaksha Temple: The Virupaksha temple, the most famous and important temple of Hampi, is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is situated very close to the Tungabhadra River Also known as the Pampapathi temple, it is the most famous temple in Hampi and dates back to the 7th century. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and has beautifully carved walls, each telling a mythological story
Queen's Bath: Queen's Bath was a royal bath constructed for the kings and wives to take bath and is located in Hampi. Basically, it is a rectangular building, which has a long veranda inside that leads to a square tank of 6 feet depth from all sides. During the Kings reign, water in the tank is believed to be filled with perfumes and fragrance flowers for the royal bath. The architecture resembles an Indo-Saracenic style and looks more like Islamic style than the Hindu style. A part of the Royal Enclosure, this aquatic enclosure was the Royal bath during the times of the Vijayanagra Empire. It was built in such a way that no outsiders could enter the bath, and has lost much to ruins at the date.
Lotus Palace: the Lotus Palace seems to occupy a distinguished position. This distinguished structure forms a part of the Zenana Mahal, that served as a secluded area for the women folks of the royal families of Viyajnagara Empire. One stunning feature of Lotus Palace is that it is one of those edifices of Hampi that remained undamaged during the siege of the city. is a monument that stands out in its design and style from most of the structures of Hampi. Another complex, for royal women, this one gets its name from the lotus-like dome
Hazara Rama Temple: The Hazara Ramaswamy temple is located at the heart of the historical town of Hampi. It is a small temple in comparison with the others at Hampi. The outside walls of the temple are decorated with sequences from the Ramayana. his was a place of worship for the royals. The walls and pillars are beautifully adorned with fascinating carvings, including the outside walls of the compound. This temple is smaller in size compared to the others in Hampi.
Hemakuta Hill Temple: Hemakuta Hill near Hampi is famous for its cluster of temples, archways and pavilions scattered all over the top. Most of these are dedicated to Lord Shiva and are built in 10th century AD. It takes only 15 minutes to climb to the top from the famous Viroopaksha Temple at the end of Hampi bazaar. The Hemakunta Hill houses a temple complex, many of them dedicated to Lord Shiva. These are all protected by a fort, providing a secluded atmosphere.
Zenana Enclosure: The Zenana Enclosure was initially a place that was restricted to the entry of royal women only. The enclosure has a huge wall to protect the harem and to the south-east corner, there is the famous Lotus Mahal
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Hampi By Train
Nearest railhead is Hospet, which is nearly 13 km from Hampi. Taxi cab will charge nearly Rs 200 from Hospet to Hampi. Hospet is well connected to Bangalore (Hampi Exp), Hyderabad (kop Hyb Exp) and other major cities in Karnataka and neighboring states.
Hampi By Air
Bellary is the nearest domestic airport, which is about 60 km away and Bangalore is the nearest international Airport, which is 350 km away. Taxi cab costs about Rs 1,200 from Bellary to Hampi and Rs 6,000 from Bangalore to Hampi. Bellary air terminal is connected to Bangalore airport which is well connected to almost all airports in India. International flights to major foreign cities like Singapore, London, Malaysia etc are also operated from Bangalore.
Hampi By Bus
Hampi is well connected by KSRTC bus services with all nearby cities. There are many private bus providers operating from Bangalore (Rs 1,100), Gokarna (Rs 1,000) and many places in Goa (Rs 1200) to Hampi.
Best Time to Visit Hampi
The best times to visit Hampi are the month of October - November. October is festival season when the entire country celebrates the festival of Dassehra commemorating the victory of Ram over Ravana, good over evil, as told in the epic Ramayana. The weather is also cool and a gentle breeze sweeps the countryside. November has the annual Hampi Festival to offer.
Places to visit In Hampi Village
King's Palace
The largest enclosure in Hampi, the King's palace includes two major platform structures, an underground chamber which must have served as a treasury or private audience hall, several minor platforms and double fortification walls, besides other interesting architectural elements.
Virupaksha Temple
Dedicated to Lord Shiva and his consort Pampadevi, this is the only temple here that is still used for worship. Parts of the temple predate the Vijayanagara empire. The temple, with its nine storied gopuram, towers above the other structures at Hampi. The ceiling of the Ranga Mantapa is beautifully painted with scenes from the epics and Puranas.
Ganesha Images
Two Ganesha images(Sasuvekalu and Kadalekalu) can be seen on the slopes of the Hemakuta Hill. One of them is enclosed in a temple with unusally tall pillars, while the other is in an open hall.
Lakshminarasimha
The awesome 6.7 meters high monolith depicting the man-lion form of Vishnu is seated on a seven hooded serpent.
Badavilinga
Located next to the Lakshminarasimha statue, the Badavilinga is 3 meter high and stands permanently in water that flows through an ancient channel.
Vijaya Vithala Temple
The Vijaya Vithala Temple is Hampi's crowning glory, with a magnificent stone chariot standing temple courtyard. Equally impressive is the large Ranga Mantapa with 56 musical pillars that resound with musical chimes when struck.
Elephant Stables
An imposing edifice with arched entrances and many domes that once housed the magnificent state elephants.
Pushkarni
The stepped water tank, excavated in the mid 1980's, was originally a part of the palace complex. Almost lyrical in its beauty, the tank is a tiered structure crafted from rectangular pieces of granite.
Lotus Mahal
This visually appealing strucutre has two levels, with open pavilions at the bottom and balconies above. Highlighting the fusion of the Hindu and Muslim styles of architecture, the Mahal derives its name from its beautiful, geometrically arranged cusped arches that resemble the petals of the lotus opening to the sun.
Hazara Rama Temple
The royal temple reserved for ceremonial use, the Hazara Rama Temple is embellished with bass reliefs depicting scenes from the epic, Ramayana. The walls of the enclosure are richly carved with friezes depicting processions of horses, elephants, dancing girls and soldiers attired in splendid armour. Inside, four exquisitely sculpted granite pillars add to the beauty of the Ardha Mantapa.
Mahanavami Dibba
Equally impressive is the massive Mahanavami Dibba, where the kings of the Vijayanagara Empire once sat upon their gem studded golden throne and watched processions pass by. The structure is also embellished with densely carved bands of horses, soldiers ans depictions of various aspects of courtly life.
Queen's Bath
Though the exterior may appear simple, the interior is stunningly ornate, with graceful arched corridors, projecting balconies and lotus shaped fountains that once spouted perfumed water for the ladies of the court.
Goa – Badami – Anegundi & Hampi: 3 Nights / 4 Days Goa to Goa Transfers 3 Nights accommodation with breakfast 4 Days
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive to Badami
Day 1 – Pick up from Goa @ 7.00 AM arrive to Badami, check in to Hotel- evening Badami Caves (Cave Temples) sightseeing – halt in Badami
Day 2: Aihole & Anegundi
Day 2 – After breakfast check out- move to sightseeing for Banashankari, Pattadakal, Mahakoota and Aihole and en route to Hospet - Anegundi sightseeing - Gagan Palace, Chintamani, Ranganath Temple, Jain’s Temple, Huchappayana Mat, Durga Temple, Fort, Pampa Sarovar Laxmi Temple (Lake),, evening arrive to Hospet – halt in Hospet
Breakfast
Day 3: Hampi
Day 3 – After breakfast move to Hampi - Virupaksha Temple, Hampi Bazaar, Kodanda Rama temple, Achutaraya temple, Yantroddaraka, chakra thirta, Purandara Mantap, old bridge, King Balance, Vittal Temple, Stone chariot, Musical Pillars, Vittal bazaar, Lotus Mahal, Watch tower, Elephant Stable, Guards Barrat, underground temple, Pattabirama temple, Bheema gate, Ganagitthi Jain Temple, Queens Bath, Mahanavami Dibba, Aqueduct, Pushkarni, Secret Chamber, King Audience Hall, public bath, Hazara Ram
Breakfast
Day 4: Departure to Goa
Day 4: After breakfast Departure from Hampi and arrive to Goa drop to Hotel – Tour end
Breakfast