Hampi Things to Do

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Next along the road is the Queen's Bath. I'm not sure why it's called that, as it appears it was a royal pleasure complex for the king and his wives. It looks fairly unassuming from the outside, simply an undecorated rectangular structure in the Indo-Islamic style with an arched doorway and small windows, but it's a different story inside. Pillared and vaulted corridors run all around a big open pool in the centre. Projecting into the pool are many ornate balconies, decorated with tiny windows and supported by lotus bud tipped brackets. These are interspersed with arched openings, one with steps leading down into the pool, which it is believed was once filled with fragrant flowers and perfumed water. The whole pool is now open to the sky, but the remnants of four pillars in the centre suggest a pavilion was supported here.

Outside around the building is a big water channel encircling the building, which ensured a constant supply of fresh water.

The elevated platform located in the northwest corner in the royal enclosure is the audience hall used by the Kings. Sometimes this is referred as the Durbar Hall.

I don't have any photos of this structure, but I remember that there was very little remaining of it, and at the time of our visit there were a number of modern ramps leading up and around it, to enable visitors to see it in plan.

It is also known as the 100 pillared hall as the platform shows the sockets for wooden pillars which used to hold up the superstructure - there are 100 and they are arranged in a 10x10 pattern.

As you enter the Royal Enclosure, the first structure you will notice is the Mahanavami Dibba, as it is the tallest. This elevated square stage was constructed by King Krishnadevaraya in commemoration on the victory over Udaygiri (now in Orissa). The king used this platform to watch the army march-pasts, war games, aquatic sports, shows of the royal animals, musical performances and also the most important Navarathri celebrations, the nine day-nine night state festival. It is believed that the platform has undergone systematic enhancements by successive kings; the greenish schist stone additions at the front support this theory.

There is one staircase at the front, which is decorated on either side with carvings of elephants, horses, etc; two staircases at the back were probably service staircases used during ceremonies.
As you can see from the photo, each stone making up the front and sides of the platform has a carving on its outward facing surface

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Following the main road from Kamalapura towards Hampi, upon reaching the Royal Centre, the first group of monuments you will come to is the Chandrasekhara Temple, Sarasvati Temple and the Octagonal Bath.

The Chandrasekhara (also spelled Chandrashekara) Temple dates from the 16th century. The second and third photos show the exterior of its gateway and the interior, respectively. It is known for its Dravidian style of superstructure over the sanctums and the entrance.

The Sarasvati temple (Pic 4) is dedivated to the goddess of learning. A brief flight of steps leads to the top where the shrine is located. Inside the temple is practically empty, but as well as a few interesting carvings inside, it is a nice vantage point to get a idea of the plan of this area. A survey from the temple can show you a number of basements of ruined palaces to the northeast beyond the Octagonal Bath. A short distance from the temple to the northwest, by the base of a foothill, is a tiny rock cut shrine. The trail winds its way after the Octagonal Bath towards the Srinagarada Hebbagailu, a colossal gateway to the citadel.

The Octagonal Bath is a gigantic bathing area made, not surprisingly, in the shape of an octagon. The bath contains an octagonal shaped platform in the middle and a encircling pillared veranda; the circular section between the veranda and the platform was where the water would have been. The bath is in quite an isolated area and might be difficult to get to.

The Royal Centre was the citadel of the Vijajanagara capital, and is an area generally populated with the courtly and military structures. Currently many winding dirt paths connect various enclosures and other structures in this location. Some of the important structures in this area include the Lotus Mahal, Elephant Stables, Royal Enclosure, Hazara Rama Temple and the Queen's Bath.

We walked here, but it's quite a long way, so it might be worth hiring bikes or taking a tuk-tuk if you're not up for long walks in hot weather!

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Just past the Achyuta Rata temple tank was this beautiful little shrine amongst some of Hampi's famous boulders. A tree was covered in white blossom right next to it, so how could I resist taking a photo. This is a Vishnu Temple (not Rangatha, but a different one), no. 5 on the map in the 3rd photo (where no 1 is the temple tank and 4 is Achyuta Raya temple).

The temple is approached through three multi-storey gopuras elaborately carved and lined with colonnades. This is the main, or eastern, one, believed to have been built in 1513AD. As in most of the temples of the Vijayanagara era, the lower half of the gopura is made of stone and the upper half of brick.

The stone chariot just inside the entrance of the Vitthala temple, a reproduction of a processional wooden chariot, is perhaps the most stunning achievement, typical of the Vijayanagara period. It houses an image of Garuda, the vehicle of Lord Vishnu.