The Vittala Temple

The Vittala temple is a Masterpiece of Indian architecture.  It’s the largest and most revered temple in the City. This temple was built with the intention of creating a celestial Palace on the earth.  The king assembled the great architects, engineers and craftsmen to create this wonderful building which can also make wonderful sounds that will please God.  There is an attached Ranga Manappa or the stage pavilion. There are a large number of pillars, out of which some of them reach to a height of nearly 12 feet. The pillars became famous as when they were struck they emit beautiful and haunting sounds. 

Chandrashekhara Temple

Chandrashekhara temple is one of the first Vijayanagara structures the visitors would encounter when they enter the Citadel area from kamalapuram.  From the 16th century AD it is dedicated to Lord Shiva.  The east facing train has a dravida vimana, with a circular stupa.

Sri Virupaksha Temple

Virupaksha Temple is one of the oldest temples existing since the seventh century.  One of the specialties of this temple is that since its establishment from the seventh century to today the temple has been working without a break. There are three Main entrances to the east side and one on the North side. A lot of intricate carvings can be seen and the sides are filled with erotic sculptures. It has been listed in UNESCO’s world heritage sites. Vijayanagara rulers built the large complex temple around the existing small strains of Virupaksha and Pamba.

Saraswathi temple

This temple is dedicated to goddess Saraswati, the goddess of learning. Saraswati Temple of Hampi represents the early style of temple architecture.  This temple is a calm place with a smaller crowd.  A simple and attractive temple which catches the eyes of tourists. Beautiful carvings can be seen on the pillars of the temple.  Each of the pillars of the temples are highly ornate with ethical themes.

Hanuman Temple

This temple is one of the most famous temples in Hampi. People come from all over the places to visit this temple and is located on the top of a hill.   The temple is almost 500 years old and is dedicated to Lord Hanuman. The idol here is installed by Sri Pyasa Raja, the Rajguru of the Vijayanagara Kingdom and one of the main philosophers. To reach the top one has to climb almost 575 steps but it is worth it as you can see the whole 360 degree of Hampi from there.

The Queen’s Bath

This is a royal bathing area for the erstwhile king and his wives. From the outside the building appears to be a plain rectangular complex encircled by a big water channel that one might need to cross some places using a bridge like structure. There is a huge circular veranda facing a big open Sky pool in the middle.  It is believed that in ancient times the pool used to be filled with fragrant water and flowers which is now nothing more than an empty brick lined pool structure. The Centre Building and its surroundings have been designed in the Indo-Saracenic design style of architecture. 

Hemakuta Hill Temple Complex

Hemakuta Hill is a wonderful place which lies between the Virupaksha Temple Complex and Krishna temple. This hill is faced by a number of Hindu temples, ruins of fortified walls, and broken pathways. One of the most prominent places is Mula Virupaksha Temple in Hemakuta Hill Temple complex to visit in Hampi.

Lotus Mahal

Kamal Mahal which is more popularly known as Lotus Mahal, or Chitrangini Mahal is situated in the zenana enclosure of the monument. It has a beautiful symmetric structure exhibiting a fine example of Indo Islamic architecture.  The base of the structure depicts a Hindu foundation of stones as the temples of Vijayanagara architecture.  While the upper superstructure is Islamic in architecture.

Elephant stables

This is one among the least destroyed structures in Hampi.  Elephant stables is a major tourist attraction. This building with chambers was used to park elephants. There are 11 tall dorm chambers. Some of them are interconnected. One of the most captivating places to visit in Hampi. These are the huge stays of the royal elephants.

Hazara Rama Temple

This temple is an important shrine in hampi. It is a small but beautiful temple located at the center of the royal area. The temple is devoted to lord Rama a Hindu deity. It was once the private temple of the Kings and the royal family of Vijayanagara. The temple is famous for the lovely brass relics and panels depicting the story of the epic Ramayana. Hazara Rama temple was built in the early part of the 15^th century by the then king of Vijayanagara Krishnadevaraya II.

The walls of the temple carry the story of Ramayana copped on stone.the outer walls of the temple are decorated with brass relics of Rama and Krishna. The relics also portray processions of horses, elephants, attendants, soldiers and dancing women taking part in the Dasara festival rally at that time. The relics there are amongst the very extensive ones to be found anywhere in India.