Hampi is an important village, in the Bellary district of Karnataka. The village 343 Kms away from Bangalore, is situated on the banks of the river Tungabhadra. Hampi lies 74 Kms away from district headquarter Bellary and 13 Kms from Hospet, the taluka headquarters. The village is situated with in the ruins of Vijayanagara, the ancient capital of the Vijayanagara empire. Hampi was the one of the major centre of the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from 1336 to 1565. The ruins of the 14th century lies scattered in an area of 26 sq. km amidstgiant boulders and vegetation. The village is also referred as 'The City of Ruins' and has been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hampi is an important religious centre and has many temples and several monuments of the old city. The Vijaynagara kings were patrons of excellent art and architecture. One can see the glimpse of grandeur of Vijayanagara empirehere. The main languages spoken by the people are Kannada, Telugu and English. The Government of Karnataka organizes the Vijayanagar Festival,every year in December, that recreates the grandeur of the Vijayanagar empire.
Attractions at Hampi :
» Virupaksha temple - Also known as the Pampapathi temple, it is situated to the western end of Hampi Bazaar. It is a Shiva temple built during by Vijayanagara empire. The temple has a 120 feet hightower on its eastern entrance. The Virupaksha temple complex has the shrines of Hindu goddesses Bhuvaneshwari and Pampa.
» Ugra Narashima - Near the Virupaksha temple is the 6.7 metre high monolith statue of Ugra Narashima. The idol depicts Narshima as a seated four-armed figure under a canopy of a seven-hooded snake. An inscription nearby depicts, that it was made of a single stoneduring the rule of Krishnadeva Raya.
» Vithala Temple Complex - 
The temple is located about 2 Kms east of Hampi Bazaar. The ruins of the temple have been listed as a World Heritage monument. The temple complex is relatively in a better condition of preservation and depicts the sculpture work of Vijaynagar art. The temple has 56 musical pillars that reverberate when tapped.
» Malyavanta Raghunathaswamy temple - The Malyavanta Raghunatha swamy temple stands on the Kamalapura- Hampi road.Built in Dravidian style the outer walls of temple has been carved with strange looking fishes and marine monsters.
» Shivlinga - The massive Shivlinga is situated next to Narasimha statue. The 3 metre high figure stands in water that comes through an old channel.
» Virupaksha Bazaar - The 32 metre wide and 728 metre long street, is the longest street built by the Viaynagara kings. It runs between the Virupaksha Temple and the foot of the Matanga Hill.
» King's Balance - The King's Balance was the place where kings were weighed against grain, gold or money that was then distributed to the poor.
» Lotus Mahal - This two-storeyed pavilion is located in the 'Zenana' enclosure. This palace is a beautiful example of the Hindu and Islamic styles of architecture. The palace shaped like a lotus flower from top, has beautiful arc ways set in geometric regularity. It wasan air-cooled summer palace of the queen.
» Queen's Bath - It is situated in the fortress area, south of the Hazaara Rama Temple. The Queen's Bath is a massive square shape structure known for the perfect contrast between its plain exteriorand the nicely ornate interior. The bath measuring 15 metre in width and 1.8 metre depth is surrounded by finely decorated arched corridors and projecting balconies.
» Hazara Rama Temple -
The temple located at the centre of royal capital, lies with in a rectangular complex. The temple dates back to early 15th century has a huge hall. The delicately carved basalt inside the hall depicts the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The exterior walls of the hall have three rows of statue sillustrating stories from the Ramayana.
Accessibility :
Hampi is not directly connected to Air or Rail link, but the buses from nearby towns ply to the village regularly.
» Air - The nearest airport from Hampi areTornagallu (32 Kms from Hospet), Bellary (74 Kms), Belagum (74 Kms) and Bangalore (353 Kms).
» Rail - Hospet (13 Kms) is the nearest railway station from Hampi. Hospet is linked to Bangalore, Bijapur, Hubli and Guntakal. One has to take the bus journey from here to Hampi.
» Road - KSTRA buses run regularly from nearby places to Hospet. From Hospet bus services are available for Hampi.
Accommodation :
Hampi has a few hotels with essential facilities the famous hotels are Hotel Mayura Vijayanagar, Pampa Lodge and Naga Lodge. One can stay at Hospetas there are many hotels offering better facilities. Hotel Malligi Pvt Ltd and Priyadarshini are some of the hotels of Hospet.
Best time to visit :
The summer and rainy seasons may be unpleasant for the tourists, so the best time to visit the Hampi is October to March .
