Thread by @indtravelphoto

Here is a thread of images from Hampi / ಹಂಪೆ

On the week of Kannada Rajyotsava, here is celebrating a place that gave birth to one of the greatest empires that history has witnessed.

To start with, a bird's eye view of the heart of the kingdom.
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You can't not fall in love with this extraordinary land of heritage carved in stone. However, each visitor may be enchanted by something that only she/he can identify with. My own love affair is with the river, rocks, boulders and these magnificent pavilions of stone.

These pavilions of stone / mantapa / ಮಂಟಪ dot the landscapes of Hampi, often located beautifully at strategic locations, such as top of a hill or along a long passage.

Image: a duplex mantapa at Hemakoota Parvatha.

When you are in Hampi, as the sun nears the horizon, stop everything you are doing and climb the nearest hill!

Perhaps this thread will develop into my very personal witness to Hampi, potentially excluding the well-known imagery like the stone-chariot et al.

The Rough Guide to South India says, you can see in Hampi, "what has to be one of the world's most exotic sunrise views". Here, presenting you that 'exotic sunrise view'.

6/n. On one winter morning, I was blessed with an extraordinary symphony produced by fog, mountains and the morning sun. A gentle river of fog swayed past the boulders as the morning sun bathed the landscape in golden light.

7/n The beautiful boulder-strewn hills of Hampi may not be as well-known as the remnants of Vijayanagara Empire. But you will not fail to notice them as you walk through the magical landscapes of the ancient city.

Here is another look at the boulders of Hampi, along the small pools on Hemakoota Parvata filled with rainwater.

Needless to say, Hampi is known for its temples. Perhaps the most iconic of them is the Virupaksha Temple, with its tall gopura visible from far.

10/N. Here is another look at the gopura of Virupaksha Temple, from inside. This is also one of the few functioning temples in Hampi. Most of the ancient temples, including the well-known Vithala Temple, do not have a deity inside that is still worshiped.

11/N. Another view; gopura floodlit for a festive event many years ago. The surroundings have now changed and the bustling habitation around has been shifted elsewhere.

She's Laksmi, lives in Virupaksha Temple and is adored by visitors. 12/N

Virupaksha Temple is located next to Hemakoota Parvata, a small hillock with a scattering of mantapas and a few small temples and shrines. This is one such small shrine to ಹನುಮಂತ / Hanumanta, further enshrined by a beautiful ದೇವ ಕಣಗಲೆ / frangipani tree.

This is the landscape of Virupaksha's abode, one beautiful evening.

A fifteen minute walk from Virupaksha Temple through the ancient bazar and across a beautiful rocky knoll take you to Achyutaraya Temple. This, what remains of Achyutaraya Temple, on a sunny morning

When you visit, keep a watch for chirpy, cheerful lush-green parakeets there!

Each major temple is approached through a bazar--long sheltered corridors on either side of a wide path that leads to the temple. In the image is the bazar that leads to Achyutara Temple. Were these where the famed markets of Vijayanagara selling precious wares?

Some bazars also came with beautiful ಕಲ್ಯಾಣಿ / kalyani / water tank adjoining them. And some kalyani came with a beautiful mantapa in the middle. Here is the kalyani adjoining Achyutaraya bazar, on a rare occasion when it was filled with water.

Now, allow me to take you through a few temples that I enjoyed visiting while sauntering around Hampi, starting with another one of the functioning temples.

Inside the renowned Vithala Temple is this beautiful ದೇವ ಕಣಗಲೆ / frangipani tree

Prasanna Virupaksha Temple, now standing slightly below ground level, usually has a deposit of water on the ground and has a large array of stone pillars. A diptych of the pillars.

21/N Here, another image of duplex mantapa at Hemakoota Parvata, which I slipped from posting earlier.

Another mantapa in the middle of nowhere! They make Hampi the beautiful place that it is!

Let's move on to the palaces and residences of nobility. Much of them are in less preserved state compared to the temples. This is Kamala Mahal, perhaps the place where the women would hang out.

Kamala Mahal up-close.

Right next to Kamala Mahal are the stables where they kept elephants and horses. These, for the elephants: ಗಜಶಾಲೆ / gajashAle.

26/27 This interesting play of light is from the corridor around the queens' bath, an enclosed pool connected to a sophisticated irrigation network.

It's time to end this thread with one last post, from across the river...

Anegundi Village on the left bank of Tungabhadra has a history older than Hampi. Here is the final image in the thread from across the river: landscape of Vijayanagara as seen from the top of Anjanadri Betta in Anegundi, known as the birthplace of Lord Hanumantha. [27/27. end]

I enjoyed working on this this thread. I do hope you enjoyed looking at the images too. Thank you for all the comments, likes and retweets on this thread. Happy Kannada Rajyotsava day to you! 🙂🙂🙏🙏