Monday, March 7, 2011

Zones of Hampi

The World Heritage Site, Hampi (state: Karnataka) is divided into many zones based on the their significance. This 14th century flourishing capital of the Vijaynagar Empire spread across the rocky terrain of 26 sq.km had plenty of palaces, temples which exhibited its rich culture and wealth in its hay days.



The Sacred Centre is the religious part of Hampi as a number of temples are located here. Some of the old temples in the area are still functioning. Some of the important structures in this area includes the Badavilinga Temple, Kadalekalu Ganesha, Krisha Temple, Virupaksha Temple and Vittala Temple.

The Royal Centre is the part that is mostly populated with the courtly and military structures. Some of the important structures in this area includes the Elephant Stables, Lotus Mahal, Queen's Bath, Mahanavami Dibba, Stepped Tank and the Hazara Rama Temple.

Anegondi is the area on the other side of the river which seperates it from other zones. Important places here are Hanuman Temple and Ranganath Temple.

This zones are connected by road and coracles through the river.

65 comments:

Sridharan said...

Wonderful..I should visit this place one day..!

Teamgsquare said...

Hampi is wonderful place . Nice pics .

Geeta Singh said...

is this a royal bathroom?..nice pics:)

Zuzana said...

I like the second picture - is that water in the middle of the courtyard?
xoxo

Debbie Taillieu said...

Wow! What an amazing structure!
Have a fabulous day!
Debbie's Travels

RIZALENIO said...

This is a very interesting temple. Walking on something with a World Heritage Site recognition is always the best historic process of pondering on our past.

Maude Lynn said...

Gorgeous shots!

joo said...

Fascinating and beautiful place!

Míriam Luiza said...

Lindas fotos, com textos informativos! Visitar seu blog é viajar por Terras que nunca pisei!

Tammie Lee said...

magnificent.

Sylvia K said...

Another wonderful part of your world, Rajesh! Terrific captures as always! Have a great week!

Sylvia

Anonymous said...

very interesting.

Kay L. Davies said...

Very interesting, Rajesh.
-- K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Rajesh, as usual I am in awe! Elephant stables, what a picture that brings to my mind.

I like that you post pictures of beautiful flowers sometimes (like the post below) because it makes me realize that we actually live on the same planet! Your home and travels are so exotic and wonderful; how I wish I could visit someday, but I think I shall have to get to know your beautiful country through your lovely blog.

LifeRamblings said...

that looks like an interesting place to visit. thanks for sharing your world.

snowwhite said...

Magnificent structures! They are preserved and some of them are still functioning and the World Heritage Site. They remind me of old temples in Nara! I hope to visit this area someday.
Especially I love the second photo.
Thank you for sharing.

Indrani said...

Great capture of the step well.

Catherine said...

looks a beautiful place to visit...

magiceye said...

must visit

Anonymous said...

How gorgeous! I love the Queen's Bath.

alicesg said...

The temple is beautiful. The ancient architect are really amazing.

Jeevan said...

Nice details about this marvelous location and I very liked the stepped tank!

lotusleaf said...

Beautiful pictures.

thepinaysolobackpacker said...

wow! it looks like those temples in Cambodia. nice! i like the 2nd pic a lot!
thnx for sharing! :)

Penelope Notes said...

Elephant stables in ancient times sounds very intriguing as this would be unlikely in my part of the world. Horses and cattle perhaps … but not elephants! :)

Holidays in India said...

Wow What an amazing structure.

Pat said...

Amazing and beautiful ancient buildings!

Kristin said...

Hi Rajesh, that's really awesome place that you show. Magnificent architecture. Thanks for introducing such a lovely place. But it looks really familiar, especially the first photo. I think I've seen it in a Bollywood movie. I used to watch many Bollywood movies and Tamil movies with my best friend during secondary school.

Anyways, love your site. Have a nice day Rajesh! :-)

Unknown said...

Great tour Rajesh. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

Marites said...

they are impressive! nice shots!

{krista} said...

What a beautiful place!

Cezar and Léia said...

Wow I love those columns and the second view is also magnificent!
Léia - Bonjour Luxembourg

Nanka said...

Beautiful architecture and lovely shots!!

photowannabe said...

Magnificient architecture.

Dianne said...

all the lines and angles of the Royal Centre are wonderful!

Roger Owen Green said...

That country has so many great locales, and this is another.
ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Joyti said...

How beautiful...I hope I can visit one day.

Anya said...

Its so wonderful :-)
Very beautiful !!!

Chubskulit Rose said...

Great choice for letter H. Gorgeous shots.

Have a peek on my letter H, see you.

Barbara said...

Interesting place to visit.

Joy said...

It sounds idyllic to drift on coracles down the river through the zones.

Kim, USA said...

Wow this is an amazing temple. So what is the purpose of that middle court that has a water? It's very interesting.
ABC Wednesday-H

Tumblewords: said...

Spectacular images!

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

rare and treasury shot.
well explained.

Misfit in Paradise said...

Thank you so much for sharing that with us.
Donna - ABC Team

Unknown said...

Nice place, good shot

My Watery Wednesday

Randi said...

Interesting and beautiful post. Love these old treasures.

Reflections said...

Treasured photos, fabulous images... thank you for sharing.

Deguide said...

Hampi is the place where the diamonds were traded on the streets.

Lowell said...

Thank you again, Rajesh, for sharing so much info about your country...I had no idea...that is a magnificent temple in the first shot. And I'm surprised that so many temples are still in such good shape and functioning.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Great pictures and also great commentary on the pics. Another great post.

Carver said...

Great shots and an interesting post.

Anonymous said...

interesting series, nice photos!

MaR said...

Beautiful indeed. It reminds me of the commercial "Incredible India...". I think it is from the Tourist Office.

ABC Wednesday: H

Walk in New York said...

magnifique ce temple et le 'lac' est original

Publicity ;o) Every Friday (and the Weekend), The Challenge "Walk In The Street Photography"

horse said...

Thanks for sharing.

Say Hi to my Horse, my entry for H.

Vinay Leo R. said...

lovely photography as always, Rajesh :)

Vinay @ I Rhyme Without Reason

Anonymous said...

This is my first visit to your site, via ABC Weds. Just visited Nanka, who gave an account of Hindu gatherings, so this is my India Day, and glad I am for that...

Here's my ABC. You'll get a lot of American politics in here!
http://sharplittlepencil.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/here-heroes-for-madison-wi-protesters/
Peace, Amy

Pietro Brosio said...

Fantastic structure indeed, very interesting.

Rajesh said...

Thanks to all for appreciating the heritage site. First image is from Vittala Temple Complex. Second is image of Stepped Tank.

joshi daniel said...

i loved the tank the most!

Shail Raghuvanshi said...

Beautiful Rajesh. Keep it up..

Gautam said...

Hampi is on my list of places I have to visit very soon. Hampi...I am comming :)

Deepa Gopal said...

Its a beautiful place so rich with culture and heritage...its on my Wishlist for very long...I remember studying about this fab place in school...:)

Rajesh said...

Thank you all. This is a must see place.