Poetry in Stone - 28

This is twenty-eight in the series on the rich cultural heritage of ancient temples in India. The ancient temples have beautiful carvings on them that are treat to the eyes.

A sculpture of Salabhanjika in the 12th century Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebid. She is setting her ear rings by looking into the mirror in another hand.

A sculpture of Yakshi in the 15th century Vittala Temple at Hampi. 

A sculpture of Brahma on the external wall of 12th century Chennakesava Temple of Belur.
Another beautiful sculpture on the external wall of Rajarani Temple at Bhubaneshwar.

Poetry in Stone - 21

This is twenty-first in the series on the rich cultural heritage of ancient temples in India. The ancient temples are richly carved and they behold ones attention for their craftsmanship. One of the prominent sculpture of different type are Yali which has a catlike graceful body, but the head of a lion with tusks of an elephant and tail of a serpent. 

This beautiful sculpture of  Yali with a warrior is in  10th century Ranganathswamy Temple at Srirangam.

This sculpture of  Yali is in the 100 pillar Kalyanmantap at 1624 A.D  Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple at Madurai.

This fabulous sculpture of  Yali with a warrior is in  16th century Veerabadhra Temple of Lepakshi.

This sculpture is prominently seen in South Indian temples.  First one is from  1515 A.D Bala Krishna Temple at Hampi,  6th century Thayumanaswami Temple at Trichy and  1010 A.D Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur.

Prev 20 Next 22

Poetry in Stone - 18

This is eighteenth in the series on the rich cultural heritage of temples in India. The ancient temples are richly carved and they behold ones attention for their craftsmanship. Most of these temples have carvings of Lord Ganesh in various forms. Each of these sculptures are marvel stone in their own right.

Here is the huge sculpture of Lord Ganesh within the complex of the 12th century Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebid in Karnataka. The crown is a true masterpiece.

Above carving is on the pillar inside the 8th century  Hazar Ram Temple of World Heritage Site Hampi in Karnataka. 

First one is on the external walls of Airavateswarar Temple at Darasuram. Second one is 12th century sculpture of Lord Ganesha at ASI Museum, Shimoga. Third one is at the Brihadeeshwarar Temple at Gangaikondacholapuram.

There are many more such beautiful carvings, we will explore some other time.

Prev 17 Next 19

Images of India - 46

A glimpse of heritage sites of India in black and white. Other posts will give you more details about this monument.

A  view of street at World Heritage Site Hampi

Poetry in Stone - 16

This is sixteenth in the series on the rich cultural heritage of ancient temples in India. There are various intricate sculptures in each of these temples where each one of them is better than the other.

The 14th century Jain Tempe at Ranakpur is beautifully carved in marble. Every inch of the temple is exceptionally carved. The pillars are intricately carved withe the craftsmanhip that are unmatched. Here top part of one of the pillar in temple is shown. 

There is a beautiful sculpture of Hanuman in Hampi.  This is more than 6ft big sculpture has ornamental decorations carved beautifully around the body. This was kept in one of the small rooms there near an excavation site.

The 14th century Sri Ranganathswamy Temple at Srirangam is a sculptural marvel. There are various sub-shrines that are carved beautifully in the temple. On one such shrine there are various sculptures on the external wall from left to right: a maiden with a parrot, Lord Krishna playing the flute and a maiden playing the vina.

Prev 15 Next 17

Poetry in Stone - 7

This is seventh in the series on the rich cultural heritage of temples in India. The ancient temples are richly carved and they behold ones attention for their craftsmanship.

Most of these temples have carvings of Lord Ganesh in various forms. Each of these sculptures are marvel stone in their own right.

The first two sculptures are beautifully carved on the external walls of the 12th century Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebid in Karnataka.

Above are from the temples of Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh on their external walls. On the left is from Lakshmana Temple and the right one is from Vishwanath Temple. This is one of the World  Heritage Site.

This one again from World Heritage Site Hampi in Karnataka. This 8 feet idol is known as Sasivekalu Ganesha.


Above is 16th century sculpture of Lord Ganesha at ASI Museum, Shimoga. It is front and back of the same sculpture which has been damaged. Uniqueness of this idol is the hair style at the back which is commonly done by ladies in India.

Above one is the angry form of the Lord. This is a very rare form of sculpture and is at Boganandishwar Temple near Bangalore.

Prev 6 Next 8

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.

Hampi World Heritage Site

Hampi, the Forgotten Empire (for more) once was the flourishing capital city of the Vijaynagar Empire in the 14th Century. The city 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.

For the same reason it was ransacked by Muslim Sultans. Today it is a site of splendid ruins of palaces, temples and gateways of the broken city, that silently narrate the story of once glorious past and the final senseless destruction. 

In the above image rocky nature of the place and various temples can be seen.

Above is the carvings on the pillars of one of the many temples in the place.

On 5th December 1986, Hampi was inscribed on the World Heritage List for it represents a unique artistic creation. One can spend 2 to 3 days to cover each corners of this place.

Stone Chariot, Hampi

At Hampi, the stone chariot located in the Vittala Temple Complex is a shrine built in the form of temple chariot. An image of Garuda was originally enshrined within its sanctum. Garuda, according to the Hindu mythology, is the vehicle of lord Vishnu. 

The chariot built with many giant granite blocks. The joints of the blocks are smartly hidden in the carvings that adorn the Stone Chariot and due to this it appears as a monolithic structure. It is built on a feet high rectangular platform. All around this base platform is carved with mythical battle scenes. The four giant stone wheels attached to the chariot look complete with the axis shafts. On the wheels are concentric floral motifs. 

In front of the chariot two elephants are positioned as if they are pulling the chariot. These elephants where later additions to the chariot and they actually replaced two horses that were carved in that position. The tails and the rear legs of the horses can be still seen just behind these elephant sculptures. A broken stone ladder once gave access to the sanctum is kept between the elephants.

Sister Rocks, Hampi

Hampi is a rock garden where you will see rocks for miles as far as your eyes can gaze. One can see rocks of all sizes and shapes all around. Some of them have given shape to construct beautiful temples and carvings. 

There are two such natural rocks which have been not given any shape and they can be seen even today as they were from ages. These rocks can be seen on the way to Kamalapur, which is 4 kms away from Hampi . The interesting aspect of these Sister Rocks (popularly known as Akka – Thangi Betta) is they lean against each other and touch each other only at the top tip. Local legend has it that two sisters were walking towards Hampi and the were very tired and the weather was very dry. As a result they insulted Hampi and they were cursed to become rocks.

Badavilinga Temple, Hampi

Badavilinga Temple is the home for the largest monolithic Linga in Hampi. This is located near the Lakshmi Narasimha Temple.

It is installed inside a small chamber that has a single opening in front. The Linga was commissioned by a peasant woman. On the Linga there are the three eyes carved on it. They depict the eyes of Lord Shiva. The sanctum containing the Linga is always filled with water at the base as the water channel flows through it.

The Linga was commissioned by a peasant woman. In the local language the term Badva means poor and the temple derived its name from the same word.

Monolithic Bull, Hampi

The monolithic bull, is one of the beautiful structures in Hampi. This bull is locally known as Yeduru Basavanna. It is located at the the east end of Virupaksha Bazaar, and it stands like a guard opposite to Virupaksha Temple. 

The sculpture is placed in a two storied pavilion constructed on a high platform at the foothill of Matunga Hill. A heap of gigantic boulders behind the pavilion offers an picturesque view.

Though partly mutilated, it attracts lot of tourists for its sheer size.

Stepped Tank, Hampi

The stepped tank of 15th century within the Royal Enclosure of Hampi is one of the very ornate and proportionate in terms of design. This square tank built using black chlorite schist measures about 22 meters in square. It is 7 meters deep. 

It has five distinct tiers, each fitted with symmetric steps set in a pleasing pattern. It has five distinct tiers, each fitted with steps set in a pleasing pattern.

The mason marks on each step showing the exact position and direction in which it had to be placed, tells us that the layout of the tank was well designed. The stones were given the desired shape in some other place and later assembled here. Practically every stone is earmarked for this purpose and some bears even 'sketches' by its architects. This tank was fed by aqueducts which brought the water from the river to the tanks. The remains of aqueducts used for supplying water have been found in a number of locations near Hampi.

The purpose of this tank mostly could have been for religious ceremonies by the royals.

Hampi Bazar

This is the only post in Hampi Series that does not concentrate on architecture. Rather this focuses mainly on how the city layout was formed in terms of markets. It gives basic idea on the location of markets and how they are organized.

During the Vijayanagara rule in the 15th century, the Bazaars (markets) happened to be the centers of all the commercial activities. It is believed that these bazaars were not only just commercial regions but were also the sprawling quarters of the capital city of the empire. These bazaars are mostly situated opposite the temples. 

In Hampi there were main four bazaars of varied sizes, all of them in front of the temples. They are, the Virupaksha Bazaar opposite the Virupaksha Temple, the Soolai Bazaar opposite the Achyutapura Temple, the Krishna Bazaar opposite the Krishna Temple and the Vithala Bazaar opposite the Vithala Temple. Today, except the Virupaksha Bazaar, the other three bazaars have been deserted over a period of time and no activity can be seen.

Virupaksha Bazaar with Virupakasha Temple tower at the far end

Virupaksha Bazaar is 1 km in length and the market stretches from the doorstep of the Virupaksha Temple and extends in the western direction till the the Bull Temple. Both sides of the street are lined with a series of old pavilions, some of them are two storied. These structures were once part of a thriving market and residence of the nobles. Today here one can find everything from the coconuts and flowers to offer at Virupaksha Temple to rare coins and antiquities of great value.

Vithala Bazaar

Hazar Rama Temple, Hampi

This 15th century shrine of Lord Rama located in the Royal Area of Hampi is popularly called "Hazara Rama Temple". Inscriptions inside the Hazara Rama temple provide evidence of the indicate the period of origin of this temple as Devaraya I erected it in the early 15th century. This is the only temple in the area with its external walls decorated with five rows of bas-reliefs. They portray the processions of elephants, horses with attendants, military contingents, and dancing girls. 

The name of the temple is Rama due to the large number of Ramayana panels carved in long arrays, onto the walls of this temple. Incidents in the story like Dasaratha performing a sacrifice to beget sons, the birth of Rama, his exile into the forest, the abduction of Sita and the ultimate fight between Rama and Ravana are all carved in a vivid manner. In these panels, the story of Rama and through it the triumph of good over evil is brought out.

This high wall encloses the entire complex with the main entrances set on the east. The temple consisted of a sanctum, an ardha mantapa and a pillared hall with an open porch with tall and elegant pillars. The pillar hall is notable for its unique pillars in black-stone. They are set on a raised stone platform in the middle of the hall. The other structures in this temple complex are a shrine for Devi and Utsava Mantapa.

To the south is a small doorway, which leads to the Durbar Area. It is believed that this thempe is used privately by the royal family.

King's Balance, Hampi

In Hampi this is a located near Vittala Temple. This 16th century balance also known as "Tula Bara" is 5 meter tall and is a very simple structure. It is believed that on special days like Solar or Lunar eclipse King used to weigh himself in gold, silver, gems and precious stones. Then this used to be distributed among the people of the State.

Balance (click on the image for bigger view)

From far this balance looks like an arch way. Once near the balance on close observation on can see three loops at the top from which balance was actually hung. Also at the base of one of the pillars one can see image of the King carved with his concerts.

Loops in the balance

Mahanvami Dibba, Hampi

In the Royal Enclosure zone of Hampi this is a giant 3 layer structure and is the tallest in this area. From a distance this looks very simple elevated square stage and may not generate any interest to go near it. But as one approaches the structure, more details emerge and one can appreciate the marvel in stone. The platform is known as the Mahanavami-dibba (House of Victory).

This dimension of the base of these structure is 40 meter square and the topmost area is 24 meter square. It is 12 meters in height. The top of the structure can be reached by the the stairs either in the front (east facing) or in the back. There is nothing at the top, but for the view if the surrounding area from the top. The front stairs are highly decorated on either sides with carvings of elephants, horses, camels, lions and a host of other things.

The walls of the tiers are covered with rows of boldly carved horizontal friezes of horses, elephants, warriors, dancers, musicians,royal ceremony, city life, hunting scenes.

processions and hunting scenes

This was constructed by King Krishnadevara in the 16th century. This platform was used by the king to watch the army march-pasts, war games, aquatic sports, shows of the royal animals, musical performances and also the most important Navarathri celebrations.

Vittala Temple, Hampi

Hampi, is the cradle of Vijaynagar architecture as showcased by various monuments in the region. But,the Vittala Temple is the prime attraction among them. No words of explanation can do justice to the architectural extravaganza of this temple. The construction of the temple was initiated in 1513 AD by the Maharaja Krishnadevaraya. The work was later supported by its successors Achuta and Sadasiva till its destruction in 1565 AD.

Sculptures on the tower of gateways

The sprawling temple campus was built inside the high boundary walls with 3 gateway towers on the east, south and north. The eastern entrance is used for entry into the temple complex. Inside this campus there are many halls, pavilions and temples.

Stone chariot

In front of the main temple is the Stone Chariot. This has become a iconic monument in Hampi. Even though it is referred as monolithic, it is in fact built with many giant granite blocks.

Temple Maha Mandap

The Vittala Temple stands on a strong ornate stone basement that has been richly carved with designs of horses, elephants, dancing girls, floral motifs and soldiers. The temple can be entered through a series of steps flanged by elephant balustrades that leads to the Maha Mantapa. This contains four open halls within. While the central western hall has collapsed, the south, north and the east ones are still intact.

musical pillars

The main attraction of Maha-Mantapa is its superbly carved giant monolithic pillars. The outermost of the pillars have slender and short pilasters carved out of the giant pillars. They are known as musical pillars as they emit musical tones when tapped. The tapping on it is not permitted for the sake of preservation. 

Sculpture on the pillar

The eastern hall is known as the musicians hall because of the sculptures of musicians on the pillars. The southern hall pillars are carved with mythical creatures called Yalis. The northern hall is surrounded with a series of pillars with the Narasimha themes. The ceilings of the halls are carved with lotus in the centre. The inner sanctum is devoid of any idol.

Pillared Hall in the temple campus

Even the other halls inside the campus are equally worth noticing. There is a 100-pillared hall at the southwest, the ceremonial marriage hall in the southeast. Even they have been richly carved.