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The Memory Weaver, Mumbai (2026)

13/01/2016

If trees could talk, this one would have some amazing stories to tell.
The oldest tree in the Vittala Temple compound in Hampi still stands strong.

11/01/2016

A damaged gopura at the side entrance of the Vittala Temple in Hampi.

10/01/2016

A sadhu sits outside the ruins of the marketplace in Hampi.

09/01/2016

Consecrated in AD 1534, the Achyutraya temple is an example of the Vijayanagara style temple architecture in its most advanced form than any other temples in Hampi. This was one of the last grandiose temple projects executed in the capital, before the fall of the empire.

The temple dedicated to Lord Tiruvengalanatha, a form of Vishnu , was constructed by a high officer in Achyuta Raya's court and hence the name.

The temple complex and the ruined market street in front of it sit in a semi secluded valley created by two hills - the Gandhamadana & Matanga hills . Partially due to its off location from the main tourist track and the hidden nature of the temple's location makes it less crowded, welcome news for the ones like a quiet tour.

The main shrine is located at the centre of two rectangular concentric courtyards. The inner sides of both the courtyard walls are lined with a cloisters or pillared verandah. The outer cloisters are mostly in ruins with the pillars scattered randomly along the wall base. Two huge ruined towers, one behind the other, give access to the temple courtyards.

08/01/2016

An old woman (the grandmother) feeds sugarcane bagasse into the furnace at a family-owned jaggery plant in Hampi.

07/01/2016

The main entrance to the Vittala Temple in Hampi.
As the epicenter of Hampi's attractions, Vittala Temple is the most extravagant architectural showpiece of Hampi. No amount of words can explain this spectacle. The temple is built in the form of a sprawling campus with compound wall and gateway towers. There are many halls, pavilions and temples located inside this campus.
The temple was originally built in the 15th century AD. Many successive kings have enhanced the temple campus during their regimes to the present form. You can even see the remains of a township called Vittalapura that existed around this temple complex. The highlight of Vittala temple is its impressive pillared halls and the stone chariot. The halls are carved with an overwhelming array of sculptures on the giant granite pillars. The stone chariot located inside the campus is almost an iconic structure of Hampi.

06/01/2016

King’s Balance in Hampi is an ancient and rare balance scale. It is located to the southwest of the Vittala Temple, at the end of the Kampa Bhupa’s Path. This rare balance scale is also known as Tula Bhara or Tula Purushadana. It attracts a lot of visitors due to its interesting history and its amazing structure that remains almost intact even today.
The King’s Balance was used in the 15th century. It has a fascinating history associated to it. The story goes that the balance was used by the kings of the Vijayanagara Empire on special occasions. The king used to weigh himself with gold, silver, gems, precious stones and jewellery and give away those things to the priests of the temples in charity.

The interesting part is that as such an occasion approached, the royal kitchen used to prepare all the favourite dishes of the king at the insistence of the city council. The king would be provided fatty food at all times and would be allowed to move as less as possible. This was done so that the king would gain a few extra kilos and there would be a little extra wealth to distribute to the priests. The scale was also used to weigh grains and pulses in that era.
The King’s Balance, Hampi, is a massive frame carved in stone. The monument consists of two beautifully carved granite pillars with a height of 15 feet. The pillars support a heavy stone beam of about 12 feet. There are three hoops on the underside of the stone beam. The hoops were used to hang the balance. One of the pillars has the image of the king and two queens carved on stone.

08/12/2015

For some curious reasons, the Siva temple was built many meters below the ground level. For this reason, almost all the time the sanctum and the core parts of the temple are under water, restricting entry to the inner areas.

A water canal system too is visible around the main temple. But this canal is dry and you can walk down to a point from where it’s impossible to go further. There is a small temple for Siva’s consort too near the mail shrine. The Kalyanamantapa (ceremonial marriage hall) is a great looking structure. It has been believed that this is one of the oldest temples in Hampi.
Your entry to the temple passes through the main tower in front of the temple campus. It looks like this tower was an addition done later on and was never completed. A series of wide large steps along the axis of the tower and the sanctum leads you to the inner part of the temple. The main hall in front of the shrine is huge with massive cubical pillars supporting the roof. The lamppost actually protrudes through the roof. Depending upon the water level you may be able to proceed to the sanctum area.

08/12/2015

The Badavi Linga is the largest Linga image in Hampi. Located next to the Lakshmi Narasimha statue the Linga is housed inside a chamber with an opening in the front. A close look on this icon can reveal three eyes (depicting the three eyes of Shiva) carved on it. Legend has it that this was commissioned by a peasant woman and hence the name (Badva means poor in local tongue). The sanctum in which the Linga is installed is always filled with water as a water channel is made to flow through it.

05/12/2015

One among the few least destroyed structures in Hampi, the Elephant Stable is a major tourist attraction. This long building with a row of domed chambers was used to ‘park’ the royal elephants. There are 11 domed tall chambers; some of them are inter- connected. The center one is specially decorated and big. Probably the musicians and the associated band troupes had been using this during ceremonies involving elephant processions.
The whole building looks symmetric with respect to this central hall. The tower of the central hall resembles (though mostly destroyed) more like that of temples. However the five pairs of domes on either side are Islamic in style. They are better preserved and of alternating patterns.
Metal hooks (used to tie the elephants) on the inside roof can be seen. At the rear of each hall are small manhole type openings for the mahouts to enter the elephant compartments.

04/12/2015

The Virupaksha temple is located in Hampi, 350 km from Bangalore, in the state of Karnataka in southern India. It is part of the Group of Monuments at Hampi, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Virupaksha is a form of Shiva.
The temple's history is uninterrupted from about the 7th century. The Virupaksha-Pampa sanctuary existed well before the Vijayanagara capital was located here. Inscriptions referring to Shiva date back to the 9th and 10th centuries. What started as a small shrine grew into a large complex under the Vijayanagara rulers. Evidence indicates there were additions made to the temple in the late Chalukyan and Hoysala periods, though most of the temple buildings are attributed to the Vijayanagar period.

Under the Vijayanagara rulers, in the middle of the 14th century, there began a flowering of native art and culture. When the rulers were defeated by Muslim invaders in the 16th century, most of the wonderful decorative structures and creations were systematically destroyed.

The religious sect of Virupaksha-Pampa did not end with the destruction of the city in 1565. Worship there has persisted throughout the years. At the beginning of the 19th century there were major renovations and additions, which included ceiling paintings and the towers of the north and east gopura.

04/12/2015

As the epicenter of Hampi's attractions, Vittala Temple is the most extravagant architectural showpiece of Hampi. The highlight of Vittala temple is its impressive pillared halls and the stone chariot.
In mythology Lord Vittala is an aspect of Lord Vishnu (See Gods of Hampi and Mythology of Hampi). Garuda (lord of eagles) is the vehicle (mount) of Lord Vishnu. The Stone Chariot once contained the icon on Garuda, though the shrine is empty now. This shrine is in the axis of the massive Vittala Temple and faces the sanctum of Vittala Temple.

It may appear to you (and sometimes even referred to) as a monolithic structure. In reality this stone shrine was built with many giant granite blocks. The joints are smartly hidden in the carvings and other decorative features that adorn the Stone Chariot.

The chariot is built on a rectangular platform of a feet or so high. All around this base platform is carved with mythical battle scenes. Though the chariot is not resting on it, the four giant wheels attached mimic the real life ones complete with the axis shafts and even the brakes. A series of concentric floral motifs decorate the wheels. It appears from the marks on the platform, where the wheels rest, the wheels were free to move around the axis.

You can still see the remains of the painting on the carvings of the chariot. Probably because it was relatively protected from the natural weather elements, the undercarriage of the chariot spots one of the best preserved specimens of this kind of paintings. It is believed the whole of the Vittala Temple’s sculptures were once beautifully painted in similar fashion using the minerals as medium.

In front of the chariot two elephants are positioned as if they are pulling the chariot. In fact these stone elephants were brought from elsewhere and positioned here at a later stage. Originally two horses 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. You can still spot the marks on the floor and the doorsill where once the ladder stood.

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