Hampi Group of Monuments – The Royal City of Vijayanagara
“Why is the weather app showing ‘Vijayanagara’ instead of Hampi?” I enquired. “Because the Hampi Group of Monuments is in Vijayanagara, the capital city of the medieval Vijayanagara Empire or Karnata kingdom,” my cousin Alok replied. We had reached Hampi in the night after a 340-km drive from Bangalore. Sweltering heat made me open the app and discover this lesser-known factoid.
Alok and I took this road trip 4 weeks ago. He had flown down to join me as I was moving from Bangalore to Gurgaon. Instead of the regular route, I planned an itinerary that would cover a few bucket-list destinations en route, the UNESCO site of Hampi being one.
About the Hampi Group of Monuments
These stone structures, built between the 14th and 16th centuries, cover an area of ~4100 hectares (~41 sq km). Though we had planned a 3-night stay in Hampi, from the outset we knew it wasn’t enough to do justice to this site. But we tried to do our best.
On the rocky banks of the Tungabhadra river, there is less soil and more stone covering the terrain. While this facilitated the Vijayanagara Empire to carve history in stone, it also meant the region was hot as hell in late April.
As we set out to explore, we discovered the monuments comprised two broad categories – temples and the royal township. I’ll cover the temples in the next post.
Royal Palace and surroundings
The royal monuments comprise 3 broad clusters of structures – the ceremonial complex that houses the Mahanavami Platform and the public square, the Lotus Mahal (palace) with its attached elephant stables, and the Queen’s Bath.
As you approach the Mahanavami Platform complex, you will spot a solid stone gate, now lying on the ground, because of the easy availability of stone in the area. The platform is a tiered structure. Its lower two tiers are of granite. The sides of the platform bear carvings in stone that depict royal activities like marching animals, dancers and musicians, and battle processions. This ceremonial structure had a wooden mandapa (pavilion) on top, burnt down when latter-day aggressors destroyed Hampi.
This complex also houses a stunning symmetrical step-well, the likes of which are often seen in Rajasthan. The tanks and step-wells in Hampi were public utilities; some, perhaps used for royal ceremonies.
Lotus Mahal and Elephant Stables
Lotus Mahal is a two-storeyed structure. It is a symmetrical square built in Hindu mandala design with arches, vaults, and domes of the Indo-Islamic style. They built its pyramidal domes in the Hindu Temple architectural style. Why they built Lotus Mahal is not clear, though the experts conjecture it to be a council hall.
In the complex’s east is the Gajashala, or elephant stables. The structure comprises eleven chambers with arched openings. Domes top these chambers.
The Queen’s Bath
The modern name is a misnomer as this square water pavilion was a public bath, meant for locals and travellers. Lying southeast of the royal centre, it has a pavilion, a water tank, and stone plumbing for moving fresh water and removing overflows. The periphery of this structure has arches of an Indo-Islamic style. It reflects an era when Hindu and Muslim arts influenced each other.
Other public areas
Talarigatta Gate, though in ruins, still serves the purpose of being the main entrance into the town from the riverside. There are many pillared Bhojanashalas (Food Halls) and market squares around the Hampi complex. Besides these, an extensive water infrastructure exists here for locals, travellers, rituals, and irrigation. As a flourishing trade centre of the medieval era, most of these facilities catered to the traders visiting the Vijayanagara Empire.
As we explored these ancient ruins – some restored, others in disrepair – we marvelled at the town planning prowess of several centuries ago. In the next post, when I write about the temples of Hampi, you’ll realise how advanced the empire’s city-building was.
Pin this history in stones.
