Why are the hills of Hampi different from Western Ghats & Himalayas

polonrish
Mar 31, 2023
2 min read

Updated: Jun 1, 2023

Hampi - The temple town of India. The village in Karnataka, where you can witness the ruins, unseen architecture, and boulder-strewn landscape. But have you ever wondered why? Why are the hills of Hampi different from Western Ghats & Himalayas? Let's start exploring the unexplored.

About The Temple town - Hampi

Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th century. Interestingly by 1500 CE, Hampi-Vijayanagara was the world's second-largest medieval-era city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at that time. Hampi at that time was the center of attraction for Persians and Portuguese.

The Vijayanagara Empire was defeated by a coalition of Muslim sultanates, its capital was conquered, and destroyed by sultanate armies in 1565, after which Hampi remained in ruins.

Presently Hampi is UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the history is buried under the boulders.

How to reach Hampi

Distance from Bangalore - 342 km (Roads are good)

Driving Time -6hrs

By Train - The nearest railhead from Hampi is Hospet which is at a distance of 13 km. Tourists can hire a taxi or cab to reach the place comfortably. Hospet is well connected to various cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, etc.

Why are the hills of Hampi different from Western Ghats & Himalayas

From the artistic view it seems someone has deliberately arranged the boulders of Hampi. But the actual reason for such an appearance bit different. Unlike Western Ghats and Himalayas, these are not formed because of tectonic shifts. From the geological angle, millions of years of erosion have caused the monolithic to crack, split and eventually metamorphose into their present form.

Best Time to visit Hampi

October to February

Places to visit In Hampi

There are a number of places you can explore in Hampi but if time is short you can explore the following attractions.

Virupaksha Temple

The Virupaksha Temple is the oldest shrine, the principal destination for pilgrims and tourists and remains an active Hindu worship site. It is in the epicenter of Hampi bazar.

Vittala Temple

It is the most artistically sophisticated Hindu temple in Hampi, and is part of the sacred center of Vijayanagara. It is unclear when the temple complex was built, and who built it; most scholars date it to a period of construction in the early-to-mid-16th century. The temple was dedicated to Vitthala, a form of Krishna also called Vithoba.

The Vitthala temple has a Garuda shrine in the form of a stone chariot in the courtyard; it is an often-pictured symbol of Hampi.

Adjourned with musical pillars, private rooms, and carvings from ancient epic Ramayana, Kamasutra positions and trading practices tell stories from different centuries. One other thing that will surely catch your attention is that the nose of all idols, animals, gods, commoners, and doorkeepers is sabotaged.