Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka, on
the banks of the Tungabhadra river in India. Hampi is located within the ruins
of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara empire. Possibly predating
the city of Vijayanagara, this village continues to be an important religious
centre, housing the Virupaksha temple. The village of Hampi contains several
other monuments belonging to the old city. It extends into some of the old ceremonial
streets of Vijayanagara.
As the village is at the original centre of Vijayanagara, it is sometimes confused
with this ruined city. Hampi is also called "
The City of Ruins".The
Vijayanagara ruins are listed as the Group of Monuments at Hampi as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
The name "
Hampi" is an anglicized version of the Kannada Hampe
(derived from Pampa, the ancient name for the river Tungabhadra). Over the years,
it has also been referred to as Vijayanagara and Virupakshapura (from Virupaksha,
the patron deity of the Vijayanagara rulers).
History
Hampi is identified with the mythological Kishkindha, the monkey kingdom which finds mention in the Ramayana. The first historical settlements in Hampi date back to 1 common era.
Hampi formed one of the cores of the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from 1336 to 1565. Hampi was chosen because of its strategic location, bounded by the torrential Tungabhadra river on one side and surrounded by defensible hills on the other three sides.
Temples
Hampi has various notable Hindu temples, some of them which are still active places of worship. Some of them are:
"
Virupaksha temple complex: Also known as the Pampapathi temple,
it is a Shiva temple situated in the Hampi Bazaar. It predates the founding
of the Vijayanagar empire. The temple has a 160 foot high tower at its entrance.
Apart from Shiva, the temple complex also contains shrines of the Hindu goddesses
Bhuvaneshwari and Pampa.
