Vijayanagara district

The living heart of Hampi — a Shiva temple in continuous worship since the 7th century, with a towering ~50 m gopuram on the bank of the Tungabhadra at the head of Hampi Bazaar. This temple guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

The masterpiece of Hampi — a 16th-century Vishnu temple famed for its iconic stone chariot and the "musical" pillars of its ranga mantapa that ring like instruments when tapped. This heritage guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

The long colonnaded market street running east from the Virupaksha temple, once a thriving medieval bazaar of diamond and horse traders; its ruined pavilions front the temple gopuram. This heritage guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

A low granite hill just south of the Virupaksha temple studded with pre-Vijayanagara temples, gateways and monolithic shrines — Hampi’s favourite sunset spot with views over the ruins. This heritage guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

The highest point in central Hampi, topped by the Veerabhadra temple, giving a 360° sunrise-and-sunset panorama over the whole ruin field and the Tungabhadra — a short, steep climb. This viewpoint guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

The largest monolith in Hampi — a 6.7 m image of Narasimha, the man-lion avatar of Vishnu, carved in 1528 and seated under a seven-hooded serpent; the adjacent Badavilinga is a large monolithic Shiva linga. This heritage guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

A 2.4 m monolithic Ganesha carved from a single boulder within an open pillared pavilion on the Hemakuta slope, named for its "mustard-seed" belly; the larger Kadalekalu Ganesha stands nearby. This heritage guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

The compact royal chapel of the Vijayanagara kings, its outer walls and inner pillars covered in bands of relief carving telling the Ramayana — "a thousand Ramas". This temple guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

An elegant two-storey pavilion in the walled Zenana (ladies’) enclosure, blending Hindu and Islamic arches into a lotus-bud shape — once an airy retreat for the royal women. This heritage guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

A grand symmetrical row of eleven domed chambers that housed the royal elephants, with a central tower — one of the best-preserved and most photographed structures at Hampi. This heritage guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

A plain square exterior hiding an ornate arcaded bathing pavilion with a large sunken tank, projecting balconies and lotus-shaped fountains, once fed by aqueducts for the royal household. This heritage guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

A large, austere Vijayanagara temple to Tiruvengalanatha (Vishnu) at the foot of Matanga Hill, fronted by the ruined Courtesans’ (Sule) Bazaar and set among boulders. This temple guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

A large masonry-and-earth dam across the Tungabhadra near Hosapete, about 15 km from Hampi, with a landscaped garden, a musical fountain and reservoir views; the spillway is spectacular when the crest gates open after the monsoon. This dam guide belongs to the Hosapete planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

A ruined Balakrishna (Vishnu) temple built by Krishnadevaraya in 1513 to mark his conquest of Udayagiri, just south of Hemakuta Hill — a walled complex with a large gopuram, pillared halls and a colonnaded bazaar street; the deity it once held is now in a Chennai museum. This temple guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

The "Underground" Shiva temple — one of Hampi’s oldest shrines, built below the surrounding ground level so its pillared halls and sanctum, reached down a flight of steps, flood and stay cool; it sits on the road toward the royal centre. This heritage guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

A giant monolithic Ganesha about 4.5 m tall, carved from a single boulder and named for its "gram-seed" belly, sheltered in an open pillared pavilion on the Hemakuta slope near the Krishna temple. This heritage guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

The great three-tiered granite ceremonial platform at the heart of the Royal Enclosure, from which the Vijayanagara kings watched the Mahanavami (Dasara) festivities; its sides carry carved friezes of elephants, horses, hunts and dancers, with the stepped Pushkarani tank close by. This heritage guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

The walled compound of the royal women, entered past watchtowers, enclosing the Indo-Islamic Lotus Mahal and, just outside, the domed Elephant Stables — a quiet, garden-like corner of the royal centre. This heritage guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

One of the largest and best-preserved temple complexes at Hampi, near Kamalapura — a spacious Dravidian Rama temple with a tall gopuram, a big pillared mandapa and a colonnaded courtyard, and usually blissfully quiet. This temple guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

A living Rama temple atop the boulder-strewn Malyavanta Hill on the Kampli road, where legend says Rama and Lakshmana waited out the monsoon; the walled complex has rows of monolithic lingas and wide views over the ruin field. This temple guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

A riverbank Rama temple at the sacred Chakratirtha ghat on the Tungabhadra, east of Hampi Bazaar, enshrining Rama, Sita and Lakshmana carved from a single boulder; still in worship and reached along the coracle-crossing path. This temple guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

A tall stone weighing arch (Tula Bhara) near the Vittala temple, where on holy days kings were weighed against gold and jewels that were then given away; two carved granite pillars support a beam with hanging stone loops. This heritage guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

A pillared riverside pavilion below the Vittala temple dedicated to Purandaradasa, the 16th-century "father of Carnatic music" said to have lived and composed here; it hosts the annual Purandaradasa Aradhana music festival. This heritage guide belongs to the Hampi planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)

A large early-16th-century temple at Ananthasayanagudi, about 5 km from Hosapete, built by Krishnadevaraya for a reclining (Ananthasayana) Vishnu; its rare barrel-vaulted brick-and-stone sanctum is one of very few of its kind, though the image is long gone. This temple guide belongs to the Hosapete planning base in Vijayanagara, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)