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Places to Visit in Hampi

A tiny yet worthy of visiting museums, Archaeological Museum of Hampi accounts for the best Hampi tourist places to spend some time with. This museum accounts for four principal sections each dedicated to a different exhibit.

The first section exhibits Hampi model, the second section shows sculptures and idols dedicated to Hampi ruins. The third section exhibits tools, arms, and ammunition. The fourth section exhibits artifacts dating back to the pre-historic and post-historic era.

Location: Kamalapur Road, Hampi, India

Timings: You are free to take a dig at the beauty of this Archaeological Museum from morning 10:00 am to evening 05:00 pm.

Price: Per head you need to pay around 5 INR as entry fees. Entry is free for children under the age of 15 years. Photography is permitted only for the lawn exhibits.

Yantrodharaka Hanuman Temple is present at a distance of around 2km from the famous Virupaksha temple. This temple is a part of a cave standing at the peak of a hill and is dedicated to the Hindu deity Lord Hanuman.

Also, the Tungabhadra river flows through the steps of this hill. Here, you can find Lord Hanuman indulged in a state of deep meditation. Within a distance of five minutes from here, you can find another temple dedicated to Lord Srinivasa. In case you feel hungry, you can approach small stalls nearby selling either mangoes, biscuits or cucumbers.

It is best if you plan on your itinerary to this place in between October to March.

Location: Hampi, Karnataka 583239

Timings: You can visit this temple at any point during the daytime. It takes around one hour to cover your entire visit here.

Price: There are no entry fees here. Also, you can easily take in your cameras here to capture some beautiful pictures of this place.

Vijaya Vittala Temple or Vijaya temple of Hampi amongst the ancient Hampi tourist places worthy of visiting. There are fantastic stone structures all around, and the pillars here appear as if they are playing music.

This is true architectural excellence of Hampi as it exemplifies remarkable creativity and the beauty of architecture’s imagination. The architecture of this temple dates back to the Dravidian era and reflects South Indian traits.

Three towering gateways are encircling the temple along with high compound walls. Maha Mantapa, Stone chariot, musical pillars are amongst the tourist attractions of this Vijaya Vittala Temple.

Location: Hampi, Karnataka 583239

Timings: The doors of Vijaya Vittala Temple are open from morning 08:30 am to evening 18:00 pm.

Price: There are no entry fees to this temple

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The temple is so constructed that its main entrance faces east and homes to two courtyards. No sooner you enter the temple, there is a statue of Nandi with three heads. There is a pillared hall in the center which is reckoned as the Ranga Mandapa.

In case you are an international traveler, you have to register yourself at a police outpost with all your essential details. Mostly, this temple remains crowded in December; whereas it celebrates its annual festival in February.

Location: South banks of Tungabhadra river, Hampi, Karnataka 583239

Timings: Virupaksha temple is open for the visitors from morning 9:00 am to 13:00 pm. After about 4 hours, again the doors are open visitors from 17:00 pm to 21:00 pm.

Price: There are no entry fees. However, you can hire a guide to give you complete information about the temple at its footsteps for a nominal charge of 50 INR.

Close to a river edge of Kodandarama Temple are a couple of lingas carved on a flat rock surface. The arrays of this Shiv Linga contains around 100 to 1000 such lingas. A little away from this array is Lord Vishnu’s carved sculpture.

Also, you can find a lot of tiny shrines that are submerged here and rock surfaces reflecting carved motifs. Be extremely careful while you step on the slippery rock surfaces especially in the monsoons. If the river is stable, you can head towards this place through a coracle ride at a nominal charge of around 25-50 per head.

Location: near the Kodanda Rama Temple

Timings: You can visit riverside ruins at any point of time. Yet, if you plan to take a coracle ride here, you must cross-check with its availability in accordance with your chosen time of visit.

Price: There is no entry fee.

When you have a day reserved at leisure, do not forget to try a shopping hand at the Hampi Bazaar. It spreads more than a kilometer and the road that passes through this market exhibits pavilions on both roadsides.

Alternatively, this shoppers stop is known as Virupaksha Bazaar. Towards the eastern side, you can find a street to be occupied by the local villagers. There is a large Nandi bull statue at the east end of this Hampi Bazaar street. Nearby pavilion exhibits photos of Hampi right from the ancient times.

Location: Hampi Bazaar St, Karnataka 583239

Timings: You can stop and shop at any time from morning 06:00 am to night 11:00 pm.

Price: No one is going to charge you any expense for your visit to Hampi Bazaar. However, if you are a shopaholic, do not forget to carry a reasonable sum as the place has many things to attract your tender heart.

Reckoned as a large bath of Hampi, Queen’s Bath exemplifies the Vijayanagara's architectural excellence. It lies close to one of the most awful places to visit in Hampi- the Royal Enclosure.

Although built around 500 years ago, this magnificent structure still remains intact in its construction. It’s simplest exterior perfectly blends with an ornate interior to embrace its overall appearance.

It a rectangular building admeasuring around 30 square meters and has a large sunken bath at its center. It may interest you to find arched corridors all around this Royal bath.

Location: Karnataka 583239

Timings: Queen’s bath is open for visitors from morning 08:30 am to evening 06:00 pm.

Price: Entry to the Queen’s bath is free from all charges.

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Underground Shiva Temple’s every single piece of the structure reflects a perfect blend of mythology and history. This is amongst the only places to visit in Hampi lying under water.

The central portion of this ancient shrine always lies immersed in water. According to local beliefs, it is the Tungabhadra river which flows through the interior of this temple through canals.

There is the main hall, a courtyard, a small hall that leads to the innermost sanctum. All around the temple is a lush green lawn where you can sit and relax for some time.

Location: Hampi Main Bus Stand, Hampi, Karnataka 583239

Timings: There is no time restriction to reach here. However, it is always better to visit here before sunsets. It will hardly take around 30 minutes to complete your visit to this temple.

Price: The temple authorities won't be charging you for an entry to this temple.

This Gagan Mahal dates back to the 16th-century era. Although significant portions of this palace are currently under ruins, it is still amongst worthiest places to visit in Hampi.

The palace is small and yellow in color with decorated windows and encircled all over by four beautiful towers. Once here, you can march towards Sarovara Laxmi Temple, Sabari Caves, Nava Brindavana, Durga Temple, and other nearby religious places of importance.

It is best to visit here anywhere between October to March. However, take care that there is no public transport here to ride around.

Location: Anegundi, Karnataka 583227

Timings: This Gagan Mahal is open for all 24 hours. It takes approximately one to one and a half hour to complete your visit here.

Price: There are no entry fees here.

Hemakuta Hill is a vastly stretched zone offering an astounding view of the sprawling ruins, temples, and archways. This is the next best place to watch the sunrise and sunset as tourists find it easier to reach to its top position.

Virupaksha temple, Moola Virupaksha temple, Krishna temple and shrines of Lakshmi Narasimha and Badivilinga. These temple architectures are entirely different and date back to the era of Vijayanagara king rule. These group of temples has three chambers conjoined to resemble a pyramid roof.

Location: Centre of the city, Hampi, India

Timings: You can climb the Hemakuta Hill temple at any time from dawn to dusk.

Price: There are no entry fees to reach and adore the ancient beauty of Hemakuta Hill Temple.

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Built by Krishnadevaraya, Krishan temple of Hampi is the sign of Orissa campaign’s success. This temple is amongst those hand-picked places to visit in Hampi which are globally reckoned for their exquisite carvings.

The love of Krishnadevraya for art and architecture is quite evident from the beauty of this place. For the original idol of this place, you need to head towards Chennai’s State Museum.

The temple campus is encircled all over by massive pillars and small shrines. Towards its eastern side, lies a grand hall. You can grab a fresh banana from the Banana plantations that mark their presence to the south zone of this temple.

Location: Bellary, Hampi, Karnataka 583239

Timings: You can seek blessings here at Krishna Temple from morning 06:00 am to evening 06:00 pm.

Price: No authority here will demand any form of entry fees from you. However, photography is restricted only in the premises.

You are going to find a lot of Indian Sloth Bears here at Daroji Sloth bear Sanctuary. Hillocks here are rough enough and are dotted with a lot of boulders. The Sloth bear count here goes to around 120. However, the sanctuary also accounts for other species.

Tiger, Leopard, Mongoose, Pangolins, Star Tortoise, and Spotted Deer are some other animal species found here. This sanctuary alone exhibits around 90 bird species, 27 butterfly species, and a watch tower at the center.

Location: Seetharama Tanda, Karnataka 583215

Timings: Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary is open from 04:00 pm to 06:00 pm on all days.

Price: For Indian tourists, the entry fee is 25 INR while the foreigners need to pay a sum of 100 INR. If you are eager to bring in your own two or four wheelers, you will have to pay additional charges accordingly.

Out of all the places to visit in Hampi, Matanga Hill is the one which is most talked about. It represents the highest point of Hampi, and it’s a picturesque destination for the travel photographers to capture some aerial vies of Hampi.

North portion of this hill terminates into Tungabhadra river where you have another religious place to visit-Kodanda Rama temple. Towards the south of this hill, you have a twisting valley with a zigzag Turthu canal. Low-lying Northern section exhibits a trekking trail that connects straightaway to Hampi bazaar.

Location: Hampi, Karnataka

Timings: There are no specific timings to climb on the Matanga Hills. However, tourists make it a point to climb this hill early in the morning to capture the allure of sunrise and carry ahead with their downward journey in the evening after sunset.

Price: Climbing Matanga Hill is absolutely free of cost.

Homing to one of the largest statues of Hindu deity Ganesha, Kadalekalu Ganesha temple is the famous holy shrine of South India. It is situated on the slopes of well-known Hemakuta Hills, and its towering statue is about 4.6 meters high.

The temple features a statue carved out from a single massive stone, and the belly of Lord Ganesha resembles a Bengal gram. Entire hall of the temple homes to slender granite pillars and exhibit fictitious characters. The carvings of these pillars reflect the Vijayanagara architectural style of art.

Location: Hampi, Karnataka 583239

Timings: You can visit this shrine of Lord Ganesha from morning 06:00 am to evening 06:00 pm.

Price: There are no entry fees to lead your way to this Kadalekalu Ganesha temple.

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Most significant of all the religious statues in Hampi, Lakshmi Narasimha Temple is the amongst the next best Hampi tourist places to visit. Here, the figure of Lord Narasimha sits on a coil of a snake with seven heads in a Yoga position.

This statue has an image of Goddess Lakshmi on his lap. It takes around one to one and a half hour to complete your visit here. The best time to visit this temple is in between October to February.

Location: Southern end of Hemakuta group of temples, Hampi, India

Timings: You can easily make your way inside Lakshmi Narasimha Temple from morning 06:00 am to evening 06:00 pm.

Price: There are no entry fees here. You can click photographs of the temple without any charges.

This beautiful temple marks its presence at the central focus of a royal area and is dedicated to Lord Rama. The walls of this temple are eager to illustrate the entire Ramayana flow before its visitors.

Once you reach here, you can find bas relics of both Hindu deities Lord Rama and Krishna. Also, do not forget to miss on the remnants illustrating a Dasara celebration. Towards its northern side, you may find a sprawling lawn widely stretched apart. The temple has two huge getaways and the interior homes to sculpted columns.

Location: Hampi, Karnataka 583239

Timings: Reaching this temple is no longer a whammy situation as the doors are open from morning 06:00 am to evening 06:00 pm. It hardly takes two hours to complete your visit here.

Price: There is no entry fee being charged by the temple authorities.

Elephant Stables is amongst the significant tourist places to visit in Hampi to witness a little to absolutely no destruction. It is a long building homing to a series of dome-shaped chambers which once were used for the parking of royal elephants.

These chambers are around 11 in their total count; some of which are interconnected. The whole building gives a symmetrical appearance, and the central hall tower reflects the shape of most of the temples here. This central hall has five domes on either side of it which reflects an Islamic style of architecture.

Location: Hampi, Karnataka 583239

Timings: The doors of this Elephant Stables are open from early morning 08:30 am to evening 05:30 pm. It takes around an hour to complete your visit here.

Price: There is an entry fee of 10 INR for Indians and 250 INR for foreigners. Entry for children up to the age group of 15 years is absolutely free of cost.

Stepped tanks here are considered to be sacred tanks for a holy bath before visiting any religious place of importance. Once a while,  they were centers for festival celebrations.

There are steps on all four interior sides of such tanks so that you can step down to get in and out of the water. The stepped tank at the Royal center is geometrically larger in its dimensions and is carved out from a green diorite with a complete absence of drainage system. The stepped tank is constructed from black schist stones.

Location: Hampi, Karnataka

Timings: You can take a dive in the water of these stepped tanks at any time before the sun sets.

Price: No entry fees for the stepped tank visit.

Rising from the Western Ghats, Tungabhadra River flow towards the south-east and meets the Krishna river in Andhra Pradesh. Being a perennial river, the water level of this river takes a compelling look in monsoons.

Tungabhadra Dam is an ongoing project here to aid in the infrastructure development of this region. After you complete your visit to the Virupaksha temple, you can march ahead to this river from the back of the temple.

Throughout your journey, you can easily sip in sweet and tender coconut water. Do not forget to miss on your coracle ride while you plan on your Tungabhadra itinerary.

Location: Vijayanagara Ruins, Hamp, Karnataka

Timings: There is no specific timing to visit the Tungabhadra river. However, for the coracle ride, you need to reach here before sunset.

Price: There is no entry fee to visit either the Tungabhadra river or dam. Coracle riding might charge you per head accordingly.

Lotus Mahal or Kamal Mahal exhibits an explicit architectural design amongst all the other Hampi tourist places. It is so called as it more or less resembles the shape of a lotus flower.

Central dome of this Mahala resembles the bud of lotus and the balcony and passages as petals. The roof illustrates a multi-layered design reflecting and Indo architectural style. There are around 24 pillars to provide excellent support to the arched windows of this palace.

Location: SH 131, Hampi, Karnataka 583239

Timings: The Lotus Mahal Hampi is open for visitors from morning 08:00 am to evening 06:00 pm.

Price: The entry fees of Lotus Mahal Hampi is fixed at 10 INR per Indian, 250 INR per foreigner and no charges for children below the age group of 15 years.

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Once reckoned as a secluded area for the Vijayanagara Kingdom’s royal ladies, Zanana Enclosure reflects a sprawling compound with tall walls. Lotus Mahal is the center of attraction of this place.

You can either step in through its northern entrance or through its north-eastern entrance. Zanana Enclosure homes to three watchtowers each standing at eastern, south-eastern and northern ends of this magnificent structure.

The entire architecture here reflects an Indo-Islamic style. Lotus Mahal, queen’s palace’s basement, treasure building, and water pavilion are some key attractions of this place.

Location: Hampi, Karnataka 583239

Timings: This place is open from morning 06:00 am to evening 06:00 pm

Price: Entry fee here is 10 INR per Indian, and for foreigners, it is 250 INR.

Pushkaranis of Hampi is sacred tanks in association with the Hampi temples. Pushkarani reminds you to take a precise note of ancient town planning and architectural style of the Vijayanagara era.

Many of these pushkaranis served as the event venue for their annual boating festivals. During such celebrations, the idols of both Gods and Goddesses are taken out for a coracle ride. Majority of these Pushkarani’s are surrounded all over by explicitly beautiful pillars and arcades.

Location: Pushkarani are found near to Royal Enclosure, Virupaksha temple, Krishna Bazaar, Pattabhirama temple.

Timings: You can walk-in here at Pushkarani throughout the day. It takes around 20 to 30 minutes to complete your visit here. 

Price: There are no entry fees here at Pushkarani. Both photography and videography are allowed.

The last one to go down in the list of places to visit in Hampi is the Achyutaraya Temple. This temple lies amidst the Matanga Hills and Gandhamadana.

This temple exhibits Vijayanagar’s architectural elegance and homes to a beautiful idol of Lord Tiruvengalanatha. All towers, pillars, and walls of this beautiful temple are exquisitely carved and ornamented. The main shrine of this temple is situated amidst a rectangular concentric structure.

Location: Hampi, Karnataka 583239

Timings: The doors are opened for a visit from 05:30 am to 01:00 pm. Again, in the evening, the doors are opened from 05:30 pm to 09:00 pm.

Price: No entry fee is charged for entry to this temple.

This Lord Ganesha’s statue derives its resemblance from that of the mustard seed, which is referred to as Sasivekalu in the local dialect thereby leading to its name. This statue is located on the Southern foothill of the Hemakuta and is almost half the size of Kadalekalu Ganesha located on the Northern slope of the same hill.

This statue derives inspiration from an incident of Hindu mythology when one day Lord Ganesha had eaten so much food that his stomach almost burst. So in order to protect his stomach the Lord tied a snake around his belly. On this statue one can see the figure of the snake carved in front of his stomach.

This monolithic statue measure 2.4 metres in height and is carved out of a huge boulder. There is an open pavillion built around the statue, which is believed to be constructed by a trader from Chandragiri (present day Andhra Pradesh) in the memory of Narsimha II the mighty Vijaynagara king. Similar to the Kadalekalu Ganesha Temple, this temple too is considered to be one of the important places to visit in Hampi.

The present day fortified area or the Royal Enclosure of Hampi was once the seat of power of the Vijaynagara rulers. In current times this Royal Enclosure is basically a wide open ground consisting of a number of small shelters.

Some of the important structures in here are spread across hundreds of square metres of land and consists of a number of interesting and important relics. Some of the important structures of the Royal Enclosure are the King’s Audience Hall or the 100-Pillared Hall, stepped tank, an underground chamber and the Mahanavami Debbie to the commonly called Dossier Platform.

Since the Royal Enclosure is pretty large a good amount of walking is required to have a look at the entire place. Any kind of vehicles whether manually or automatically driven are not allowed inside the area, so it is advisable to visit this place during early morning or in the evenings, as the atmosphere at these times are more pleasant.