Hampi has been in my bucket list for a long time. Finally I made it to Hampi with my wife in early July, 2025. I had many concerns, weather being the most important one. However, to my surprise had a great 3 day visit to Hampi. The weather was excellent. A bit of rain, summer heat had given way to a pleasant weather. Thungabadra river was running in heavy streams. A perfect time to explore the grandeur of the Vijayanagar empire.
On the first morning we went to the Vittala temple ruins. The architecture is so intricate and interesting that even in ruins you can see how it would have stood in its heydays. The most popular one is the chariot which is on the 50 rupee note.. As they say, a picture speaks thousand words. Hence, I have decided to share a few pictures instead of a commentary.
Next was the visit to the royal areas, which included a majestic courtroom, palaces, water pipelines, queens bath, elephant staple, lotus mahal, ministers pedestal and few temples. I am not going to write about each of these. It is unfortunate that almost every construction has been destroyed. What remains itself is sufficient for one to understand how successful the kingdom was.
The vastness of each of the areas is something that hits you. Individual staple for each elephant, the process of feeding, quarters for the mahouts are there to see. The remains of the queens places, shows how elaborate each palace was.
For me, the highlight was the Kings Court. The platform is so high that the king can see a very large area, just by looking around. The rock doors, which can only be operated by the elephants adds an interesting aspect to the security of the place. Further, the underground safe house is something that shows the extent of security with comfort the kingdom had for its rulers and family.
The ruins take half a day to go around. Yes, it requires one to walk around a bit. But it is worth every step. If you are visiting, make sure to have a good guide. You will not be able to do justice to your visit without a proper tour guide. If you were impressed by the sets of movies like Bahubali, wait till you see Hampi as I am sure, the sets must have drawn its inspiration from the early kingdoms in general and Hampi in particular.
Yes, it is sad to see all these grandeur having been demolished to ruins. That gives a perfect opportunity for one to see both the advancement and grandeur of the past as well as the destruction of the same. It clearly reminds you that the world is made of people who create and those who destroy, and both the sides are there to see in one place at Hampi.
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