"The Marvellous Ruins of Hampi" Top 5 Page for this destination Hampi by illumina

Hampi Travel Guide: 279 reviews and 1,127 photos

Hampi is a village close to Hospet in the north of the state of Karnataka. It is famous for being situated amongst the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the last great Hindu Kingdom of the same name. Its fabulously rich princes built Dravidian temples and palaces which won the admiration of travellers between the 14th and 16th centuries. Conquered by the Deccan Muslim confederacy in 1565, the city was pillaged over a period of six months before being abandoned. The ruins have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986.

The whole area surrounding Hampi is interesting geologically, with large boulders and weather-carved granite hills abounding.

Hampi was among my favourite places in India - in fact I liked it so much I insisted we stay longer than we'd planned! I probably could have spent weeks there. We were particularly lucky to arrive the day before Hampi's Virupaksha Car Festival, which was a wonderful experience.

After a week in Hampi we returned to Goa, to Panaji

Last visit to Hampi: Apr 2009
Intro Updated Dec 21, 2010
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Reviews (49)

Prehistoric Paintings? Things to Do (36)

On the way to the Mango Tree restaurant, some local children pointed out these rock paintings to us. I've read elsewhere... more travel advice

Hemakuta Hill Things to Do (36)

Overlooking the Virupaksha Temple in the centre of Hampi village, Hemakuta Hill has a number of small temples on it,... more travel advice

Elephant Stables and Guards Quarters. - Hampi

Elephant Stables and Guards Quarters. Things to Do (36)

This magnificent 15th century, domed and long rectangular structure, built in the Indo-Islamic style of architecture, is... more travel advice

Lotus Mahal Things to Do (36)

This beautiful little two-storey pavilion, situated within the 'Zenana' Enclosure, is one of the finest examples of... more travel advice

Local Customs (4)
See All Adorning the cows
Restaurants (8)
See All Also in the backstreets...

Hotels (1)
Heart of Hampi
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Travelogues (1)

Written Dec 21, 2010

8 photos

Virupaksha Car Festival, Hampi 2009

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Comments (4)

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y2ketan2007 Oct 6, 2012 at 6:02 AM

Wonderful page here.Like the pictures as well !
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  illumina Oct 6, 2012 at 6:26 AM
  
  Thank you!
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RickinDutch Aug 30, 2012 at 12:45 PM

Great photos and tips Joss.
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mallyak Dec 21, 2010 at 7:59 PM

Thanks Joss for visiting my Hampi pages.You have some great tips especially especially 8 restaurant tips !We stuck to Geethas and kept away from the "International cuisine"!And yes the locals at Hampi were lovely.
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hunterV Apr 14, 2010 at 12:08 PM

Your exploration of India is impressive indeed.....