Group of Monuments at Hampi

The  majestic site of Hampi consists primarily of the ruins of the Vijayanagara Empire’s capital city (14th-16th century CE), the last great Hindu kingdom. The property, which spans 4187.24 hectares in Central Karnataka’s Bellary District, is located in the Tungabhadra basin. The river Tungabhadra, jagged hill ranges, and vast plains define Hampi’s beautiful landscape, which is littered with physical relics.The more than 1600 surviving remains, which include forts, riverside features, royal and sacred complexes, temples, shrines, pillared halls, Mandapas, memorial structures, gateways, defence check posts, stables, and water structures, demonstrate the sophistication of the various urban, royal, and sacred systems.

History of Hampi:

A location of such grandeur and splendour is bound to have a thriving cultural legacy. In the third century BC, Hampi was a component of the Mauryan Empire. There is sufficient evidence that the rock edifices discovered in the Bellary district were a widespread form of documenting vital information during Ashoka’s reign. Hampi was the capital city of the Vijayanagar city, which was founded in 1336 AD and was home to four separate dynasties. Under the leadership of King Krishnadeva Raya of the Tuluva Dynasty, the Vijayanagara Empire rose to inconceivable heights.There is a Ramayana-related mythology associated with the location. The epic Ramayana is known to be broken into seven ‘Kaands,’ or episodes. One episode in particular, titled ‘Kishkindha Kaand,’ has a special meaning for Hampi. The incident occurred when Lord Rama and Lord Lakshman arrived in the Land of Monkeys, according to mythology. Hampi is considered to be the location where they arrive, and there is numerous geographical evidence to support this.

Architecture of  Hampi:

In Hampi, nature is at its most strange. Man-made objects aren’t far behind.

The bizarre environment of Hampi provided a great backdrop for the architects.

Vijayanagara (what is now known as Hampi) evolved a distinct architectural style over time, which became known as Vijayanagara Architecture. It boldly pulled from numerous schools of architecture in use at the time and expertly mixed them to create its unique architectural style. The magnificent temples, for example, have a Tamil country feel to them. The otherwise Hindu dynasty had no qualms about building their palaces in the Islamic style.

Some of Hampi’s most spectacular structures are built in a brilliant combination of Hindu and Islamic architectural styles known as Indo-Saracenic architecture.

This was abundant in Hampi rock. The landscape of Hampi was formed by millions upon millions of pebbles. As well as its past.The architecture of Hampi is divided into three categories: civil, military, and religious.Each of them used a separate set of codes. However, there is a similar thread running through all of Hampi’s architecture, which is known as the Vijayanagara School of Architecture. The older Vijayanagara style was aggressive, coarse, and flat, whereas the later ones were elaborate, elegant, and large-scale.

Archaeological Sites:

Throughout the 18th century, Hampi and its surrounding territory were contested and battled over by local leaders, Hyderabad Muslim nizams, Maratha Hindu monarchs, and Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan of Mysore. When the British soldiers and the Wadiyar dynasty allied in 1799, Tipu Sultan was defeated and murdered. The region was then influenced by the British. In 1800, Scottish Colonel Colin Mackenzie, India’s first Surveyor General, inspected the remains of Hampi. According to Mackenzie, the Hampi site is deserted and only animals lives there. The 18th-century forces of Haidar Ali and the Marathas were blamed for the damage to the Hampi monuments in 19th-century speculative works by historians who followed Mackenzie.

The Hampi site was mostly disregarded until Alexander Greenlaw visited and photographed it in the mid-nineteenth century. He compiled a collection of 60 calotype pictures of temples and regal sites in 1856. These images were kept in a private collection in the United Kingdom until 1980, when they were published. For scholars, they are the most useful source of information about the state of Hampi monuments in the mid-nineteenth century.

Conclusion:

The origins of the name of this historic place are also fascinating. Pampa – Kshetra and Kishkindha – Kshetra were two other names for the village. The name Hampi is an anglicised version of the Kannada word Hampe, which was taken from the old name of the Tungabhadra River, Pampa. Beautiful temples, towering ruins, aquatic buildings, and royal decorations from bygone eras serve as reminders of the great past. For pilgrims and tourists alike, the ancient remains are a breathtaking site to see.In conclusion,here are some of the wonderful legends that have contributed to Hampi’s renown and distinguish it from others.