Locals say, “You cannot cover the entirety of Hampi even if you stayed there for 1 month!”. It seems far fetched – though as you spend more and more time, you realise there are so many places in Hampi to visit that after a while it seems that more and more of the town keeps opening up with each passing day.
For someone who has been in Hampi 3 times, and has been an avid follower of the history and stories of the place, I must confess, even today, I come across aspects of the town that were not known to me previously.
In this post, let us look at some off beat places in Hampi that you may not come across in popular literature.
#1 Places in Hampi: Achyutaraya Temple
Nestled in the rocks behind the monolithic bull, on the western end of the Hampi Bazaar, lies the less frequented gem of Hampi – the Achyutaraya Temple.
Achyutaraya was the penultimate King of Vijayanagar, while Hampi remained the capital of the mighty empire. He was Krishnadeva Raya’s younger half brother. When Krishnadeva passed away in 1529, the political air of Hampi was tense with apprehensions of confrontation between Achyutaraya and Aliya Rama Raya – Krishnadeva’s son in law. The cold political tussle continued for some time, before Achyutaraya ascended the throne – the main reason being the previous ruler’s express directions on who the next King would be.
This temple is dedicated to Lord Tiruvengalanatha, who is a form of Lord Vishnu – one of the supreme deities in Hinduism. Incidentally, this temple was not built by Achyutaraya. It was instead built by one of his high officials – Salakaraju Tirumaladeva.
Not entirely as per conventions of Hampi temples, the main entrance of this temple faces the north. Though if you are traveling from the Hampi Bazar area, you will approach via the western gopuram.
READ MORE: Best photography spots in Hampi
This temple was constructed in 1534. Similar to other temples in Hampi, there is an important Pushakarani (water tank) where devotees in the olden times used to wash themselves, before they would have set foot within the temple premises. Just outside the temple, you will notice a very long colonnade of pillars that were a market of fairly massive proportions.
There are not many amenities or stalls nearby. Most of the space around the temple may not have many tourists. So, best to visit during the morning when there is enough light and activity around the temple.
Walking path between the Virupaksha Temple parking lot to the Achyutaraya Temple, Hampi
The space is not approachable with motor vehicles. So, for your vehicles, you can use the parking lot near the Virupaksha temple. If you are lucky, you may get a space to park closer to the Monolithic bull statue. The closer you park to the statue, the lesser you will need to travel. Let us now move on to the number 2 in the Places in Hampi list!
#2 Places in Hampi: Malyavantha Raghunatha Temple
Very few temples remain in Hampi that have active worship still happening daily. And still fewer of them date to the Vijayanagar era. One of the few such temples is the Malyavantha Raghunath temple.
This temple is situated atop the Malyavantha hill. In fact, Hampi has 5 important hills: Malyavantha, Rishyamukha, Anjanadri, Hemakuta and Matanga hill.
The Malyavantha hill has a special significance. It is believed that Lord Rama had stayed here with his brother Lakshmana while waiting for the monsoons to get over before marching onto Lanka with the Vaanara army.
A specialty of this hill is the beautiful sunrise that may be seen from the hilltop. There is a specific place beyond the temple from where sunrise may be seen. This is a very scenic place to capture memories.
Apart from the sunrise point, the temple here is also very interesting. The main shrine has the deities, Lord Rama, Goddess Sita and Lakshmana carved from a massive boulder and the temple structure is actually built around the boulder on which the deities are carved!
Beyond the temple, on the way to the sunrise point, you will come across a cleft on the rocky surface of the hill. It is believed that the cleft was caused by Lakshman ji when Sri Rama asked for water, and it was nowhere to be found. This cleft perennially holds water.
The Malyavantha Raghunath temple is covered in much details in Pathbeat Hampi Audio guide. The guide may be purchased here. In addition to this temple, the guide also covers 12 other important monuments in Hampi that must be a part of your visit to Hampi.
#3 Places in Hampi: Kodandarama Temple
On the stretch of land following the Achyutaraya temple, walking for another 500 meters towards the banks of the beautiful Tungabhadra river, you will come across a point where the river takes a fantastic northward turn. At this point many currents are formed in the river. And, the place is considered holy. This is the Chakrateertha.
The Chakrateertha is a very holy ghat in Hampi. However, the waters can be dangerous. So avoid the rivers without supervision.
Right on the banks here you will find the intriguing Kodandarama Temple. A temple dedicated to Lord Rama, Goddess Sita, Lakshman ji.
By now, you would have noticed how closely the town of Hampi is attached to Rama‘s life and travels. It was perhaps for this reason that incidents from the Ramayana are found aplenty in the architecture of Vijayanagar.
The Kodandarama temple is very unique because of one very specific departure from the more commonly found Rama temple. In this temple, you will notice that before Rama, Sita and Lakshman stands the Vaanar king Sugreeva with folded hands. This to my knowledge is not the case with any other Rama temples in India.
There is still active, daily worship here, and devotees visit the temple daily. So do maintain a respectful behavior towards the surroundings.
There aren’t common amenities here but, nevertheless you are not very far from the Monolithic Bull statue at this point. The closest market continues to be the Hampi Bazaar near the Virupaksha temple. You may find occasional hawkers around you but, it may not be enough to rely on if you are a planned-traveler.
READ MORE:
#4 Hampi Temples: Anjanadri Hill or the birthplace of Lord Hanuman
This is perhaps the most important place in Hampi for those to whom Hampi’s importance is supreme from a religious perspective. Lord Hanuman is one of the most loved and admired deities in Hinduism. Someone who was immensely powerful, yet had no ego. Who performed miracles unendingly, yet dedicated all his achievements to Lord Rama.
On the northern banks of the Tungabhadra river, lies the region of Anegundi. Prior to the establishment of the Vijayanagar Empire, this side of the river had been the hub of political activities. In 1336, when the empire was established by Harihara and Bukka raya, they shifted the capital to Hampi – south of the river.
Nevertheless, the significance of this area cannot be overemphasised.
Here, on this hill, is a 575 step climb to the top of the hill. On the top, a small white temple is situated which is dedicated to Hanuman ji. It is believed Lord Hanuman was born here. And, so today hundreds of thousands visit this temple every year.
The foot of the hill is busy with a bustling market place. There a variety of shops, local stalls etc where you may visit to carry souvenirs back home, or to have something quick to eat. A fairly spacious parking lot is present that makes reaching this place with a vehicle a very practical option.
The climb to the top is dependent on your personal fitness level and the weather on the day of your climb. The ascent is moderately difficult but, quite doable. If however, the sun is bright and hot, then you may find it more difficult than the normal day.
There is no ticket fees for entry. The bottom of the hill has a footwear stand where you may deposit your shoes for safekeeping while you make the climb. The steps are generally covered with a shed in January 2025. This gives some respite from the sun on a hot day. On the way up, at intervals there are seating areas with some supply of drinking water.
Bear in mind that you will encounter numerous monkeys on the way up. They do not typically bother. However, you will likely encounter many. On the top, within the main shrine, a queue is formed from the backside of the temple that you may use to enter. There are counters at the beginning of the queue where you can pay for offering puja to the deity.
Pathbeat’s Complete Guide to Hampi
On the Pathbeat’s digital guide to Hampi, you will find a number of web stories on all of the above destinations covered. The guide covers 13 places in Hampi, has 41 web stories covering many aspects of Hampi, ground level information on different monuments (timings, fees, dress codes, public amenities, how to prepare for visits to these monuments). The level of details are meant to make your trip very seamless, enjoyable and memorable.
