For a place as vast as the expanse of Hampi, where nearly every nook and corner of the town has a monument full of history, it is easy to feel lost over the diversity of religious and secular structures all around. The innumerable Hampi temples scattered through the town, many no longer functional while some still stand where devotees worship daily. And through centuries of destruction, nature’s reclamation and neglect – the temples of the city still live on due entirely to the respect and regard of the local population.
But then, when one visits the sheer number of monuments as in Hampi, it increasingly becomes difficult to understand the monument. In this article, we will take a look at things to keep in mind when visiting temples in Hampi.
Vaastu of Hampi Temples
The first thing to keep in mind when visiting Hampi temples is that nearly all temples comply with Vaastu. This results in a number of common themes across temples in the temples. Though these are not universal but, they do appear recurringly in most temples.
East Facing Temples
Most temples in Hampi are east facing. If you look at the Virupaksha temple, the Vittala temple, Lakshmi Narasimha, Badavilinga or Hazara Rama temple – they are all east facing. You will notice they all have their gopurams facing eastwards.
Temple Gopurams
This is less of a feature of Hampi temples only, rather a more universal style in most temples of Southern India. There is a large gopuram (or gateway) in all temples. While the gopuram in the Virupaksha Temple is massive towering over 50 meters, most other gopurams in Hampi are not that imposing.
Perhaps, traditionally, gopurams were not that massive in the city of Hampi. Since the Virupaksha temple gopuram was constructed in the 17th century after the destruction of Hampi post Battle of Talikota, this specific gopuram was different being a post-Vijayanagara period construction.
Temple Kitchens or Paakshala
Most temples have a temple kitchen immediately on turning left after entering the gopuram. They are typically on the south east corner of the temple.
It is a bit different in case of the Virupaksha temple though, because the outer courtyard may have been a later date addition. If you assume the inner courtyard as the original Virupaksha temple of the Vijayanagar era, then the Kitchen is on its correct traditional location.
Deep Stambh (Lamp Pillar), Bali Peeth, Dhwaj Stambh
Immediately on entering the gopuram, you come across a couple of pillars generally. One of these is the Deep Stambh or the Lamp Pillar which would used to place oil lamps on the top in evenings. The other, if present would be a dhwaja stambh that would be used to host a flag.
These would generally be followed by a much shorter thicker structure which would be used to place prasad or consecrated offerings to the deity.
While it may not always be the case that all the structures exist in each temple, but they are often found.
Mantapas in Hampi Temples
Hampi temples generally have multiple mantapas or halls in their complex. In general, you will see atleast 2 such structures. They are often the Kalyanamantapa and the Ranga Mantapa.
The Kalyana Mantapa
Till date, if you pass through the streets of Bangalore, you would come across halls that are called the Kalyana Mantapas. These are halls of social functions, often marriages are arranged here.
The Kalyana Mantapas in these ancient temples served similar purposes of social functions, marriages etc.
The Ranga Mantapa
The Ranga Mantapas are other halls that were generally used for cultural and artistic performances. Structurally, they are similar and it may be hard to differentiate. Often the Ranga mantapa would be right adjacent to the main shrine of the deity.
A sacred space dedicated to the vaahan of the deity
You would often find an idol or a small, sacred space dedicated to the mount of the main deity. The idol represents the divine mount of the deity. In case the temple is of Lord Shiva then the vaahan is Nandi. And in case the temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu or his incarnation such as Lord Krishna or Rama, then the vaahan is Garuda.
Dhyana Mantapas
Within the premises of many temples, you will find a series of sheltered columns running with the boundary walls of the temples. Typically, these were the Dhyana Mantapas where devotees would engage in very personal spiritual practices. These are not always continuous but, often cover significant portions of the boundary walls.
Bazaars just outside temples
This is a particularly interesting feature of important temples in Hampi. Outside nearly all major temples, today you will find a long distance full of columns of pillars that run for a fairly long distance of about 1 kilometer or so. You will notice this outside the Virupaksha Temple (Hampi Bazaar), Vittala Temple (Vittala Bazaar), Krishna Temple, Hazara Rama Temple (Pan Supari Bazaar).
These markets would host merchants from around the world as Hampi at the time was a global trade center. Additionally, there would be specially traded items in these markets. Recent excavations in the Pan Supari Market by the ASI are revealing more and more details of this specific market place.
Read more about the ASI excavations at the Pan Supari Market at: https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/asi-begins-excavation-of-hampis-pan-supari-bazaar-3324488
Pushkaranis outside the temples
Another common feature outside the Hampi temples are the water tanks. More than one excavated pushkaranis are scattered across Hampi. It is generally regarded that devotees would wash their feet before entering any temples. So, these water tanks are found nearly outside every major temple.
The one particularly extraordinary aspect of Hampi is the ubiquitous presence of these water banks. This is quite wondrous considering the climate and water scarcity of the place. It is said that the Vijayanagar kings built a dense, well connected system of water canals to ensure water from the Tungabhadra river was made available throughout the capital.
The extent of the system may not be completely known. However, some amazing facts that cannot be ignored is the perennially submerged Shiva temple, the Badavilinga. It is said water is sourced from the tungabhadra river that flows about a kilometer away!
Conclusion
Hampi is full or ancient monuments, temples, historical and natural structures. Locals often say visiting the entire Hampi could need a months time! But, understanding the underlying framework of the architecture helps you understand and appreciate it. So this article covered some common aspects of Hampi temples. With this, we hope you have been able to form a an idea of what to expect in your visit to Hampi.
