Lotus Mahal

The living heart of Hampi — a Shiva temple in continuous worship since the 7th century, with a towering ~50 m gopuram on the bank of the Tungabhadra at the head of Hampi Bazaar.

The masterpiece of Hampi — a 16th-century Vishnu temple famed for its iconic stone chariot and the "musical" pillars of its ranga mantapa that ring like instruments when tapped.

The long colonnaded market street running east from the Virupaksha temple, once a thriving medieval bazaar of diamond and horse traders; its ruined pavilions front the temple gopuram.

A low granite hill just south of the Virupaksha temple studded with pre-Vijayanagara temples, gateways and monolithic shrines — Hampi’s favourite sunset spot with views over the ruins.

1.3 km · 16 min walk

The highest point in central Hampi, topped by the Veerabhadra temple, giving a 360° sunrise-and-sunset panorama over the whole ruin field and the Tungabhadra — a short, steep climb.

1.7 km · 21 min walk

The largest monolith in Hampi — a 6.7 m image of Narasimha, the man-lion avatar of Vishnu, carved in 1528 and seated under a seven-hooded serpent; the adjacent Badavilinga is a large monolithic Shiva linga.

A 2.4 m monolithic Ganesha carved from a single boulder within an open pillared pavilion on the Hemakuta slope, named for its "mustard-seed" belly; the larger Kadalekalu Ganesha stands nearby.

390 m · 5 min walk

The compact royal chapel of the Vijayanagara kings, its outer walls and inner pillars covered in bands of relief carving telling the Ramayana — "a thousand Ramas".

170 m · 2 min walk

A grand symmetrical row of eleven domed chambers that housed the royal elephants, with a central tower — one of the best-preserved and most photographed structures at Hampi.

780 m · 10 min walk

A plain square exterior hiding an ornate arcaded bathing pavilion with a large sunken tank, projecting balconies and lotus-shaped fountains, once fed by aqueducts for the royal household.