What to expect
Highlights
- The dam, reservoir and viewpoints.
- The landscaped garden and evening musical fountain.
- Spectacular gate-release flows after heavy rain.
Tungabhadra Dam
The Tungabhadra Dam, near Hosapete about 15 km from Hampi, is a large masonry-and-earth dam across the Tungabhadra river completed in 1953 for irrigation and power. Its long reservoir supplies much of the surrounding region.
Practical guide
Plan Tungabhadra Dam
Who's going?Tailor Tungabhadra Dam to your trip
Typedam
Nearest baseHosapete
DistrictVijayanagara
Best timeJuly to October to see the reservoir…
Time needed1 to 1.5 hours
EntrySmall entry fee
Places to visit4→On the dam side are a landscaped Japanese-style garden, a musical fountain in the evening, an aquarium and viewpoints over the water; the sight is most dramatic in the monsoon and just after, when the crest gates are opened.
Getting there
How to visit
- About 5 km from Hosapete and ~15 km from Hampi; reached by auto, taxi or bus.
- A small entry fee applies; the musical fountain runs in the evening — check timings locally.
Distance by road
- Bengaluru340 km
- Hubballi145 km
- Hyderabad360 km
- Ballari65 km
- Badami140 km
Road km to Vijayanagara; ghat roads and traffic vary — allow extra.
Timing
Best time
July to October to see the reservoir full and the gates open; the garden is pleasant year-round.
Weather in Tungabhadra DamSeasonal guide
Live forecast loads in your browser.
Today at Tungabhadra Dam
Sunrise6:12 am
Sunset6:38 pm
Golden hour best light5:38 pm–6:38 pm
Blue hour after sunset6:38 pm–7:03 pm
Sun sets toward compass bearingW · 279°
Moon tonight🌖 Waning gibbous · 77%
South-west monsoon. June to September brings heavy rain to Karnataka. Trails, falls and ghat roads can be slippery, swollen or closed at short notice, and forest departments sometimes suspend access. Check locally on the day before you travel.
Sun and moon are calculated for this location and shown in IST. Photography windows are the hour around sunrise and sunset; the sunset bearing is degrees clockwise from true north. Moon phase is accurate to about half a day.
Visitor notes
- Small entry fee; a working dam — follow security and photography restrictions.
Photos
Tungabhadra Dam in pictures
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Top experiences around Hosapete
3 more places around Hosapete, each worth a day of its own.
templeAnanthasayana Temple
5.2 km · ~13 min by auto
A large early-16th-century temple at Ananthasayanagudi, about 5 km from Hosapete, built by Krishnadevaraya for a reclining (Ananthasayana) Vishnu; its rare barrel-vaulted brick-and-stone sanctum is one of very few of its kind, though the image is long gone.
templeJambunatha Temple
8.5 km · ~14 min by cab
A hilltop Shiva (Jambunatheshwara) temple on a granite outcrop near Hosapete, reached by a stepped climb, giving quiet views over the town and the Tungabhadra plains.
heritageMalapanagudi Aqueduct
11.4 km · ~19 min by cab
The medieval royal suburb of Malapanagudi on the old Hampi–Hosapete road, with a large stepped tank, an octagonal domed bath and remains of the stone aqueduct that once carried water to the imperial capital.
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Tungabhadra Dam — at a glance
TimingsGarden/viewpoints by day; musical fountain in the evening
Best timeJuly to October for a full reservoir
Entry: Small entry fee
Getting here
How to reach Tungabhadra Dam
~5 km from Hosapete, ~15 km from Hampi
Getting back
Work out your return before you settle in for the sunset. Public transport here thins out sharply in the evening, and Tungabhadra Dam is easier to reach than to leave. We do not publish departure times: there is no official live feed we are permitted to republish, and a wrong time here would strand you. Check the operator directly on the day.
- KSRTC — the Karnataka state bus operator; route and schedule enquiries. Online booking.
- Indian Railways — live running and seat availability for the nearest railhead, named under “Getting here” above.
Ask at the bus stand for the time of the last service back, not the next one. If you miss it, an auto or app cab is the fallback — agree the fare before you get in.
Getting around Tungabhadra Dam
We have not assessed physical access at this place yet. Across India, step-free routes, handrails and accessible toilets are the exception rather than the rule, and pavements are often interrupted — if step-free access matters to you, contact the site or a local operator before committing to the trip.
If you need help at Tungabhadra Dam
112All emergencies (police · fire · medical)The single number to call in any emergency (ERSS).100Police101Fire108Ambulance (emergency / EMS)1091Women’s helpline (distress)1098Child helpline1363Tourist helpline (India, 24×7, multilingual)
Emergency numbers are verified against official government and state tourism sources. 112 works anywhere in India.
Nearby
What’s near Tungabhadra Dam
On the map
Where Tungabhadra Dam is
Good to know
Tungabhadra Dam — frequently asked
When is the best time to visit Tungabhadra Dam?
July to October to see the reservoir full and the gates open; the garden is pleasant year-round.
What are the entry fee and timings at Tungabhadra Dam?
Entry: Small entry fee. Timings: Garden/viewpoints by day; musical fountain in the evening.
How do I reach Tungabhadra Dam?
About 5 km from Hosapete and ~15 km from Hampi; reached by auto, taxi or bus. A small entry fee applies; the musical fountain runs in the evening — check timings locally.
How much time do I need for Tungabhadra Dam?
1 to 1.5 hours.
What else is near Tungabhadra Dam?
Nearby you can pair Ananthasayana Temple (5.2 km), Jambunatha Temple (8.5 km), Malapanagudi Aqueduct (11.4 km), Prasanna Virupaksha Temple (15.2 km).
Read before you go
Tungabhadra Dam guides, stories & itineraries
We have not published a story about Tungabhadra Dam itself yet. These cover Hosapete, the town it sits in, and the wider district.
Karnataka-wide guides & itineraries
Route-level itineraries and practical guides for the rest of Karnataka.
Photographs: Sanyam Bahga, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0), Haxplorer (CC BY-SA 3.0), Dushan7k (CC BY-SA 4.0), Abhay Shalavadi (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wikimedia Commons.
Image credits
- Tungabhadra Dam:Sanyam Bahga, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0