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Chandravalli, a cave temple located near 3 Kms from Chitradurga (around 200 Kms from Bengaluru), while driving back from Hampi we stopped to visit this place.   Initially we thought of visiting Chitradurga fort, but keeping time constraints in mind we stopped at this beautiful place. There is enough parking place near the entrance.   Once we enter the primacies it will welcome us with a beautiful lake.   One should walk around 500 Mts to reach the temple from entrance.   It will take close to 1 hour to explore this place (depending on the guide a s well)   About Chandravalli Caves: This temple is located in the midst of three hills, Chitradurga, Cholagudda and Kirubana­kallu. The cave is located between two giant monolithic rocks. The cave is also known as the Ankali Mutt.   Chandravalli was once known as Chandanavati, which means "in the shape of the moon". The earthen pots, coins, bowls and other items found here cast a light on the place's rich history. ...

Anjanadri betta was in my bucket list from quite some time. Though visited Hampi multiple times before, didn’t get a chance to visit Anjanadri betta. This time main intention of visiting Hampi was mainly to visit Anjanadri Betta. Anjanadri betta is said to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. Its around 30 Kms from Hospete & 3 Kms from Anegundi village. Plan was to visit Anjanadri betta after 3.00 PM so that we can witness sunset also from here(very famous for sunset). After having lunch at Hospete, we headed towards Anjanadri betta and it took almost 1 hour for us to reach our destination. But after reaching there only we came to know that due to wild animal attack at this place, visitors are only allowed from 10.00 AM to 2.00 PM (this was temporary timings). So headed back to Hospete without climbing the hill. Next day again we reached hill around 10.00 AM. There is a neat space for parking our vehicles roadside. First look of Anjanadri betta from parking place. We must climb about...

Once we explored Prasanna Virupaksha temple we headed towards Zenana enclosure, beautify of this place is we can reach out our next destination hardly with 10 minutes’ walk. The Zenana enclosure is located near the Royal Enclosure at Hampi. This was a fortified and secluded area reserved for the royal ladies of the Vijayanagara Empire. The structures of the Zenana Enclosure are designed in the Indo-Islamic style of architecture. Zenana Enclosure has several structures such as the Lotus Mahal, Basement of the Queen’s Palace, Water Pavilion, Treasury Building and the Watch Towers. The major attraction inside the enclosure is the Lotus Mahal. Apart from this, there are remains of water pavilion with a decorated platform in the center and Elephant Stables. The Queen’s Palace is located at the middle of this area. This is the largest palace base excavated in the Hampi ruins so far. The Royal Treasury Building is a rectangular structure that is located in the north-western corner of the encl...

Prasanna Virupaksha temple is one of oldest temples in Hampi. Built during the reign of the Vijayanagara Empire, the temple is located near the main road to Hampi bus stand. After visiting Lakshmi Narasimha Temple visited Prasanna virupaksha temple. About Temple: The Prasanna Virupaksha temple dates back to the 14th century AD. The temple is dedicated to Prasanna Virupaksha, an avatar of Lord Shiva. The temple stands amidst a beautiful lawn covered in green. The temple has remained buried for over four hundred years before it was discovered in the 1980’s decade. It is believed that Vijayanagara ruler Krishnadevaraya had donated extensively to this temple. Prasanna Virupaksha Temple is also known as Underground Shiva Temple. The temple is dedicated to Prasanna Virupaksha, an avatar of Lord Shiva. The temple stands amidst a beautiful lawn covered in green. Temple was built many meters below the ground level hence, it is famous as Underground Shiva Temple. The temple is believed to be a ...

After exploring Krishna Temple headed towards Lakshmi Narasimha temple. Which is walk-able distance from Krishna temple. About Lakshmi Narasimha Temple: This magnificent monolithic lakshmi narasimha the fourth incarnation of lord vishnu stands at a height of 6.7 mts. It is one of the finest examples of Vijayanagara sculpture. Narasimha is sitting on the coil of adishesha. The heads of the snake acts as the hood above his head. The god sits in a cross-legged Yoga position with a belt supporting the knees. The original statue contained the image of goddess Lakshmi, consort of the god, sitting on his lap. But this statue has been damaged seriously during the raid leading to the fall of Vijayanagara. Even the damaged portion of such a large statue of Lakshmi carved on his lap is missing. Lion face of Lakshmi Narasimha also sometimes called as Unganarasimha (the ferocious Narasimha) Badavilinga Temple: This is the largest Linga image in Hampi. Located next to the Lakshmi Narasimha statue th...

This temple was built by Krishnadevaraya in 1513 AD to celebrate victory over Udayagiri (Orissa). This is one of the must-see sites in Hampi. The carvings are especially spectacular with the Yalis (the mythical lion) on the pillars and the entrances to the temple hall flanged with impressive carvings of elephant railings. The main tower at the east is an impressive sight with numerous carvings on it (now the tower is under restoration work). You can see the carvings of the 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu in this temple. This is one of the few temples where the epic stories carved on the walls of the tower. This is fairly an intact specimen of a Vijayanagara era temple. The main temple hall The main road to Hampi passes through the temple campus. You can spot a small pavilion with a rectangular stone container in front of the temple across the road. This was used to store grains for the ritual purpose in the temple festivals. The position and design of the vessel suggests devotees used to don...

The Virupaksha temple is located on the banks of the Tungabhadra river at Hampi. Built during the 7th century, the beautiful architecture and history of the temple have made it a UNESCO World Heritage site. Virupaksha Temple is dedicated to lord Shiva and one of the 2 most important sites in the Hampi. The temple is still funcational and is one the oldest living temples of Inida. The main entrance is though the East Gopuram, there’s a stand for shoes and the ticket counter near the entrance. One should not miss to view the inverted shadow of the main tower falls on a wall inside the temple. Once we come out of South Gopuram we can see a beautiful Kalyani. Timing: Virupaksha Temple complex is open between 9 AM till 1 PM and 5 PM till 9 PM. How to reach Hampi: Hampi is 350 kms from Bengaluru and can be reached via road, rail or air. Vidyanagar airport (Code: VDY) is the closest airport (40 kms from Hampi) and has daily flights from Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Once in Hampi, Vijaya Vittala t...