Hampi: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Hampi is what remains of Vijayanagara, the capital of the last great Hindu empire of South India, which around 1500 was one of the largest and richest cities in the world. In 1565 it was defeated by an alliance of the Deccan sultanates and sacked for months, and its ruins lie among a strange landscape of giant boulders and banana groves on the Tungabhadra river. A world heritage site. Half a day; start at dawn, it gets very hot.

A short history of Hampi

Hampi was the heart of the city of Vijayanagara, capital of the Hindu empire founded in 1336 that ruled much of southern India. In the 16th century it was one of the largest and richest cities in the world, and Portuguese visitors described markets of precious stones and horses. In 1565 its army was defeated at the Battle of Talikota by an alliance of Muslim sultanates, and the city was looted and burned for months and never recovered. Hundreds of temples and palaces remain among the huge granite boulders, and in 1986 Hampi was declared a World Heritage Site.

The ten best sights in Hampi

1
Virupaksha Temple
The living temple at the heart of Hampi
2
Hemakuta Hill
Small temples on the rock; sunset
3
Sasivekalu Ganesha
A Ganesha carved from one boulder
4
Ugra Narasimha
The man-lion, carved from a single rock
5
Badavilinga
A great linga standing in water
6
Hazara Rama Temple
The Ramayana carved around its walls
7
Lotus Mahal
A pavilion in the women’s quarter
8
Elephant Stables
Eleven domed halls for the royal elephants
9
Mahanavami Dibba
The royal festival platform
10
Stepped Tank
A geometric tank found in the 1980s

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The sacred centre

Virupaksha Temple · A temple of Shiva that has been in worship since about the seventh century, older than the empire and still alive among the ruins. Inside, a small hole in a wall works as a pinhole camera and projects an upside-down image of the great gate tower onto the opposite wall.
Hemakuta Hill · A sheet of granite above the temple scattered with small early temples with stepped stone roofs. It is the most popular place to watch the sun set over the boulders and the river.
Sasivekalu Ganesha · A statue of the elephant-headed god Ganesha about two and a half metres high, carved from a single boulder. Its name means mustard-seed Ganesha, a joke on its size; a snake is carved tied around his full belly, so that it would not burst after a feast.
Krishna Bazaar · In front of the Krishna temple, a long ruined market street lined with stone pavilions, where traders of the empire once sold horses, pearls and spices brought from as far as Arabia and China, as the Portuguese visitors described.
Ugra Narasimha · A statue nearly seven metres high, carved from one rock in 1528, of Vishnu as the fierce man-lion Narasimha. A figure of his consort Lakshmi once sat on his knee; when the city was sacked in 1565 the statue was smashed, and only her hand on his back remains.
Badavilinga · Beside it, a giant linga, the symbol of Shiva, three metres high, standing in a channel of flowing water. The story is that it was paid for by a poor peasant woman — badava means poor.

The royal centre

South of the sacred centre lay the palaces of the kings, of which only platforms, tanks and a few pavilions survive, mixing Hindu and Islamic styles. Half a day by bicycle or rickshaw.

Hazara Rama Temple · The private temple of the kings, whose outer walls are covered with carved bands of horses, elephants, dancers and soldiers in procession, and inside with the whole story of the Ramayana in stone panels.
Lotus Mahal · An elegant pavilion in the walled quarter of the royal women, with arches shaped like lotus petals in a style that blends Hindu and Islamic architecture — a sign of how much the empire borrowed from its rivals.
Elephant Stables · A long building of eleven tall domed chambers, each built for one of the royal elephants, with hooks in the ceilings for their chains.
Mahanavami Dibba · A great stepped stone platform from which the king watched the nine-day festival of Mahanavami, with processions, wrestling and dancing, described with wonder by Portuguese and Persian visitors.
Stepped Tank · A perfectly geometric tank of stepped black stone, uncovered only in the 1980s. Its blocks carry masons’ marks, suggesting it was carved elsewhere and assembled here.
Queen’s Bath · A large pool surrounded by arched balconies with stucco ceilings, once filled by an aqueduct. Despite the name, it may have been a bath for the king and his court.

Vittala and across the river

Along the river runs the path to the greatest temple of Hampi; across the water, by round coracle boats, lie the travellers’ quarter, rice fields and the legendary monkey kingdom. A full day; take water and sun protection.

Matanga Hill · The highest hill in the centre, climbed in the dark for the sunrise, when the boulders, temple towers and the river turn from blue to gold.
Achyutaraya Temple · A temple of 1534 in a quiet valley between the hills, with its own ruined market street, often empty of visitors, where the carvings of the halls can be seen in peace.
King’s Balance · A stone gateway from which the king was weighed on festival days against gold, grain or jewels, which were then given to the temples and the poor.
Vittala Temple · The finest temple of Hampi. In its courtyard stands a stone chariot, carved as a shrine to Garuda, which appears on the fifty-rupee banknote. Its great hall has slender pillars that ring with musical notes when tapped — no longer allowed, to protect them.
Hampi Island · Across the river by coracle — a round boat of woven bamboo — lies Virupapur Gaddi, long the backpackers’ side of Hampi and a favourite of Israeli travellers. In 2012 the guesthouses there were torn down by court order to protect the heritage site; new ones grew up further along.
Anegundi · A village older than Vijayanagara, identified with Kishkindha, the monkey kingdom of the Ramayana. Nearby, on Anjanadri hill, a temple marks the birthplace of the monkey god Hanuman, reached by about five hundred and seventy-five whitewashed steps.

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Getting to Hampi and getting around

Hosapete Junction · The nearest station; half an hour by rickshaw

Cheap eats in Hampi

Hampi eats South Indian: a thali served on a banana leaf with rice, sambar, rasam, curd and vegetables, refilled until you stop; masala dosa and idli for breakfast with coconut chutney; and filter coffee, frothed by pouring between two cups. A banana-leaf meal costs a dollar or two.

Virupaksha Temple · Banana-leaf thalis near the temple
Hampi Island · Travellers’ cafés, with Israeli dishes
Krishna Bazaar · Chai and coconuts by the ruins

Museums in Hampi

Hampi is an open-air museum of some sixteen hundred monuments, with a small museum that explains them.

Archaeological Museum · The model of the city
Vittala Temple · The stone chariot
Hazara Rama Temple · The Ramayana in stone

Nature and day trips near Hampi

A landscape of giant granite boulders, banana groves, rice fields and the Tungabhadra river.

Matanga Hill · Sunrise over the boulders
Sanapur · The boulder lake
Hemakuta Hill · Sunset on the rock

Things to do in Hampi with kids

With children: boulders to scramble over, a coracle across the river, elephant stables and a monkey hill.

Hampi Island · The coracle ride
Elephant Stables · Where the elephants lived
Anegundi · The monkey kingdom

Holy places in Hampi

A Hindu sacred landscape where the Ramayana is set, with temples from the seventh century still in worship.

Virupaksha Temple · The living temple
Ugra Narasimha · The man-lion
Badavilinga · The poor woman’s linga

Nightlife in Hampi

Hampi is a holy town with no alcohol in the bazaar; nights are rooftop cafés and the quiet across the river.

Hampi Island · The travellers’ side
Hemakuta Hill · The sunset crowd

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Frequently asked questions about Hampi

What is there to see in Hampi?

The top sights in Hampi are Virupaksha Temple, Hemakuta Hill and Sasivekalu Ganesha. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Hampi?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Hampi without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Hampi?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Hampi, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The sacred centre.

How do you get to Hampi and get around?

The main ways are Hosapete Junction. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Hampi, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Hampi that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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