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| HAMPI - WORLD HERITAGE SITE, KARNATAKA STATE, INDIA The first ever made documentary film series on Hampi (Vijayanagar) - A World Heritage site situated in Hospet taluk, Bellary District, 353 Kms from Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka state, India. A Tribute to yesterday - with tomorrow's eyes. An invitation to share glimpses of a glorious history. It is an eloquent, visual tribute to Hampi's glorious past. |
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| This footages speak about the grand, awe - inspiring and majestic ruins of Hampi, and how fresh archaeological excavations are breathing new life into its monumental remains and inscriptions. Hampi's past, its establishment and other events are recalled. Some of the important temples and the ruins of the civil buildings are vividly described. Hampi still has more than 500 temples and small shrines exceeds 1000 in number. Each is different from the other in style. Hampi is not merely a monument in stone, but a beacon light, shining upon more than eight centuries of political maturity, religious tolerance, brilliances in art and architecture, and a system that nurtured an outlook far ahead of its time. Hampi - a grand expanse of the ruins of a once great empire, Vijayanagar. A World Heritage site covered by the misty blanket of several centuries. All major monuments have been covered. And many more series…… Read - Press Reviews HAMPI is a small village (lat. 15°20' N. and long. 76°30' E.) on the southern bank of the Tungabhadra in the Hospet Taluk of the Bellary District of Karnataka and is a well-known centre of pilgrimage. The place has been identified by some with the Kishkindha-kshetra of the Ramayana. In historic times Hampi, as the seat of the Vijayanagara empire, was famed for its fabulous magnificence and for its protection and promotion of Brahmanical religion and culture. |
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| EARLY REFERENCES HAMPI, traditionally known as the Pampa-kshetra, Kishkindha-kshetra or Bhaskara-kshetra, has an unbroken tradition of sanctity from ancient days and still continues to be an important pilgrimage centre. Pampa is the ancient name of the river Tungabhadra. The word Hampe or Hampi is generally held to be a later Kannada form of the term Pampa. The ancient Kishkindha of the Ramayana is believed to have been situated close to Hampi. Kishkindha was ruled by the monkey-chiefs, Vali and Sugriva. After a quarrel, Sugriva, who had been driven out, took refuge on the Matanga -parvatam along with Hanuman. After sita had been carried away to Lanka by Ravana, Rama and Lakshmana came south in search of Sita and met the refugees, Sugriva and Hanuman. Rama killed Vali, restored to Sugriva his kingdom and then stayed on the |
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HISTORY The history of the Hampi region dates back to the neolithic / chalcolithic times as can be ascertained from the discovery of neoliths and handmade pottery in recent excavations near the Vitthala temple here. That the region was within the Asokan empire may be surmised from the recent discovery of Minor Rockedicts-one from Nittur and the other from Ude-golam, both in District Bellary. Mention may also be made about the discovery of a Brahmi inscription and a terracotta seal of the second century AD from the excavation. Prior to the rise of the Vijayanagara dynasty, Hampi and its environs were under the control of the various dynasties which ruled over the Karnataka country in succession such as the Kadambas, the Chalukyas of Badami, the Rashtrakutas, the Chalukyas of Kalyani, the Hoysalas, Yadavas and others. Often it was ruled by one or other of the feudatories of these powers, such as the chiefs of Kurugodu Anegondi, Kampili etc. Immediately, before the rise of the Vijayanagara dynasty the place was probably under the control of the chiefs of Kampili which is now a small town, about 19 km east of Hampi was a Western Chalukyan capital in the eleventh century. |
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| The origin of this medieval power is surrounded by so much of mystery
and obscurity that numerous legends and accounts have grown up and a number
of heories are advocated regarding it. Taking into consideration all the
available evidence it seems likely that the kingdom of Kampili played
a most significant role in the rise of Vijayanagara. |
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| Harihara was the eldest of the five sons of Sangama, the other four
being Kampana, Bukka, Marappa and Mudappa. Starting with the conquest
of Gutti (modern Gooty) and its neighbourhood, Harihara, ably assisted
by Bukka, built up within a few years a kingdom stretching from coast
to coast. In this memorable work the great Hindu sage, Vidyaranya of Sringeri-matha,
played a significant role and rendered the brothers the necessary moral
and spiritual guidance. Acting under the orders of Vidyaranya, their guru,
Harihara and Bukka completed their imperial chemes and founded in about
AD 1336 the splendid city of Vijayanagara or Vidyanagara as the capital
of their newly-established empire. |
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Devaraya II (AD 1422-46) was a powerful ruler. He waged
wars with the Bahmanis and invaded Orissa. 'Abdu'r-Razzaq, the Persian
Ambassador, who visited Vijayanagara in his reign, states that Devaraya's
empire covered the whole of south India and stretched from Ceylon to Gulbarga
and from Orissa to Malabar. Devaraya is also stated to have levied tribute
from Burma and Ceylon. He was not only a great conqueror but also a good
scholar and author, a liberal patron of arts and letters and a great builder.
Razzaq's description of the capital city in AD 1443 illustrates the splendid
heights reached by the Vijayanagara architects and sculptors. |
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| South Indian architecture owes much to the building activities of
this ruler who made munificent gif ts to innumerable temples. The capital
city was lavishly embellished by him. The smaller cast gopura and the
ranga-mandapa of the Pampapati temple, the huge Narasimha figure and the
Krishna temple are just a few of the numerous additions made by him to
the imperial city. He also made many improvements to existing structures
such as the Vitthala and Hazara Rama temples. In modern Hospet and its
environs he built several new suburban cities and named them in honour
of his mother (Nagalapura), queen (Tirumaladeviyara-pattana), and son
Tirumala (Sale Tirumala Maharajapura). Many irrigation-projects were also
undertaken and a big reservoir built near Hospet. |
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| number of temples and tanks in Timmalapuram and other places. Achyuta was succeeded by his infant son Venkata I (AD 1542) who was soon murdered. Then Achyuta's nephew Sadasiva (AD 1542-76) became king, though the real power was in the hands of regent Rama Raya, the son-in-law of Krishnadeva Raya. |
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| Rama Raya's brother Tirumala escaped and fled, carrying with him the
imperial treasures, the puppet-emperor Sadasiva and the members of the
royal harem. The capital city of Vijayanagara was left to its own fate
undefended and lay at the mercy of sporadic plunderers and the soldiers
of the victorious enemies. |
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| called after its own name and occupying a distinct place in the history
of south Indian temple-architecture. This style was more or less coterminous
with the history of the dynasty and roughly covered the period from AD
1350 to 1600. It was evolved out of Pandya and Later Chalukyan elements. |
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| Often the position of a pillar in a structure determined its particular
type. Generally the pillars in the interior of mandapa are of the ornate
cubical variety having pushpapodigai corbels with or without joining bands
(the solid ones without bands being earlier in style). The composite pillars
are of the yottikkal type and consist of a main pillar shaft of the ordinary
ornate cubical type with an attached shaft where an infinite variety is
introduced. Thus the attached shaft may have slender columnettes, yalis
(either ordinary or gaja-yalis) rearing horses iconographic sculpture
or portrait-sculpture. The slender columnettes may be solidly attached
to the main shaft attached by delicate cut-work or detached from it; and
their number may vary from a single one to as many as fifteen. The yali
pillars also may or may not have intricate cut-work. The composite pillars
thus range from the plain and simple type of main shaft with a single
attached columnette to elaborate monoliths measuring several metres across
each pillar constituting a veritable sculptural group. The mahamandapa
of the Vitthala temple at Hampi contains the most massive and the most
striking specimens of such fantasies in stone. |
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| For civil architecture, stone was used for the base .while various
materials, like stone, wood, metal and brick, were employed in the superstructure.
The pillars were of timber or stone. Sometimes pillars with a stone core
were covered with brick and mortar and finished with plaster. The arch,
especially the wide four-centred type, was freely used in the construction.
Elaborately ornate stucco decorations were largely used. The lotus and
rampant yali motifs were most common. Ceilings were domed or vaulted.
Often the superstructure above a palace-building had a number of diminishing
tiers of kapotas (cornices) capped by a sikhara resembling a temple-vimana
(e.g. the Lotus-Mahal at Hampi and the Gagan-Mahal at Penukonda). The
buildings were originally painted and gilded. |
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Colour Slides, Transparencies and Photographs, video are available for above Cultural and Natural sites. |
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This documentary
film series footages includes little known nuggets and gems of history.
These ancient milestones herald the splendour of Indian Cultural Heritage.
Mute witnesses to a forgotten past, they transport us back, in a time
machine, as it were, to an era of grace and grandeur. This is both an
important historical narrative and a documentary which shows up Hampi
in an entirely new light. 
Hampi is
situated in picturesque surroundings amidst striking and beautiful scenery
depicting nature at its wildest and best. The site is naturally endowed
with great strategic strength. The wide, torrential and almost unaffordable
Tungabhadra on the one hand and the impassable craggy hills and ranges
with bare and denuded massive boulders on the other, afford strong natural
defences which the rulers used to the utmost advantage. These facts no
doubt induced the Vijayanagara rulers to choose this site as their splendid
imperial capital which was the admiration of the contemporary visitors.
The city was called 'Vijayanagara' or the city of victory, or 'Vidyanagara'
in memory of the sage Vidyaranya who is said to have been mainly responsible
for the founding of the city.
Malyavanta
hill nearby awaiting the results of Hanuman's search for Sita in Lanka.
Hampi and its environs are considered holy ground and many of its .sites
and names are connected with the episodes of the Ramayana. Thus the Matanga-parvatam,
on which Sugriva took refuge, is a steep hill on the south bank of the
Tungabhadra and to the east of the Hampi village.A good view of the surrounding
country can be had from the top of this hill. The Malyavanta hill, on
which Rama stayed, is on the road to Kampili and has a Raghunatha temple
with a large image of Rama. A huge mound of scorious ash in the adjacent
village of Nimbapuram is believed to be the cremated remains of Vali.
A cavern on the southern bank of the Tungabhadra is said to be the cave
where Sugriva hid Sita's jewels for safety, while certain marks and streaks
on the sheet rock near it are pointed out as the marks made by Sita's
garments. The Anjanagiri and Rishyamukha hills and the sacred tanks of
Pampasaras are on the northern bank of the Tungabhadra. 
In the first
half of the fourteenth century south India was seriously affected by the
Muslim inroads of Malik Kafur, the general of 'Alau'd-Din Khaiji, and
by the imperial ambitions of Muhammad-bin Tughluq. The attempt of the
southern powers to resist the Muslim inroads finally culminated in the
rise of the Vijayanagara empire which acted as a bulwark of Hindu culture
and nationalism for nearly four centuries. The empire soon rose to such
heights of splendour and magnificence that it won the admiration of every
contemporary visitor. 
Kampila since
he had sheltered the rebel refugee Bahau'd-Din Garshasp. Kampila and his
son fell fighting and the kingdom became a province of the Delhi empire
in about AD 1326-27. 
Bukka's large empire
was divided into a number of rajyas mostly ruled over by royal princes
and nobles. Bukka's son- Harihara II (AD 1377 - 1404), set up his own
sons as provincial viceroys. Under Harihara II, the Krishna became the
northern boundary of the empire, while a successful expedition was sent
even to Ceylon in the south. Some of the earliest monuments of the Vijayanagara
period in the capital city may be traced to the time of Harihara II, e.g.,
the Ganigitti temple. The fortifications and irrigation-works in Vijayanagara
owed much to the efforts of Bukka I and Devaraya I, the son of Harihara
II. The Italian Nicolo Conti visited Vijayanagara in about AD 1420 during
the reign of Devaraya I and has left an interesting description of the
city.
him the
empire passed through a golden age. His armies were successful everywhere
and imperial authority was firmly established all over south India. He
inflicted crushing defeats on the Bahmani Sultans, took the coveted Raichur
Doab, conquered Telengana and carried on his campaigns as far north as
Orissa. He maintained friendly diplomatic relations with the Portuguese
on the western coast. An accomplished scholar and poet, he wrote many
Sanskrit and Telugu works. His Telugu poem Amuktamalyada contains a character-sketch
of an ideal monarch and the principles of political administration to
be followed by him. He was also a liberal patron of arts and letters.
The noted Telugu poet Allasani Peddanna was his poet laureate, while his
court is stated to have been graced by eight poets known as the Ashta-diggajas.
A fine life-size portrait group (in copper) of the king and his two consorts
was set up in the Tirupati temple by the king himself and is thus of immense
value as contemporary portraits of the royal personages. 
After Krishnadeva
Raya's death in AD 1529 there followed a period of steady decline. His
step- brother Achyuta Raya (AD 1529-42) had to struggle against external
enemies as well as internal dissensions and rivals to the throne. Achyuta
was also a great patron of arts and letter. His court poet Rajanatna Dindima
wrote a biography of his patron in his poem Achyutarayabhyudaya. Achyuta
built the Achyuta Raya temple (Tiruvengalanatha temple of the inscription)
at Hampi and made many addition to the Vitthala and other temples. His
officer Ramayamatya built a large
With Rama Raya the
fourth or Aravidu dynasty came to power. Rama Raya interfered in the political
affairs of the Deccan sultanates and tried to play off one state against
the other, with the result that the Muslim rulers soon closed their ranks
and formed a confederacy against Vijayanagara. Rama Raya also gathered
a huge army. The decisive battle was fought in January 1565 near the villages
of Rakshasi and Tangdi on the banks of the Krishna. The Vijayanagara army
was at first successful and had almost won the battle, when the tables
were turned by the treachery and desertion of two Muslim generals in the
Hindu army. Rama Raya was captured and immediately decapitated by the
Sultan of Ahmadnagar. In the absence of proper leadership, great confusion
arose in the ranks of the Vijyanagara army which resulted in their complete
rout.
Most of the
civil buildings at Hampi are concentrated in the citadel area. Unfortunately
they arc mostly ruined. Of the gorgeous multi-storeyed painted and gilded
palaces and mansions of Vijayanagara extolled by contemporary writers,
there is hardly anything left except a few stone basements, since the
brick and timber superstructures have all disappeared now. Compared to
the original state of the city, the extant ruined specimens are only a
handful and represent in all likelihood the minor edifices such as the
elephant-stables. Important structures like the royal residences and other
state buildings have been razed to the ground. At present the civil buildings
at Hampi include a number of palace-bases, open pavilions, pillared halls,
baths and stables. To this class of monuments may also be added some of
the long and broad ancient bazaars of the city.
The two
facings are made of large wedge-shaped slabs with the point of the wedges
inwards while the intervening gaps in the core are filled in with earth.
The stone gateways appear originally to have had ornate brick and mortar
superstructure. The gateways range from simple types, which serve as mere
entrances, to strong and elaborate ones with sally ports, bastions, and
inner courts with guard rooms such as the massive Bhima's gate and the
south-west gate with the Hanuman Temple. All the entrances and gateways
were high enough to enable elephants to pass through, and many of them
had ornate embellishments. The gateways were flanked by shrines to be
respective guardian deities and sometimes had figures of Bhima or Hanuman
or a chieftain or a linga, in relief, carved on their walls.
Group of Monuments
at Hampi (241), Fatehpur Sikri. Mughal City (255). Group of Monuments
at Pattadakal (239), Elephanta Caves (244). Brihadisvara temple, Thanjavur
(250), Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi (524), Humayun's Tomb (232) and Qutb
Minar and its Monuments, Delhi (233), The Natural Sites are Keoladeo National
Park (340), Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (338), Kaziranga National Park (337),
Sundarbans National \Paik (452) and Nanda Devi National Park (335).