After Sasivekalu Ganesha Mandapa we went to Krishna temple. It is located little further down the road. Krishna temple complex was built by Vijayanagara king Krishnadevaraya in 1513 after his victorious Orissa campaign. The deity here was infant avatar of Lord Krishna (Balakrishna) which was brought from Udaygiri (Orissa) subsequently.

Krishna temple in Hampi was built in panchayatana style with two enclosures, has the main shrine with the sanctum, a vestibule, a pillared pavilion and halls, a devi shrine and many sub shrines. The grand towered eastern gateway is an outstanding example of Vijaynagara architecture. The temple walls are carved with depictions of Bhagvat Gita, the puranic story of Lord Krishna and life of those times. The pillars of Mahamandapa has the sculpted depictions of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. It is one of the rare temple where we can find the a depiction of Kalki, said to be the lord of destruction in Kali yug. As of now there is no idol in this temple. The idol of Balakrishna is kept in state museum, Chennai.

Opposite to Krishna temple, on the other side of the road is the street Bazar (market) of Vijaynagara times and a pushkarani (pond).

Photography is allowed inside as well and no need to open shoes as there are no idols.

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From Hemakuta hill, we went to Sasivekalu (mustered seed) Ganesha, situated on the southeastern slopes of Hemakuta hillock. This 4 armed monolithic Ganesha statue is 2.4 meters high and is enclosed in a open pillared pavilion.

The statue seated in half lotus posture bears a tusk, goad, noose and bowl of sweets in its four arms. Note that the head of lord Ganesha is of an Elephant.

An inscription on a nearby rock records that this Vinayaka mantapa was built in 1506 AD by a trader from Chandragiri (near Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh) in memory of Narashima II (1491 – 1505 AD) of the Saluva dynasty.

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Hemakuta hill is located besides the grand Virupaksha temple in Hampi. We need to take the left lane in front of Virupaksha temple to hike to the top of Hemkuta hill. This completely stone rock has a number of small temples scattered all over the hill.

Achuta Raya temple as seen from Hemakuta hill

Hemakuta hill is one of the best place to watch sunrise and sunset in Hampi. On the west side, we walked till the edge of the hill to watch sunset. However, one can sit on the stone structures as well. On the east facing Virupaksha temple, one can watch a a beautiful sunrise. Most of the temple here are dedicated to lord Shiva.

On top of Hemakuta hill

Toward the southern side one a can find a small Hanuman temple. Also, we can see the areal view of Sasivekalu Ganesha temple and Krishna temple. To the north we can Achuta Raya temple.

Hanuman temple

On the northern side there is a small pond which makes me think that earlier they might have been involved in rain water harvesting.

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Virupaksha Temple is the center of religious and tourism activity in Hampi. It is said that Virupaksha temple was erected as a small shrine in 7th century and since then people are worshiping here uninterruptedly. It is located little away from Hampi bus stand and on the southern bank of Tungabhadra river. If you take the right hand side lane of Virupaksha temple, it will lead you to Tungabhadra river.

Virupaksha is a form of Lord Shiva. The temple complex was largely built during the Vijaynagar empire. Records also point to Chalukyan and Hoysala period constructions.

Entry fee to the temple is Rs 2/person. Camera fee is Rs 50.
Timings: 6 am to 8.30 pm

Entrance to the temple is through the largest gopura(tower). Inside there are two more gopuras which are smaller in size. There is an temple elephant which blesses people on tipping. There is an optical illusion near the goddess Pampa shrine. The shadow of the largest gopura falls inverted on the wall through a hole.

Run you imagination wild by visiting the underground chambers. Here you will find the idol of Pataleswara, another form of Lord Shiva. I took a LED torch with me on this tour and it helped immensely in such dark areas. There are other shrines like Bhuvaneswari, Nava graha etc

I would suggest you to walk all around the temple to see the intricate designs on the pillars and ceilings. There is a big earthen urn completely made of stone. Also, you can see the large temple drum which is played during festivals. An annual chariot festival is celebrated in the month of February.

On the right side of the wall one can see the family lineage of the Vijayanagar empire. Hampi was destroyed by the invasion of a Muslim confederacy in 1565 but Virupaksha temple remained more or less intact.

Note:

1. Shoes need to be left outside the second gate at the shoe stand. Each pair of shoe at Rs 2.

2. Photography is not allowed inside the shrine chambers.

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Cultural

1. Fatehpur Sikri, Agra district, Uttar Pradesh

2. Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi

3. Agra fort, Agra, Uttar Pradesh

4. Red fort, Delhi

5. Qutub Minar, Delhi

6. Buddhist Monuments – Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh

7. Western group of temples – Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

8. Sun temple – Konark. Orissa

9. Ajanta Caves,Maharashtra

10. Champaner monuments, Gujarat

11. Ellora Caves, Maharashtra

12. Elephanta caves, Maharashtra

13. Group of temples, Pattadakal, Karnataka

14. Group of Monuments, Hampi, karnataka

15. Group of monuments, Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu

16. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus), Mumbai, Maharashtra

17. Churches and Convents of Goa

18. Great Living Chola Temples, Tamil nadu

19. Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya, Bihar

20. Mountain Railways of India

21. Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka

22. Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh

23. The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur, Rajasthan

Natural

1. Kaziranga National Park, Assam (Recognized in 1985)

2. Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan (Recognized in 1985)

3. Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam (Recognized in 1985)

4. Sundarbans National Park, West Bengal (Recognized in 1987)

5. Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks, Uttarakhand (Recognized in 1988)

Check one of the rare documentary video by Discovery channel to get an insight into the pilgrimage of Hajj.

Typical Ulsoor residential skyline

Some apartment building in Cambridge layout

RMZ Millenia Tower located near Ulsoor lake

Lido Mall which also houses Hotel Ista

The burning tree!

The evening twilight over Ulsoor

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Pic taken at Sirsi, Karnataka, India

Wishing the readers of Travelingbeats.com a very Happy and Prosperous new year 2012.

The first month of 2012 has a lot of travel in store and will share here as when they take place.

pic: Yahoo

Cyclone Thane has hit the Tamil Nadu coast between Cuddalore and Puducherry (Pondicherry). News is that Cyclone Thane has caused severe damage to property and road infrastructure in north Tamil Nadu coastal areas and Puducherry. It has caused overcast climate all over Tamil Nadu, southern Karnataka and Southern Andhra Pradesh.

I had planned to visit Kumbakonam and Tanjavur located in central Tamil Nadu on Dec 30th, 2011 but I had to abandon it after I received message from hotels over there that it is heavily raining in Kumbakonam. As per Met department this is suppose to continue for next two days. Cyclone Thane has also gave a overcast whether in Bangalore with drizzling to light rain. Today morning around 3 am I was driving from Whitefield and it was not that cold. It used to very chilly since 20th Dec 2011. I think the formation of the cyclone and it movement caused the air to be little warmer.

Some helpline numbers:

Chennai Corporation – 1913, 25619237; Kancheepuram district administration – 1077, Police control room – 9445465536, 27238001; Tiruvallur district administration – 27661200; Police control room – 27661010.

Sharing some pictures of Christmas decoration done at my Office.