Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Hampi -- Temples Part 2

After leaving the coracles, we went to see the most famous part of the Hampi complex.

Near the coracle landing and outside the Vitthala temple is this long (about 500 m) bazaar pavilion.
The tower (gopuram) over the entrance gate.
A carving in the floor at the entrance gate shows visitors how to worship the gods.
A gnarled frangipani tree in the temple enclosure.
The main temple.
This selection from a frieze shows an Portuguese man leading a horse.
Other parts of this frieze also showed Turks and Arabs with horses.
Detail from a temple pillar.
This ratha (temple as chariot) is probably the most-photographed monument at Hampi. At one time, the wheels could be turned, but the hole around the axles had become enlarged, and now the wheels are fixed in place. A close examination of the monument reveals that the elephants pulling the chariot replaced the original horses.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful collection of pictures. Hampi is a popular tourist destination that is the home to around 500 marvelous historic monuments. Imperial palaces, temples and forts can be seen standing in pride holding tales of the past in every brick. Check out more fact about Vittala Temple also.

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    1. We had only one day in Hampi. It's clear you could spend the better part of week here to cover the area thoroughly. LOTS to see here!

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