About

Hampi, the capital of the Vijayanagara empire of the 15th and 16th centuries is located in the Vijayanagara district of Karnataka on the banks of the Tungabhadra river.

The Vitthala Temple is located in the north eastern part of Hampi. It stands in a large, walled courtyard of 162m x 94m, with Gopurams on three sides. The two gopurams on the east and north were built by the two queens of Krishnadevaraya, while the more ornate gate on the south is a later-day addition. The main entrance of this east-facing temple is through the eastern gateway.
The temple, which is laid out on a complex plan with a number of projections, was built in two distinct phases. The core of the temple is on a rectangular plan of 37.6m x 18.8m, with a small brick spire and a circumambulatory passage. This rectangular base is divided into two equal square sections, the garbha-gruha or the sanctum sanctorum, on the west, and the mukha-mandapa or ante chamber on the east, leading to the inner sanctum. The inner walls of the passageway reveal delicately modeled basement mouldings and wall pilasters. The idol in the sanctum has been removed.
A later phase of construction added the sabha-mandapa in front of the main shrine. The plan of the sabha mandapa has a succession of intersecting rectangles with axial alignment, giving it the form of a structure with several projections. It stands on an ornate platform about 5feet in height with relief carvings, interrupted by mini-shrines and niches featuring incarnations of Lord Vishnu. There are steps flanked by animal balustrades on three sides of this platform. The most beautiful part of this mandapa is the delicately carved pillars or piers. Each of the pillars has been sculpted from a single piece of granite, and features distinct and independent columns. The roof of the mandapa features deep, double-curved eaves, with rings for chains of lamps, ornate brick parapet above (now partially damaged), and pseudo-rafters on the under-side.
The interior of this mandapa is divided into four halls by the use of the pillars which are decorated with yali (a mythical creature with the head and the body of a lion and the trunk and tusks of an elephant) figures, musicians playing different kinds of instruments, and depictions of Vishnu in his Narasimha incarnation. Massive brackets and beams rise above, supporting the lofty ceiling made of solid granite.

The Garuda Shrine is a chariot-like pavilion that stands at the entrance of the sabha-mandapa. It has a base about seven feet high, with two pairs of wheels on its north and south, and exquisitely carved colonettes forming the main body of the structure. It originally had a brick-spire above which was removed in the 19th century. The chariot has a pair of elephants drawing it. The elephants were placed here as a replacement for the horses which originally drew the chariot (the tails of the horses are still seen at the rear of the elephant). The lintels and doorways have floral patterns carved into them, while capitals of the columns feature serrated discs. The eaves above are decorated with hanging lotus-buds.

The Kalyana Mandapa, on the south (left as one enters), is a large pavilion with a raised central dais. It also has a base plan featuring intersecting rectangles. It is said that this was used for marriages of kings and noblemen. It is a perfectly symmetrical pavilion with outer pillars on four sides decorated with yalis ridden by warriors, a deep double-curved eave with peacock patterned band, and a brick parapet on the roof featuring a number of niches (from which the idols are now missing) which has a frieze of lions as its base. The dais in the center of the mandapa is further surrounded by columns with yali figures supporting a ceiling with lotus pattern.

The Sabha Mandapa, also along the southern wall, and slightly behind the main shrine, is another pavilion where the king was said to hold meetings. It has a largely rectangular base plan. The 100 pillars of this pavilion are also musical in nature. It features a tri-lingual (Kannada, Telugu, Tamil) inscription dating it back to 1516 CE.

The Natya Mantapa which is on the North Eastern corner of the complex is less ornate than the other two pavilions. Its base is truncated on the north and east. It has a finely decorated dais along its northern edge.

There are two other shrines within the complex, the one on the north-western side dedicated to the mother goddess. The outer walls of the courtyard within which the temple stands have a colonnaded corridor on the north, west, and south which were presumably used as dining halls. These corridors are interrupted by the gopurams and by cells which were presumably used as stores.

There is a nearly 1km long roadway on the east leading up to the main gateway of the temple, which is flanked by single and double story shops. There is a small >i>mandapa with a raised dais near the eastern end of this road, where the idols of the presiding deity were brought out to rest during an annual procession. There is a large temple tank (roughly 60m x 30m) on the north of this roadway, about 500m from the temple. The temple tank is accessed through a portico which features images of rearing horses - the only structure in Hampi to feature the horse.

A number of other shrines and pavilions surround the Vitthala Temple complex, including shrines of Ramanujacharya, and other alvars (historical poet-saints), as well as remains of residential structures, signifying the presence of a robust urban center within the town of Hampi.

Trivia

The most famous image of the Vithala temple is of the Garuda charriot which stands in the courtyard in front of the main shrine. The charriot once had a spire which is now no longer there.

The charriot is seen to be drawn by two elephants, but these are latter day additions. The charriot was originally drawn by horses, but the horses appear to have broken at some point in the past and were replaced by elephants. The tail of the horses can still be seen behind the elephants.

The main shrine has many pillars which are renowned as the musical pillars, which sound the notes when struck.

In addition to the musical pillars, the shrine has sculptures of musicians, playing various instruments, such as the dhol and the mridang. These stone sculptures are also said to produce the sound of the instruments they portray