Hampi: The land of historic treasure

Imagine yourself in a town - where irrespective of the road you take or the turn you make, you end up in front of a historic treasure – waiting and beckoning you to enter and discover more. This is how I would describe the Ghost Town of Hampi. For a traveler like me, entering this town is as good as being a kid in a candy store where he is lost in an excitement of actually wondering where to go next and what to choose.
Located in Karnataka, this UNESCO World Heritage site attracts visitors not just from India but from world over. An erstwhile capital of the Vijayanagara Kingdom, Hampi offers its visitors some really unique ancient monuments with lovely architecture and a fair amount of science added to it. Amongst the numerous attractions here in Hampi, here are a pick of 5, which are absolutely a “must-do”.1) Virupaksha TempleThe center point of Hampi, it is unlikely that you will miss this majestic looking temple. The one thing that struck me about this temple is that itseemed to change colors during the different time of the day. The main gopuram or temple top has some really classical carvings of deities on it. The temple pillars are magnificently carved and very welcoming. One unusual feature of this temple is a small room which has an inverted shadow of the main gopuram falling on its walls. This phenomenon occurs through a small pin-sized hole in the room. Whether by design or accident, this sure is a fascinating occurrence.2) Vittala TempleA temple that not just awes you with its beautiful carvings but amazes you with its acoustics. As you step into this lovely temple premise, the first thing that catches your eye , is the gorgeous Stone Chariot. Dedicated to Lord Garuda, this chariot has some really artistic carvings. They say that the wheels of the chariot used to turn earlier but owing to the wear and tear, have now been fixed.

Once you are over this splendid piece of work, you will notice that the remaining temple shrines have equally remarkable workmanship. Each pillar in the main temple has a different sculpture – mostly those of musical instruments and sounds. And that is not all. Each of these pillars when tapped makes the same sound as depicted by the musical instrument that has been carved on it. It is said that the temple was used for musical and dance performances and these very musical pillars were used as instruments to provide music to the dancers.3) Hawa Mahal

Lotus temple or the Hawa Mahal is a beautiful and symmetrical monument within the premises of the Queen’s Palace. It has two floors – the ground and the first. The upper one is out of bounds but you walk around the ground floor to spot some aqueducts that were used to take water up and spray it around for the palace was cooled down. You can even spot an ancient well near the Mahal – which was possibly the source of the water for the aqueducts.

Within the same premises - the Zenana Enclosure, you can also, explore the watch towers, the elephant’s stables and Royal Treasury.4) Royal Enclosures