Hampi

Hampi — Karnataka’s City of Ruins

Hampi is where the Vijayanagara Empire left its capital written in stone. Spread across a boulder-strewn landscape on the banks of the Tungabhadra in Vijayanagara district, the site holds more than 1,600 surviving monuments — temples, royal enclosures, market streets, aqueducts and gateways — and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. In the 16th century this was one of the largest and richest cities in the world; today it is Karnataka’s most rewarding heritage destination, and one of the few where a 500-year-old temple is still in daily worship.

Hampi was part of Ballari district until November 2021, when the Karnataka government carved out a new Vijayanagara district — the state’s 31st — with Hosapete (Hospet) as its headquarters. Older guidebooks, maps and road signs still place Hampi in Ballari, so travellers will encounter both names.

This section of Karnataka.com brings together everything we’ve published on Hampi: temple-by-temple guides to Virupaksha, Vittala and the Yantrodharaka Hanuman shrine, the celebrated Stone Chariot, the Royal Enclosure, the ruins after dark, the annual Hampi Utsav, and where to stay — from backpacker guesthouses in Hampi Bazaar to luxury resorts across the river.

To learn more about Hampi, click here.

Planning a visit: October to February is the comfortable season, when Hampi Utsav is usually held. Hosapete (Hospet), about 13 km away, is the nearest railhead; Jindal Vijaynagar Airport at Toranagallu is the closest airport, with Hubballi and Bengaluru as bigger alternatives. Allow two full days — one for the sacred centre, one for the royal centre.

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