Hemakuta Hill and Hemakuta Group of Temples in Hampi Ruins, Hampi, Karnataka.

.... a Continuation post to Lakshmi Narasimhar Temple - Hampi Ruins, A Heritage Visit 

                                                                                  19^th June 2017

We planned to visit this place a little earlier before breakfast on the second day ie.  17^th June 2017. It will be difficult to see these temples under the scorching sun after 9.00 hrs since these are constructed on a rocky hill, which has no shade. These temples can be reached either from Krishna Temple or from Virupaksha temple. These temples predominantly have a Pre-Vijayanagara character with an enclosure of cyclopean wall with an entrance at the north and east. The hill has about 30 temples with varying sizes and shapes that were built between the 09^th to 16^th century AD. These temples have single ( eka-kuta), two (dvi-kuta) and three (tri-kutas) sanctums of pre-Vijayanagara architecture.

At the top of the hill, there is a small Vijayanagara-period temple that has been identified as Mula Virupaksha Temple. It is believed that Lord Shiva meditated in this Sanctum Sanctorum and later moved to the present Virupaksha temple.

 The original Sri Virupaksha Temple 

Similar to the above tri-kuta Jain temple is there on the left side of the Shiva Temple the sanctums are empty now. There is a peculiar kalasam is on the top of a vimanam of the one sanctum made of stone. Another tri-kuta temple on the eastern side has the inscription of Vira Kampiladeva, son of Mummadi Sineya Nayaka, The Kampili chief, who built the Shivalaya and installed three Shiva Lingas. These temples have the three sanctums a common artha mandapam and a front pravesha mandapa. The Martha mandapa was built with cubical pillars and has large corbels. In addition to this, there are many single and two-floor mandapas and a sunset viewpoint.

LOCATION OF THE TEMPLE: CLICK HERE 

Kadale Kalu Ganesha. A few meters away from Vishnu Pada shrine there is a sanctum sanctorum for monolithic Ganesha called Kadale Kalu ( Gram seed in Kannada language) Ganesha. This 4.5-meter-high Ganesha was chiseled out of a huge boulder. The front elegant pillared mandapam has the early Vijayanagara style. The reliefs of the daily life of a common man, Various deities, etc. Also, the pillars have the pushpa podhigai corbels.  The temple dates back to the 16^th century CE.

For more photographs:    CLICK HERE  

.... to be continued ( Sasivekalu Ganesha Temple ) 

--- OM SHIVAYA NAMA---