BELLARY: The museum established by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at Kamalapur adjacent to Hampi provides crucial information about Hampi.

Visitors to the museum are greeted by the statues of Srikrishnadevaraya, emperor of the Vijayanagar empire, and his two wives. In the quadrangle, visitors can have a bird's eye view of Hampi by glancing at a miniature model placed there. The model has been prepared meticulously and visitors can immediately identify structures and monuments that they have visited.

Monolithic statues found during excavation have been kept in the museum. The hall is full of "Shaivaite" and "Vaishnavite" sculptures.

A replica of the painting depicting the marriage of Shiva and Parvati on the ceiling of the Ranga Mantapa adjacent to the Virupaksha temple is on display at the museum, which enables visitors to take a closer look at this work of art.

After looking at the arms, pottery and Chinaware galleries, visitors get to see coins of the Vijyanagar period. All coins, including gold ones, are kept inside cases with magnifying glasses.

The museum is the first one in the country to install a kiosk. It provides audio-visual information about various aspects of Hampi and the Vijayanagar empire. "Hampi has been attracting a lot of tourists, both domestic and foreign. Because of the vast area it is spread across, people visiting Hampi cannot visit all places and monuments. But they can access necessary information at the press of a button at the museum. The kiosk has been very helpful to people, students and scholars. It also provides a list of books on Hampi published up to 2000," says Seshadri, Deputy Superintending Archaeologist, who looks after the museum.

Keshav, who is the Deputy Superintending Archaeologist and has spent several years exploring Hampi, says efforts are on to update the kiosk with the latest information uncovered during excavations.

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