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Young World
World heritage centre
D.B.N. MURTHY
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Hampi today is a testimony to the fine taste of the Vijayanagar rulers.
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Photo: Bijoy Ghosh
At Hampi: Monuments of beauty.
Those who established the Vijayanagar empire knew their geography well. Located on the banks of the Tungabhadra, the kingdom flourished. Hampi has been declared a World Heritage Centre though the monuments lie in ruins. The magnificent tower at the entrance to the Virupaksha temple is 50m high and embellished with beautiful statues of gods and goddesses. The shiv linga known as Pampapathi was the tutelary deity of the kings. In front of the sanctum is a
hall with decorated pillars, the roof of which has lovely painting sadly mired in grime. This is the only temple in Hampi where worship still continues.
Work of art
Vijaya Vittala temple complex provides one of the best sculptures of the Vijayanagar period. The pillars have exquisite carvings of figures of angels, lotus, swans, yogic postures and horses. A musical sound emanates from a few pillars.
Monuments abound all along the Tungabhadra. Some of the monolithic statues like the Nandi and Kadlekalu Ganapati bear witness to the imaginative skills of the master craftsmen who turned stone into objects of beauty and reverence.
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