Heritage Hampi Tour

History, Monuments & Architecture

What makes Hampi unique?  Who built a magnificent medieval city here and why? What was social life of citizens of Vijayanagara?

On this engaging Hampi tour we will explore the rich history of Vijayanagara empire, learn about unique architecture of various monuments, hear stories of victories and defeat. This is a tour for all history lovers. If you are looking for a well researched tour of Hampi that covers all the important monuments then this one is highly recommended. 

Hampi today is a protected UNESCO world heritage site, whose core zone is spread over an area of 42 square kilometers encompassing ancient temples, basements of palaces, remains of aquatic structures, ancient market streets, royal pavilions, bastions, royal platforms, treasury buildings and more. Within the core zone of the site there are several clusters of monuments, the most important amongst them are the Sacred Center, Urban Core, Islamic quarters, Kamlapura and Anegundi. On this Hampi Tour we will attempt to cover all the important monuments in the Sacred and Urban core areas. In the morning we will first cover the Sacred Center. Sacred Center as the name suggests is the religion center of Hampi, a number of ancient temples and structures are in this area. After lunch break we continue our exploration with the Urban Core area. This area was the Citadel of the Vijayanagara kings, it encompasses courtly and military structures of the core zone. 

  • Well researched tour that goes beyond sightseeing and shows you all the things that make Hampi great.
  • Hear the origin story of Hampi & How the city came to be
  • How did the Kings built such a large city in the medieval times and why here?
  • Get unique perspective on social life of city inhabitants during 14th to 16th century
  • Learn about festivals they celebrated and rituals practiced
  • Explore important monuments of Hampi and learn about each ones function
09:00 AM to 01:00 PM – SACRED AREA 

During the morning half of the day we will be exploring the riverside monuments of the Sacred Area. The lifeline of Hampi is the mighty river Tungabhadra. She is the basis and origin of everything in Hampi. She has witnessed the boulders hills form over millions of years, she has seen early humans settle on her banks, she has seen many a sages and mystics, she has seen the rise and fall of one of the greatest empires in India. On this tour get a glimpse into thousands of years of History as it unfolded on banks of this mighty river. Learn about the rituals, festivals celebrated along the river. Learn about the birth of carnatic music and Haridasa movement. Visit the most beautiful and intricate of all temples in Hampi – Vijaya Vittala Temple & Stone Chariot.

Here are the places we will cover during the first half

  • Mustard Seed Ganesha 
  • Hemakuta Group of Monuments
  • Sri Virupaksha Temple Complex – Fresco Paintings, Three headed Nandi, Inverted pinhole image, Main Shrine, Temple elephant, Hampi Bazaar, Monolithic bull
  • Chakra Tirtha & Kodanda Rama Temple
  • Kotilingam – Relief sculptures on boulders and Mandapas
  • Purandara Mantapa
  • Vittala Temple Complex – Gopura, Kalyana Mantapa, Mukha Mantapa with Musical Pillars, Sanctum, 100 pillared Mantapa
01:00 PM to 02:00 PM – LUNCH BREAK

After consulting with you and understanding your preferences, we will recommend a restaurant where you can stop and have lunch. Lunch is not included in the price and you can pay what you eat for directly at the restaurant.

02:00 PM to 04:30 PM – ROYAL URBAN CORE

During the second half of the day our focus will be the Urban Core of the medieval city. Here we have basements of palaces, administrative buildings, underground chambers, aqueducts, military structures etc. We will learn about social lives of people in the city through art, we will learn about festivals celebrated, irrigation and sanitation plans of the city. 

Important monuments covered during the second half

  • Queens Bath
  • Mahanavami Dibba 
  • Audience Hall
  • Stepwell Tank and Aqueduct systems of Royal Enclosure
  • Hazara Rama Temple – Royal Chapel
  • Lotus Mahal
  • Elephant Stables
  • Nobleman’s Quarters viewing point

INCLUSIONS

  • Some light refreshments like coconut water.
  • An expert english speaking tour lead.  
  • Battery Cart Fee at Vittala Temple Complex
  • Optional Add-on: Local Transportation

OPTIONAL ADD-ON INCLUSIONS:

  • Local Transportation – A Chauffeur driven air conditioned car or vehicle depending on the option chosen by you.

    By default we haven’t included transportation in this tour. This is because we want to give travellers the flexibility to use their own transportation. For those of you who want us to arrange transportation you can choose one of the following during your booking process and we will send your a quote for local transportation as well. 

    • A/C Sedan Car with capacity for 3 persons (Plus driver & Guide)
    • A/C SUV Car with capacity of 5 persons (plus driver & Guide) 
    • A/C Traveller with capacity for 9 persons (plus driver & Guide) 

EXCLUSION

  • We do not provide bottled drinking water to avoid single-use plastics on our tours. Please carry a water bottle or buy one on the way.
  • Entry fee to monuments is NOT included in the price. We do this so as to keep the price same for foreign and Indian nationals
  • Lunch is not included on this tour. We will recommend you a good place and take you there

THINGS TO REMEMBER

  • Wear comfortable cotton clothes. Wear clothing that would cover your chest and shoulders. Wear bottoms that would cover up to your knees.
  • A cap or an umbrella to keep the sun out.
  • Sunglasses 

Heritage Hampi Tour – History, Monuments & Architecture