The Monuments of Hemakuta Hill, Hampi

In this article we would talk about the monuments of the Hemakuta Hill of Hampi, their architecture, why they were constructed here, and the general ambiance at the time of sunset.

Why this hill is known as Hemakuta Hill?

Hemakuta hill is the sacred place where Lord Virupaksha married Devi Pampa. On the auspicious occasion of this marriage, devatas showered so much gold over the newly married that the whole summit got covered with the gold and shone, and thus got its name – Hemakuta.

Today also the Sun God is showering its golden rays over it making it glow as gold.

Climbing up on the Hemakuta hill

This hill is encircled by massive fortification on its three sides; towards its north is the enclosure wall of the Virupaksha temple from where we have started the climb.

It is evening time; the sun has lost its fierce desire to burn everything and has become milder now.

This ascend over the steep sheet-rock of Hemakuta hill is revealing a serene panoramic view of the surroundings.

After the confined space of the Virupaksha temple, this trek in open, with ancient monuments scattered all around, rock-cut shrines, finely carved idols on the boulders and some on the surface of the hill itself, gateways and pavilions, is making the walk relaxing and exciting at the same time.

The Monuments of Hemakuta Hill, Hampi

There are around thirty shrines on the hill and these shrines are amongst the most ancient surviving monuments of the city. They were probably built across an ancient path that connected Royal quarters to the sacred Virupaksha temple.

These temples are built with solid granite block without any mortar. The survival of these temple is significant as they help in understanding the evolution of temple architecture in and around Hampi.

The temples on this hills were built from ninth to fourteenth centuries and represents pre- and early Vijayanagar architectural style.

The Monuments of Hemakuta Hill, Hampi – Shaiva or Jaina Temples

Most of these are Shaiva temples though some claims them to be originally Jain temples. None of these are active center of worship today and in most of them there are no idols in the Garbhgrih.

We walked in several of them. These temples are simple in plan and have entrance porches with inclined seating slabs in balcony style; ardhamandaps have simple and plain columns and walls.

The larger of these temples are triple-shrined with shrines facing east, west and north directions. The central shrines are square shaped and are topped with stacked layers of granite, appearing like pyramids, with kalasha finial on the top.

The decoration on the exterior walls of these shrines is confined to a panel running from the middle of each side-wall and deities carved underneath the arches resembling antelope’s horn.

Solitude in Hampi at Hemakuta Hills

The good part of exploring Hampi is that though it is well-known and quite famous as a tourist destination, still it is easy to find many monuments at beautiful locations with not many people around, giving ample opportunities to appreciate the monument and the surroundings.

The Monuments of Hemakuta Hill, Hampi – Who build these temples, for whom and why here

The surrounding atmosphere on the hill is having a meditative effect on us. As we are relaxing on the seating slab of one of the temple a group of youngsters cross us and I overhear a young girl cheerfully announcing to her friends, “Who knows, who build these temples, for whom and why here”? The comment resonated with my state of mind too.

The Monuments of Hemakuta Hill, Hampi – Were these temples memorial shrines?

I learn later that an inscription near the triple Shiva Temple is found that suggests that Kampiladeva built it in memory of his parents and installed three lingas in it.

This inscription gives rise to a speculation that may be these shrines are memorial shrines constructed by powerful, in remembrance of their loved ones.

Statue of Lord Hanuman and Lord Veerabhadra on Hemakuta Hill, Hampi

As we walk up, towards a double-story pavilion, we cross a 3.6 m high idol of Lord Hanuman carved on a boulder. This idol and another one of the Lord Virupaksha, carved just behind this one, are still active worship centers, and are known as Prasanna Anjaneya Temple and the Prasanna Virupaksha temple respectively.

Hanumanji is carved with a raised arm as if blessing the devotees or warding off the evil personalities.

The experts believe that in ancient times Lord Hanuman and the Lord Veerabhadra were carved on the sides of ancient roadways and top off the hillocks as the protective deities. There is an inscription here of 1398 AD that describes the construction of the Virupaksha temple and digging of a tank by Virupaksha Pandita.

Monuments on Hemakuta Hills, Hampi – Simple Shrines

There are shiva-lingas carved on the hill surface. Also, there are several smaller shrines facing different directions, appearing as if they were constructed randomly with no proper planning.

There are simple structures on the way that have simple four pillars supporting a slab over them; might be the places that provide shade to the pilgrims to relax.

The Monuments of Hemakuta Hill, Hampi – Double Pavilion

We are now at the top of the summit, under an impressive double-story pavilion that once controlled access to the sacred Virupakshapura.

Meditative Effect of the serene atmosphere of the Hemakuta Hill, Hampi

In a far corner, one person is sitting in a relaxed contemplative mudra, enjoying his solitude and the setting sun.

A young foreigner is finding the quaint ambiance and the dramatic scene created at the summit by the setting sun, alluring enough to perform Yoga asanas.

She is performing sirshasana and her hubby is busy capturing the yogini, in the land of yoga, in his memory card.

I exchange glance with the lady, me admiring her for the command and the ease with which she is performing the difficult asana; she smiles back accepting the compliment.

Click here to read about the history of Kampiladevaraya and how foundation of Hampi was done

Click here to read about the architecture style of the Vijayanagar Empire

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