We visited Hampi, Pattadakal and Badami and Amanda and her English friend, Chrissie in Feb 2004.

Hampi is a World Heritage Site and consists of the ruins of Vijayanagar where Hindu rulers lived for 200 yrs. The site covers 20 squ kms. The city was sacked by the Mughals 1n 1565.

Hampi Landscape

The key feature of the landscape is the huge number of granite outcrops and boulders.

Stone Bridge

. The remains of a stone bridge crossing the Tungabhadra river.

A stone chariot at the Vitthala Temple - also known as the musical temple.

The temple has many stone columns of different length, diameter and shape. These were be played by musicians to provide music for the King and temple dancers.

A Ganesha statue with its truck broken during the sacking. This means that they can't be used for worship.

Bull & Elephant caving - cover the left side and it is an elephant, cover the right and it is a bull with it head reared.

Part of the Royal Palace.

The King's swimming pool, at least the size of 2 olympic pools. These were warrior kings so fitness was very important.

Part of the wall of the King's palace.

Narasimha, carved from a single boulder in 1528 shows Vishnu in his half man, half lion reincarnation. Vishnu took this form to kill a demon, see below.

The Queen's bath.

Scenes from the Ramayana which dates back to 500 BC.

A detailed caving in black basalt in the the King's Palace.

The Queen's quarters. They had water ducted through the ceiling to cool the air.

The 2 temples in the foreground were built to test techniques for the final one in the rear.

Kama Sutra scenes on a temple.

The large rocks were broken into slabs by hand drilling holes then inserting wooden stakes that swelled when wet. This pressure split the granite.

Amanda in Hampi market.

Pattadakal

Another World Heritage site featuring 8th century temples.

The evolution of the temples can be seen. The earliest were simple boxes to cover the Shiva linga inside. These then became larger and more ornate. Then corridors were added at the sides and towers added. Then forecourts which in turn were later covered.

A Shiva linga inside the centre shrine.

Again, temples evolving form front to rear right then to the left.

A beautifully carved cow in black basalt.

Badami

Four caves were cut into the rock faces in the 6th-7th centuries. The effort and workmanship are astounding.

Cave1 at the lowest level.

Dancing Shiva.

Shiva seated on a serpent.

Cave4 is a Jain temple.

Len, Amanda, Carolyn, Chrissie.

The caves overlook a large natural water tank.