On the banks of the Tungabhadra River lie the ruins of the mighty Vijaynagar Empire. This great 14^th century kingdom was spread over 26 sq km, with the river on one side, and magnificent rock formations and ridges all around. It is dotted with the ruins of royal palaces, temples, enormous sculptures, and other signs of a thriving civilisation. The Vijaynagar Empire stretched over modern-day Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, and met its downfall in the hands of the Moghuls.

Highlights :

•  Virupaksha Temple ? with its towering gopuram, this was the main place of worship in Hampi.
•  Statue of Narasimha ? this gigantic statue is carved out of a single rock.
•  Royal baths ? an elaborate hydraulic system provided water to the royals baths as well as a stepped tank that is quite in tact.
•  Lotus Mahal ? this is an elaborate building meant for the King?s councils and shows a mix of Hindu and Islamic architecture.
• Elephant Stables ? the grandeur of these stables carved in stone with imposing domed roofs, are a proof of how grand many of other buildings may have been.
• The Royal Balance ? this is a high a beam made of stone. The kings were weighed here against gold, silver and grain, which was then distributed to the people.
• Vittala Temple ? This exquisitely carved temple is in the form of an elongated chariot.

This was the capital of the Chalukya kings between 4th and 8th century AD. Spread over Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole, are several magnificent examples of rock cut temples and caves symbolising some of the best Dravidian architecture.

Highlights:

• Cave 1 (Shiva Temple) created in the 6th century, this is one of the first caves near the entrance it has a fantastic panel of Nataraj in a dancing pose.
• Cave 2 and Cave 3 (Vaishnava temples) -these caves have beautiful carvings of the incarnations of Vishnu and an awesome pillared corridor leading to a statue of Vishnu.
• Cave 4 (Jain temples) these portray the different Jain tirthankaras and have sculptures dating up to 12th century AD.
• Yellama Temple, Jambulinga temple and Bhutanatha temple all stand along the banks of the Agastya Lake around which Badami was centred.
• Pattadakal 20km from Badami, this site also has many magnificent temples. The Virupaksha temple that has intricate carvings depicting scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata is the most impressive monument here.
• Aihole this is 27 km from Badami, but definitely worth the travel. The semi-circular Durga temple here with its hundreds of elaborate carvings is a sight to see.