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Rk tour & travels, No 9 othavadai stree, Mamallapuram (2026)

07/09/2023

The chariot is actually a shrine dedicated to Garuda, built inside the Vittala Temple Complex. The massive sculpture of Garuda, Lord Vishnu’s es**rt, once was seated atop the chariot but it is empty at the present date. The Hampi Chariot has earned its name among the other three famous stone chariots in India- One in Konark, Odissa, and the other in Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu).

History of the Chariot

The chariot was built by King Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire during the 16th century, who got fascinated with the Konark Sun temple chariot while fighting a battle in Odissa. The chariot is meant to represent the beauty and artistic perfection of the Empire. An interesting folklore emanates from the Hampi chariot as villagers believe that the world would come to a halt when the chariot moves from its place. It has come to have a sacrosanct presence and is internationally recognized as a world heritage site even by the UNESCO. .toursandtravel

27/08/2023

Architecture of Queen’s Bath, Hampi

The Queen’s Bath is an elaborate structure with a simple exterior and an ornate interior. Built in the Indo-Islamic style of architecture, this striking enclosed space is designed to be unique than any other private or public bath in Hampi. The Queen’s Bath is a rectangular building. The structure has an area of 30 square metres. A large sunken bath constructed in the centre of the structure has an area of 15 square metres and a depth of 1.8 metres. The bath is surrounded by beautiful arched corridors having pillars and projecting ornate balconies with windows.

Each arched bay surrounding the bath is decorated with intricate carved stucco ornamentation on the ceilings and the vaults placed above the arched bays. There are stone steps that lead down to the floor of the bath. However, there is no ceiling over the bath and it is open to the sky.

Hampi has an ostentatious network of aqueducts and canals that were built to provide water to the buildings, tanks, baths and temples during the ancient days. Like other public baths in Hampi the Queen’s Bath is also connected to an aqueduct for fresh water supply. The building has a moat surrounding it on all sides.

There is a bridge to cross the moat and reach the bath. It is believed that the moat was designed to prevent anyone from entering the building while the bath was in use. .in .toursandtravel #

24/08/2023

The Royal Enclosure and its Architecture

The royal enclosure in Hampi was the Vijayanagara kingdom’s seat of power. In its prime, it housed as many as 45 buildings including the durbar halls, platform, tanks, underground chambers, and temples. There are three entrances to the Royal Enclosure; two in the north and one in the west.

The architectural style of this enclosure is symbolic of the Vijayanagara style of architecture with traces of Mughal influence. As with all the other features constructed by the Vijayanagara kings, the Royal Enclosure makes ample use of granite and soapstone. All the palaces face the east or the north and were built on raised granite platforms. These platforms feature multiple tiers and are decorated with carved details of flowers, geese, demon faces, elephants and human figures. Though the palaces themselves may not stand today, ask recovered from the site suggests that they used wooden beams and rafters. Domed structures were built with a stone rubble and mortar mixture. The watch towers, elephant stables, and Lotus Mahal are examples of the Islamic influence to this style of architecture. .toursandtravel

23/08/2023

Impressive Architecture of Elephant Stable, Hampi

The elephant stable in Hampi is one of the finest examples of Indo-Islamic style of architecture. Though most of the structures and monuments in Hampi were built using the Vijayanagara style of architecture, a few structures display the Indo-Islamic style as well.
The elephant stable is a prominent building in Hampi that displays this beautiful architectural style.
The elephant stable is a long building with a rectangular shape. The building has a row of eleven huge domed chambers. Each chamber is large enough to accommodate two elephants at a time. The domed chambers are interconnected with large arched openings.
The walls between the arches have small doorways. There is no sign to indicate that the chambers ever had any doors in the doorways.
Every chamber contains a small opening at the rear side. It is believed that this opening was used by the mahouts to enter and exit the chambers.
The building also contains a concealed staircase that leads one to the roof of the building. The chambers of the building have high ceilings.
The central chamber contains a metal hook embedded in the ceiling. This hook was most probably used to tie the elephants during the days of the Vijayanagara Empire. The hook could also have been used as a pulley by the mahout to set the howdah on the back of the elephants. .toursandtravel

22/08/2023

History of Hazara Rama Temple, Hampi

Hazara Rama Temple was built in the early part of the 15th century by the then king of Vijayanagara, Devaraya II. It was originally built as a simple structure. It consisted of only a sanctum, a pillared hall and an ardha mantapa. Later the temple structure was renovated to add an open porch and beautiful pillars.

The uniqueness of Hazara Rama Temple

The Hazara Rama Temple is a unique temple in many aspects. The first thing that draws attention about the temple is its name. The term ‘Hazara Rama’ literally means a thousand Rama and refers to the multitude of relics depicting the reigning deity of the temple.

The walls of the temple carry the story of Ramayana carved on stone. The outer walls of the temple are decorated with bas-relics of Rama and Krishna.

The relics also portray processions of horses, elephants, attendants, soldiers and dancing women taking part in the Dasara festival rally at that time. The relics are among the most extensive ones to be found anywhere in India. .toursandtravel

21/08/2023

The temple's history is uninterrupted from about the 7th century. The Virupaksha-Pampa sanctuary existed well before the Vijayanagara capital was located here. Inscriptions referring to Shiva date back to the 9th and 10th centuries.What started as a small shrine grew into a large complex under the Vijayanagara rulers. Evidence indicates there were additions made to the temple in the late Chalukyan and Hoysala periods, though most of the temple buildings are attributed to the Vijayanagara period. The huge temple building was built by Lakkana Dandesha, a chieftain under the ruler Deva Raya II of the Vijayanagara Empire.

Ceiling Paintings in the Virupaksha date to fourteenth and sixteenth century. The religious sect of Virupaksha-Pampa did not end with the destruction of the city in 1565. Worship there has persisted throughout the years. At the beginning of the 19th century there were major renovations and additions, which included restoring some of the broken towers of the north and east gopura.

This temple is the only well preserved and maintained temple in Hampi until date; the other numerous temples in Hampi were destroyed and ruined by the Bahmani sultanates. .toursandtravel

02/08/2023

Golconda (Telugu: గోల్కొండ, romanized: Gōlkōnḍa) is a historic fortress and ruined city located in the western outskirts of Hyderabad, Telangana, India.[1][2] It was originally called Mankal (mānugallu).[1][3] The fort was originally built by Kakatiya ruler Pratāparudra in the 11th century out of mud walls.[3] It was ceded to the Bahmani Kings by Deo Rai, Rajah of Warangal during the reign of Sultan Muhammad Shah (1358–1375 A.D.) of the Bahmani Sultanate.[3] Following the death of Sultan Mahmood Shah, the Sultanate disintegrated and Sultan Quli, who had been appointed as the Governor of Hyderabad by the Bahmani Kings, fortified city and made it the capital of the Golconda Sultanate. Because of the vicinity of diamond mines, especially Kollur Mine, Golconda flourished as a trade centre of large diamonds known as Golconda Diamonds. Golconda fort is currently abandoned and in ruins. .toursandtravel 🌎

12/06/2023

The fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, built the Charminar in 1591 after shifting his capital from Golconda to the newly formed city of Hyderabad. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the current caretaker of the structure, mentions in its records, "There are various theories regarding the purpose for which Charminar was constructed. However, it is widely accepted that Charminar was built at the centre of the city, to commemorate the eradication of plague", a deadly disease which was wide spread at that time.[8][9] According to Jean de Thévenot, a French traveller of the 17th century whose narration was complemented with the available Persian texts, the Charminar was constructed in the year 1591 CE, to commemorate the beginning of the second Islamic millennium year (1000 AH). The event was celebrated far and wide in the Islamic world, thus Qutb Shah founded the city of Hyderabad to celebrate the event and commemorate it with the construction of this building. .toursandtravel 🌎

31/03/2023

Carved out of a solid sandstone on a hillside, these caves date back to the 4th to 5th centuries and is a paradise for history lovers. One of the preserved monuments of national importance, this attraction was originally the Jain caves and was later converted into a Hindu temple.These four-storey caves are said to be found in the 7th century. They are associated with the Vishnukundin Kings of AD 420- AD 620.
These caves are carved in Gupta style of rock-cut Architecture which goes back to 4th-5th century CE. Most of emperor of Gupta's were Vaishnavas so we can see many sculpture of Narasimha, Vishnu and Ramayans stories. They are associated with the Vishnukundina kings of 420-620 CE. These caves are dedicated to Anantha Padmanabha and Narashimha. Some believe that Jain and Buddhist monks used these caves. .toursandtravel 🌎

30/03/2023

Chandragiri was under the rule Vijayanagara empire for about three centuries and came under the control of the Vijayanagarayadava rulers in 1367. It came into prominence during 1560s during the reign of Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya. Later, the most famous Vijayanagara emperor Srikrishna Devaraya, was kept in this fort as a prince, till his coronation at Penukonda. It is also said that he met his future queen Chinna Devi at this fort. Chandragiri was the 4th capital of Vijayanagara Empire,[1] Rayas shifted their capital to here when the Golconda sultans attacked Penukonda. In 1646 the fort was annexed to the Golkonda territory and subsequently came under Kingdom of Mysore rule. It went into oblivion from 1792 onward.[2] The Raja Mahal Palace is now an archaeological museum. The palace is an example of Indo-Sarcen architecture of Vijayanagara period. The crowning towers represents the Hindu architectural elements. The palace was constructed using stone, brick, lime mortar and devoid of timber.[2] Some of important kavyas or epic poems are written in this fort under the patronage of Vijayanagara kings. Inside the fort are eight temples, Raja Mahal, Rani Mahal and other ruined structures.[2] Inside the fort are Raja Mahal and Rani Mahal which are quite well maintained for more than 300 years and Raja Mahal is converted as Archeological Museum by Arechological Survey of India. The museum holds models of fort, main temple and other structures of surrounding area.[3] Both of these building were constructed without using wood and only lime, brick and morter was used. Rani Mahal has flat roof and at base level it has stable and epigraphical evidence says that this building was also used as commanders quarters.[2]

The fort is the place where the pact of granting lands for Fort St. George to the British was signed by Vijayanagara King Sri Rangaraya during August 1639. .toursandtravel 🌎

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