Krishna Temple and Krishna Bazaar in Hampi
After exiting the Hemakuta Group of Temples and visiting the Sasivekalu Ganesha. The sun was at its strongest when we walked towards the Krishna Temple. The Krishna Bazaar is placed at the face of the temple which we thought to explore later.
Krishna Temple
The temple was built by Krishnadevaraya in 1515 AD to mark his victory over the Gajapati rulers of eastern reign of Udayagiri. Udayagiri is now known as Orissa. The entrance tower of the temple is under construction it’s really sad to see that these marvels of the architectural past. Won’t be there for the next generation to see. I wonder the hardship taken by the government to maintain the quality of these places. We the people can’t do much about these places but one thing you can is keep it clean.
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Krishna Temple was built in the Islamic style of architecture. And with its unique architecture this temple was dedicated to Lord Balakrishna, the form of Lord Krishna when he was an infant(Bala). The main idol in the temple was bought here from one of the temples in Udayagiri, Andhra Pradesh. Which was later relocated and put on display in the Chennai State Museum. This temple is abandoned as no active worship is continued here. Even all the idols of the deities are not present here and relocated to different places.
Shrines and Halls
Small shrines and halls in the temple campus make it more attractive to walk around. It’s one of a kind and amongst the rare temples with tower walls with epics inscribed on it. Towards the east the main tower gets a beautiful view with numerous carvings on it. With one pillar in the ardha mandapa which has the carvings of the ten avataras(Reincarnations) of Vishnu.
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The main shrine has a dark chamber which we heard from one of the guides that was plundered and burnt by invading Muslim forces of Deccan Sultanates. Where you can see the burn marks on the walls around the chamber. The temple kitchen is located towards the south east of the main shrine. We spent some time there just to escape from the sun and to meet our friends at the place.
Krishna Bazaar
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After the Krishna temple we headed towards our next stop the Krishna Temple Bazaar. Just cross the main road to Hampi and you will be here. Around the ruins of the past and crumbling stones and the banana plantation.
Krishna Bazaar is associated with the Krishna Temple as it was the car street for the temple. And as you move forward towards the bazaar you can see the sacred tank (Pushkarini) located just next to the Bazaar. This place is a bit low lying from the other car streets you will see at the huge temples in Hampi.
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You have to cross the broad steps from the temple to reach the bazaar. Before this place was excavated by the ASI it was buried under banana plantation.
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Pushkarini
I saw some of the beautiful pictures of the Pushkarini (Sacred Tank) where it was full of water. But this time it was totally empty and I was able to go towards the middle of the tank which had a small pavilion. It feels as if you are in the middle of the history with the ruins and huge boulders surrounding you.
The tank can be used for a sequence of a war movie like gladiator where people covered the area cheering the warriors. So guys write down your comments on what you felt about the experience I shared visiting the Krishna Temple and Krishna Bazaar in Hampi. More to come of my Hampi Visit so stay tuned for the next article.
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