Vittala Temple, Hampi

The Vittala Temple is the best-known monument among the places to visit in Hampi. Here is what the complex contains and how the ASI ticket works.

The Vittala (Vitthala) Temple stands in the Vitthala Bazaar area north-east of the main ruins, close to the Tungabhadra. The Archaeological Survey of India calls it an excellent example of Vijayanagara style. The complex is best known for the Garuda shrine in the form of a stone chariot, which Karnataka Tourism notes was designed with wheels that could originally rotate, which is dedicated to Garuda, the mount of Vishnu, and which appears on the Indian fifty-rupee note.

Karnataka Tourism also describes ornamental stone pillars that produce musical tones, elaborate halls carved with epic scenes and a pillared shrine beside the chariot; a lookout nearby gives views of the river and the ruins. The temple is ticketed. ASI lists Rs 40 per head for SAARC and BIMSTEC visitors and Rs 600 for other foreign visitors, with children under 15 free, and Karnataka Tourism gives about Rs 40 for Indian visitors.

A secondary guide notes that the same-day ticket also admits visitors to the Zenana Enclosure, with the Lotus Mahal and Elephant Stables. Go early or late in the day, since the carved stone gets hot and crowded around midday. Visitors should avoid touching or striking the pillars, which are protected.