Please read the previous parts of the Hampi blog to maintain continuity.
So next we went to the Krishna Temple. The temple opens at 6:30 am. We were the first to reach the temple on that day. When we reached the temple gate was closed; the temple guard saw us and opened the temple gates. Some temple restoration work was going on and so some of the images may have bamboo poles.
This magnificent temple was built by Krishnadevaraya to commemorate his victory over Orissa. The temple is dedicated to Bal Krishna or infant Krishna. The various events in infant Krishna 's life are beautifully carved on the walls. The carvings on either side of the main gate shows the 10 avatars of lord Vishnu. The ceiling near the gate also have the mythical snakes Rahu and Ketu attacking the moon.As I have already told before it is very very important that you get acquainted with the Hindu mythology and epics if you want to fully understand and appreciate the beauty of Hampi.
The historic temple kitchen is in the south east side. Still today you can see the large pot used for smashing spices.
Just bang opposite the Krishna Temple is the Krishna Bazaar which is a relatively new excavated site. The pushkarini or the sacred pond lies east of the Krishna Bazaar. During monsoon the pushkarini gets filled with water.
This place is also nice for some bird photography if you come early in the morning.
The next temple that falls on your way is the not so famous Chandikeshvar temple where the main deity is Lord Vishnu. Most of the relief’s on the pillars in this temple have Vaishnava representations like Hanuman, Garuda, Balakrishna, Kamadhenu, Srinivasa, Vamana, Yashoda churning the milk etc. The Garbhariha has a pitha carved with the figure of Garuda.
A few steps farther is the temple of Uddana Veerabhadra or the angry Veeradhadra. Unlike most of the other temples, regular pujas and rituals are done here. According to popular Hindu mythology, this is the place where Sati committed suiside.
Sati, the daughter of the King Daksha, marries Lord Shiva against her father's wishes.
Daksha being a mortal never knew who Lord Shiva actually was and so used to make fun of Lord Shiva.
Daksha used to think of Lord Shiva as a dirty, roaming ascetic and not worthy of a royal son in law. On a special occasion the king invited everyone including the gods and sages except Sati and Shiva.
However inspite of being uninvited Sati came to attend the function when her father insults her husband.Unable to stand the humiliation, Sati suicides by jumping into the sacrificial
fire at the venue.
On hearing this terrible news Lord Shiva gets furious at Daksha. He rips off a piece of his matted hair and throws on to the ground in anger.The furious demon god Veerabhadra and goddess Kali appears out of this. This unleashes terror at Daksha’s place and finally daksha gets killed.
Terrified at Lord Shiva’s furry, the gods appeal to him for mercy. Shiva offers to restore Daksha’s life by replacing the head of the first animal he encounters.He finds a goat. Daksha comes back to life with the goat’s head. On realising who Lord Shiva was, Daksha turns into one of Shiva’s devoted attendants.
In later incarnations Sati became Parvati and married Shiva. The temple opens at 6:30 am and photography of the shrine inside the temple is not allowed.
So next we went to the Krishna Temple. The temple opens at 6:30 am. We were the first to reach the temple on that day. When we reached the temple gate was closed; the temple guard saw us and opened the temple gates. Some temple restoration work was going on and so some of the images may have bamboo poles.
This magnificent temple was built by Krishnadevaraya to commemorate his victory over Orissa. The temple is dedicated to Bal Krishna or infant Krishna. The various events in infant Krishna 's life are beautifully carved on the walls. The carvings on either side of the main gate shows the 10 avatars of lord Vishnu. The ceiling near the gate also have the mythical snakes Rahu and Ketu attacking the moon.As I have already told before it is very very important that you get acquainted with the Hindu mythology and epics if you want to fully understand and appreciate the beauty of Hampi.
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| Renovation inside Krishna Temple |
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| Inside Krishna Temple |
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| Inside Krishna Temple |
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| Sculpture on the wall |
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| Sculpture depicting the invasion on the gates of the Temple |
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| Sculpture on Pillar |
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| Sculpture on Pillar |
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| Sculptures on Pillar |
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| Sculpture on pillar |
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| Sculptures on the side of the main gate |
The historic temple kitchen is in the south east side. Still today you can see the large pot used for smashing spices.
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| Kitchen side inside Krishna Temple |
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| Krishna Bazar |
This place is also nice for some bird photography if you come early in the morning.
The next temple that falls on your way is the not so famous Chandikeshvar temple where the main deity is Lord Vishnu. Most of the relief’s on the pillars in this temple have Vaishnava representations like Hanuman, Garuda, Balakrishna, Kamadhenu, Srinivasa, Vamana, Yashoda churning the milk etc. The Garbhariha has a pitha carved with the figure of Garuda.
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| Chandikeshwar Temple |
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| Inside Chandikeshwar Temple |
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| Sculpture on the pillar |
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| Uddana Veerabhadra Temple |
Sati, the daughter of the King Daksha, marries Lord Shiva against her father's wishes.
Daksha being a mortal never knew who Lord Shiva actually was and so used to make fun of Lord Shiva.
Daksha used to think of Lord Shiva as a dirty, roaming ascetic and not worthy of a royal son in law. On a special occasion the king invited everyone including the gods and sages except Sati and Shiva.
However inspite of being uninvited Sati came to attend the function when her father insults her husband.Unable to stand the humiliation, Sati suicides by jumping into the sacrificial
fire at the venue.
On hearing this terrible news Lord Shiva gets furious at Daksha. He rips off a piece of his matted hair and throws on to the ground in anger.The furious demon god Veerabhadra and goddess Kali appears out of this. This unleashes terror at Daksha’s place and finally daksha gets killed.
Terrified at Lord Shiva’s furry, the gods appeal to him for mercy. Shiva offers to restore Daksha’s life by replacing the head of the first animal he encounters.He finds a goat. Daksha comes back to life with the goat’s head. On realising who Lord Shiva was, Daksha turns into one of Shiva’s devoted attendants.
In later incarnations Sati became Parvati and married Shiva. The temple opens at 6:30 am and photography of the shrine inside the temple is not allowed.
Excellent captures, especially the one of Krishna bazaar.
ReplyDeleteThanks Niranjan, the Krishna Bazaar picture is also one of my favs :)
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