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The
Vithala Temple is situated on the southern bank of the Tungabhadra River.
The most magnificent of the religious edifices at
Hampi, it can be reached
from the west by walking on from Hampi Bazaar along the riverbank, or from
the east through the Talarigattu Gateway. Its reputation is well deserved
both in the variety of styles that characterize the shrines within the
temple courtyard and in the fineness of the carvings that embellish them.
The temple stands in a large rectangular enclosure. The three lofty
Vijayanagara gopurams on the east, north and south sides are now
dilapidated. Of these the south 'gopuram' is the most ornate. Along the
interior of the enclosing wall ran a pillared colonnade. The enclosed
courtyard contains in the centre the god's sanctum with its axial
'mandapa' and around it the 'Amman' sanctum, the 'kalyana mandapa', an
'utsava mandapa', a hundred-pillared 'mandapa' and a stone 'ratha' (car).
Originally there was a lofty 'kipa-stambha' (12.2 m high) in front of the
east 'gopuram', but now it lies on the ground, broken in pieces.
The main temple was dedicated to Vishnu as Vithala. Facing east, the
sanctum of the god along with its axial 'mandapa' forms a long and low
structural group, about 7.6 metres in height and 70 metres in length. The
group comprises the open 'maha mandapa', a closed 'ardha-mandapa' with
side-porches and a covered 'pradakshina-prakara' enclosing the 'antarala'
and 'garbha griha'.
History
The existence of the temple may be traced at least to the time of
Devaraya II (AD 1422-46). Though the general opinion is that the temple
was neither finished nor consecrated, epigraphic and literary evidences
show that it remained in worship at least till the time of the battle of
'Rakshasi tangdi'. The Vithala temple portrays the high watermark of
perfection of the Vijayanagara style, and one may well say that there is
no other building, which could stand comparison with it in florid
magnificence.
Style of Architecture
Hard granite has been persuaded to sway, to flow, to rise up in columns
so that the texture of the stone itself seems to have changed and become
elastic. The main pavilion contains 56 pillars, each of which has been
carved out of a single granite block in a rich structural unit with a
cluster of slender colonettes raised on crouching animals. When struck,
some of them produce musical notes as though from different percussion
instruments.
The large 'maha-mandapa' has symmetrically recessed sides. It measures
30.5 metres at its greatest length and breadth. The 'mandapa' stands on a
highly ornate 'adhishthana' (1.5 metres high) with sculptured friezes of
horses and warriors and 'hamsa'. At intervals along the base, there are
ornate miniature 'vimana' projections with figures of the 'Dasavataras'
inside. The standing figure of 'Kalki' is depicted with a horse's head.
The steps to the 'mandapa' have an elephant-balustrade on the east but
those on the north and south have 'surul yalis'.
A prominent feature of the 'mandapa' is the huge and deep cyma-recta
cornice with a continuous frieze of bas-reliefs of deities and other
figures. Thick stone rings are at the corners for holding stone chains,
which are no longer there. Fragments of the original decorative parapet of
brick and mortar with niches, niche-figures and 'karna-kutas', are to be
seen here and there.
The 'mandapa' contains fifty-six pillars, each 3.6 metres high, forty of
which are regularly disposed to form an aisle all round the three sides,
while the remaining sixteen form a rectangular court in the centre. Each
pillar is a massive composite sculptural unit measuring as much as 1.5
metres across and may be termed a monolithic sculptural group. The types
of pillars vary according to their position in the 'mandapa'. Thus most of
the pillars along the outer edges are composite ones with a large number
of slender columnettes forming part of the main pillar. The two pillars at
the centre of each side are of the yali type.
In the interior, most of the pillars on the south side are of the yali
type, while those on the north contain various forms of Narasimha. Some of
the inner pillars on the east contain figures of women, dancers and
drummers. The pillars have heavy 'pushpa-podigai' corbels. The ceiling of
the 'mandapa' is divided into sections and carved beautifully with
lotus-motifs. Many sections have flat multi-petalled lotus carvings. Those
on the north and south are shaped like shallow domes with lotus-petals and
bud.
Mandapa
A large rectangular ceiling on the east front has a high dome with a
pendant lotus built in the middle with sculptured parrots pecking at it.
The central court is now roofless. One of its huge roof-slabs, with part
of its lotus motif, stands in site, while another lies broken on the
ground. Remnants of painted work are seen here and there in the ceiling on
the south side of the 'mandapa'. The five-aisled 'ardha-mandapa' is
dilapidated and open to the skies. In one corner of the 'mandapa' is a
large but broken granite figure of a 'dvarapala', nearly 2.7 metres high.
It is a fine specimen of Vijayanagara sculpture.
The 'ardha mandapa' leads to a covered 'pradakshina-prakara' running
round the 'garbha-griha' and the 'antarala'. The 'tritala vimana' of the
sanctum is well finished in an ornate style. The wall of the shrine has
ornate 'deva-koshthas', large and well-proportioned 'kumbha panjaras' in
bold relief and early curved cornice with fine Vijayanagara kudus along
with some earlier type kudus also. A frieze of 'bhuta ganas' is above the
'deva-koshthas'. The brick superstructure of the 'vimana' with its domical
'sikhara' is now much dilapidated. The 'garbha-griha' is now empty except
for two 'pithas'.
The Amman sanctum has an 'antarala', a closed 'ardha-mandapa' and
'maha-mandapa'. The 'ardha-mandapa' has a sub shrine on the north, facing
south. The 'garbha-griha' has no superstructure extant. Its exterior is
rather plain.
The 'kalyana-mandapa' of the temple to the south east of the courtyard,
is particularly find and almost surpasses the 'maha-mandapa'. It is also
an open-pillared 'mandapa', symmetrically planned with deeply recessed
sides and is in many ways similar to the 'maha-mandapa'. It has the usual
arrangement of various types of composite pillars, balustrades, etc. and
beautifully carved and highly ornate ceilings. This 'mandapa' contains
vestiges of original Vijayanagara paintings.
The 'utsava-mandapa' to the north-east of the courtyard is similar to the
'kalyana-mandapa' in its general style. Abutting the southern wall of the
courtyard is a hundred- pillared 'mandapa' with three inscriptions in
three different languages stating that it was built by Krishnadeva Raya in
AD 1516. The 'mandapa' is rather plain.
Other Attractions
The Vithala Temple also contains a magnificent stone chariot, which
seldom fails to attract the attention of the visitor. The carving is
delicate and the engineering so superb that the stone wheels can even
revolve. Taking the place of the Garuda-shrine, which is normally seen in
Vaishnava temples, it houses an image of Garuda. The brick superstructure
of the 'ratha', shaped like a 'vimana', no longer exists.