Category: Offbeat Destinations

Hemakuta hills are home to a collection of a large number of shrines that belongs to pre Vijayanagar dynasty times. Once upon a time, these hills were topped with beautiful temples, mandapas, pavilions, gateways, galleries, archways, and fort walls. But, what remains now is only the ruins of the architectural wonder that sustained the attacks of various rulers. It is a short trek of 15 minutes to climb the hill. You need to take steps carved on a humongous rock, to the north of Virupaksha temple to reach the Hilltop. After reaching the top, flat land stuffed with magnificent monuments welcomes you with open arms.  Never miss those fascinating sunsets and sunrises that will make the whole hill glitter like a bar of gold. Besides this, you can even spot the beauty of Hampi bazaar and Virupaksha temple from the top. If you are a photographer then you would never take your eyes off the lens because there is so much beauty to capture.  Hemakuta Hills History You can spot more than 35 temples and 15 other structures on the top of the hill. Most of the structures here date back to 9th to 14th century, which indicated an era before the Vijayanagar empire  The architecture here is quite different from that of Vijayanagar Style. Most of the structures are triple chambered with a pyramid-like roof made of granite over the top. Apart from this, you can witness the Trikuta Chola style of architecture towards the north side of the hill. Where three shrines are built perpendicular to each other facing the common hall in the middle. More number of decorated temples can be spotted on the northside of the hill when compared to the southside. In fact, most of the temples here are dedicated to Lord Shiva, as it