Nandi Mantapa, Hampi

August 14, 2017

This spot where I'm standing is the crest of the path connecting Achyuthraya and Nandi Mantapa at the eastern end of  Virupaksha Bazar street. At the end of this dirt is a gateway with a big Mantapa large enough to accommodate few dozen people. The path has been engineered to prevent soil erosion during rains.. slabs of dressed granite blocks reinforce the surface.

 Its a sixteen pillared Mantapa with a passage running through its mid section. The Mantapa offers a clear view of the Virupaksha Bazar street and the towering Gopura of VIrupaksha temple. The dirt heap on the Mantapa insulates the roof from sunlight and prevents it from heating. Also, prevents rainwater from seeping into the gaps in the roof.

Another Mantapa on the side. The floor inside seems clean, looks like its a regular resting place. Probably cowherds rest here as their cattle graze on the slopes here. In the foreground is an interesting artifact.. a rock with quarrying marks. When Hampi was attacked by enemy forces, construction work came to a standstill. Had the work continued, we wouldn't have seen this rock.

Lot of other rocks too bear marks of  quarrying activity around here, like the two in the foreground. These rocks were a convenient source of raw material for all the Mantapas, temples, tanks and what not. This street is a stright line of 730 meters, on its left is a series of long Mantapas which were used as shops. In fact many were occupied until recent times.

Virupaksha is a form of Lord Shiva and where Shiva is, there has to be Nandi. So Virupaksha's nandi is under this large Mantapa.

It looks like this is the natural position of the rock before it became Nandi. Then builders put a shelter over Nandi. This Nandi is big but not as large as the Nandi at Lepakshi.

Vijayanagara rulers worshiped both Shiva and Vishnu. In fact there's a Jain center as well at Hampi. Sri Krishnadevaraya was a great follower of Thirumala Balaji. It is said that he had donated money to Venkateshwara temple. Idols of Sri Krishnadevaraya, his wives Chinnammadevi and Thirumaladevi are installed near the Pratima Mantapa at Thirumala. It seems Sri Krishnadevaraya traveled to Thirumala and the road passed through Bellary, Guntakal, Gooty, Tadapatri, and Cuddapah and Tirupathi. Near Cuddapah is a village called Devunikadapa which is well known for its Lakshmi temple. The Lakshmi temple is considered as the gateway to Thirumala Balaji temple. I think if we travel this route we may find some temples, Mantapas and wells from Vijayanagara times.
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