Achyutaraya Temple

This large temple complex in Hampi lies in the valley between Matanga hill and Gandhamadana, at the end of the old Courtesan Street, also called Soolai Bazaar. A senior officer at the court of King Achyuta Raya built it in 1534 for Tiruvengalanatha, a form of Vishnu, and the temple carries the king's name.

Two gateway towers face north. Inside, a row of halls leads to the sanctum: Maha, Ranga and Kalyana mantapas, then the sukanasi and garbhagriha. Its hundred-pillared hall is one of the biggest buildings in the old city. Carvings show yalis on elephants, soldiers holding chains and Krishna with his flute or, as a baby, dancing with a snake's tail. A small cell in the inner court once held Garuda, and a boulder near the northwest exit bears a fierce goddess. The whole complex is best seen from the rise beside the monolithic Nandi near Virupaksha Temple.