Place · Vijayanagara chariot-street market · India
Hampi Bazaar (Virupaksha Bazaar)
Also known as Virupaksha Bazaar, Hampi Main Bazaar
The Hampi Bazaar (Virupaksha Bazaar) runs one kilometre due east of the Virupaksha Temple gopuram, bounded on both sides by double-storied colonnaded pavilions where traders set up shop by day and lived upstairs by night. Domingo Paes (1522) described rows of goldsmiths, pearl merchants, silk weavers and horse dealers in these pavilions. The street is laid out as the chariot path for Virupaksha's annual Rath Yatra; the stone temple-car at the east end has been in use since the 16th century. The pavilions were occupied as recently as 2011; the state has since relocated residents to protect the heritage zone.
- Date
- 1420–1565
- Periods
- Vijayanagara
- Function
- Trade & production
- Patron dynasty
- Vijayanagara
- Confidence
- Established / referenced
- Location
- 15.335, 76.462
Connections (2)
- Site withinHampi / Vijayanagara
The Hampi Bazaar runs one kilometre due east of the Virupaksha Temple gopuram, inside the central Hampi urban zone. The 16th-century double-storied trading pavilions on both sides functioned as both chariot path for the Virupaksha Rath Yatra and the city's principal market until 2011.
- Site adjacencyVirupaksha Temple, Hampi
Hampi Bazaar is the one-kilometre chariot street that runs due east from the Virupaksha Temple gopuram — the two have been a single functional unit since the 15th century. The bazaar's double-storied trading pavilions line the Rath Yatra path on both sides; the stone temple-car at its east end is pulled from Virupaksha down the street on Rath Yatra day and back nine days later.