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Malyavanta Raghunatha Temple

A hilltop Rama temple built around a giant boulder, linked in legend to the Ramayana.

Malyavanta Raghunatha Temple: Malyavanta Raghunatha Temple in Hampi, Rupesh Sarkar, 3
Malyavanta Raghunatha Temple: Hampi, Malyavanta Raghunatha Temple, southern gopuram (9881325306)Malyavanta Raghunatha Temple: Malyavanta Raghunatha Temple in Hampi, Rupesh Sarkar, 2Malyavanta Raghunatha Temple: Malyavanta Raghunatha Temple in Hampi, Rupesh Sarkar, 1

Open

6:00 am – 6:00 pm

Entry

Free entry

Best time to go

Evening

Time to spend here

About 1 h

Crowds

Usually quiet

Off the main circuit and rarely busy; a cemented ramp climbs the hill. Come for sunrise or sunset views.

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About this place

Perched on Malyavanta Hill east of Kamalapura, this 16th-century temple to Raghunatha (Rama) is built around and into a massive natural boulder, with images of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and a kneeling Hanuman carved on its face inside the cave-like sanctum. In the Hampi retelling of the Ramayana, Rama and Lakshmana are said to have sheltered here through the monsoon while searching for Sita. Long friezes of fish and marine creatures line the outer walls, and rows of Shiva lingas and Nandis lie behind the shrine. The quiet hilltop offers a 360-degree panorama of Hampi's boulder landscape — a superb sunrise or sunset spot.

Where it is

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