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Manmatha Tank

The stepped tank behind Virupaksha that most people walk past on their way to somewhere louder.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Virupaksha, a form of Shiva. The temple was built by Lakkan Dandesha, a nayaka (chieftain) under the ruler Deva Raya II also known as Prauda Deva Raya of the Vijayanagara Empire
Manyatha tank at hampi near virupaksha temple roadpond

Open

5:30 am – 6:30 pm

Entry

Free entry

Best time to go

Morning

Time to spend here

About 25 minutes

Crowds

Can get busy

Two minutes' walk north of the Virupaksha temple's main gate. Busy from mid-morning; nearly empty at sunrise.

About this place

Manmatha Honda sits just north of the Virupaksha temple, a stone tank with steps down on its sides and the temple gopura standing over it. It is an old working tank rather than an exhibit: people bathe here, clothes are washed on the steps, and it has been used this way continuously for a very long time. The reflection of the gopura in it, early, before the bazaar wakes, is one of the better things to see in Hampi and takes ten minutes to reach from the main gate. Later in the day it is busy and less photogenic and no less alive.

Good to know

  • An active bathing tank. Ask before photographing anybody using it.
  • The steps are worn and slippery at the waterline.
  • Best in the first hour of light, when the gopura reflects and the bazaar is still quiet.

Where it is

Directions in Google MapsBigger map

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Photo credits