Stone Chariot

About this place

The Stone Chariot is the single most famous image of Hampi — so beloved that it features on the Indian fifty-rupee note. It stands in the courtyard of the Vittala Temple and is in fact a shrine to Garuda, the eagle mount of Vishnu, carved to look like a processional temple car (ratha). Though it appears monolithic, it was assembled from many blocks of granite fitted so tightly the joints almost disappear. Its stone wheels, carved with lotus medallions, were once able to rotate, and elephants at the front replaced an earlier pair of horses whose broken legs can still be seen. Visited as part of the Vittala complex, it is best seen in the soft light of early morning before the tour groups arrive.