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Dam

Tungabhadra Dam

Pampa Sagar: a two-kilometre wall holding back the river, with gardens below it and a musical fountain after dark.

Tungabhadra Dam

Open

8:00 am – 7:30 pm

Entry

₹20 entry

Best time to go

Evening

Time to spend here

About 3 h

Crowds

Often crowded

At Munirabad, past Hosapete, about 20 km from Hampi. Busiest at weekends and on holiday evenings, when the fountain draws the whole district.

Before you go

Shuttle from the car park

17 min if you walk

No toilets mapped nearby

Go before you set off

No drinking water mapped nearby

Bring enough with you

About this place

The Tungabhadra Dam at Munirabad holds back the river that runs past Hampi, and the reservoir behind it — Pampa Sagar — reaches out of sight. It is not a heritage site and it is not quiet; it is an evening out, and a good one. Below the wall are the gardens the dam board keeps, Nandanavana and Anandavana, with lawns, benches and enough shade to sit through the last of the heat. The musical fountain runs after dark and is the reason most families come. Going up onto the dam itself depends on the day and on security; the gardens and the fountain do not. It is about 20 km from Hampi and an hour each way by auto, so it is an evening rather than a stop.

Good to know

  • Roughly ₹20 per person, covering the gardens and the fountain. Bring change.
  • The fountain and light show runs after dark, usually from about 7:15pm. Times shift with the season — ring ahead if it is the reason you are coming.
  • Access onto the dam wall itself is at the authority's discretion and is sometimes closed. The gardens are not.
  • About 20 km from Hampi via Hosapete. Agree the auto fare both ways before setting off, and settle the waiting time too.
  • Drone flying and photography of the dam structure are restricted.

How to get there

  • Parking: Dam shuttle stand
  • 1.1 km walk · about 17 min
  • Shuttle bus to the dam

  1. Drive or take an auto to the dam's shuttle stand

    Park here, by the shuttle stand. Private vehicles are not allowed up on the dam road — take the shuttle bus to the wall and the gardens, or walk it in about twenty minutes. The last shuttle down goes after the fountain finishes.

    Directions to the parking

  2. Take the shuttle, or walk 1.1 km to Tungabhadra Dam

    Private vehicles can't go up the dam road. On foot it is about 17 min.

    Walking route from the parking

  3. Arrive at Tungabhadra Dam

PWhere vehicles stopThe walk

Walk there from where you areBigger map

Walking paths and times are from Google Maps. The way in can change on festival days: follow the signs and ASI staff.

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Photo credits