Hampi Stone Chariot

Set within the Vittala Temple courtyard, the stone chariot is a shrine dedicated to Garuda, Vishnu’s eagle mount, carved in the form of a temple ratha — the wooden processional chariots still used today to carry temple deities through festival crowds. What looks like a single monolithic block is in fact assembled from separate granite pieces so precisely fitted that the joins are nearly invisible, a level of craftsmanship that has made it one of the most photographed structures in India.

The chariot’s stone wheels were originally designed to rotate; conservators fixed them in place decades ago after visitors damaged the mechanism trying to turn them. Two stone elephants originally flanked the chariot’s base, later replaced with the horses now visible after the elephants were moved to the Kamalapura archaeological museum.

Because of its singular silhouette, the chariot has become shorthand for Hampi and for Karnataka tourism generally, appearing on the reverse of the Indian Rs. 50 banknote.

Getting there: The chariot stands inside the Vittala Temple complex, about 2 km east of Hampi Bazaar, reachable on foot, by bicycle, or by the battery-operated shuttle from the parking area. The post office is in Hampi Bazaar.