https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Matanga_HillMatanga Hill - Revision history2026-10-27T21:05:21ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Matanga_Hill&diff=516764&oldid=prevSvetlafz: made a details.2026-03-22T19:43:30Z<p>made a details.</p>
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{{Short description|Hill in Karnataka, India}}<br />
{{Infobox hill<br />
| name = Matanga Hill<br />
| location = Karnataka, India<br />
| coordinates = {{coord|15|19|N|76|28|E}}<br />
| photo = Enroute to Matanga hills, Hampi.jpg<br />
| photo_caption = Matanga Hill viewed from the nearby village<br />
| map = India<br />
}}<br />
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'''Matanga Hill''', also known as '''Rishyamuka Parvata''' is a rocky hill in the Matanga hill range,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Today |first=Hinduism |date=2023-10-01 |title=The Hallowed Halls of Hampi |url=https://www.hinduismtoday.com/october-november-december-2023/the-hallowed-halls-of-hampi/ |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=Hinduism Today |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Hampi (town)|Hampi]], [[Karnataka]], southern [[India]]. The hill is supposedly a holy land from the [[Hindus|Hindu]] [[Ramayana]] epic.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2020-02-20 |title=Matanga Hill - The Most Beautiful Of The Hampi Viewpoints |url=https://runawayann.com/matanga-hill-the-best-viewpoint-in-hampi/ |access-date=2023-11-06 |language=en-GB}}</ref> The Matanga hill range served as a natural boundary of Hampi ([[Vijayanagara]]), which was the capital city of its namesake empire. Since the hills were a defense against attacks from outside lands, the [[Sangama dynasty|Sangama brothers]] purposely put Vijayanagara there.<ref name=":2" /><br />
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== History ==<br />
[[Geologic time scale|The first solidified rocks in all of India]] were found at the Matanga hill range. These rocks are yellow.<br />
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Matanga Hill is a holy site, and thus has been a center of [[Hinduism]] for centuries. The hill was home to many more temples as well as [[Bazaar|bazaars]] and shops along long streets<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=UNESCO World Heritage |title=Group of Monuments at Hampi |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/241/ |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en}}</ref> than there are today during the [[Vijayanagara Empire|Vijayanagara]] time, before the empire was defeated by the [[Deccan sultanates|Deccan Sultans]] from what is now central India. The city was plundered and burned to the ground.<br />
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Hampi and the Matanga Hill temples are now a [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage Site]] (since 1986), as they were rediscovered by the [[British Raj]] in the year 1800. [[UNESCO]] built hotels, hice, restaurants and small stores under a [[jurisdiction]] on ancient Hindu relics in 2012, at the cost of the homes of 300 people and the Virupaksha Temple.<ref name=":2" /><br />
[[File:Hampi virupaksha temple.jpg|thumb|Virupaksha Temple, before it was destroyed by UNESCO.]]<br />
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== In Hinduism ==<br />
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=== The legend of Matanga Hill ===<br />
According to [[Hindu mythology]], the Matanga Hill was the home of a [[hermit]] called Matanga. Once The monkey-king Vali (Son of Lord Indra) killed the demon Dundubhi (Looks like buffalo) and thrown him. The dead body of demon Dundubhi passed over Matanga parvat and blood of that demon dropped on Matanga oarvat. Maharshi Matanga got angry and The hermit then cast a curse on the monkey that would materialize if he went up the hill. Later, the son of the demon wanted to avenge his dad, so he drove Vali into a cave at the hill. His brother, [[Sugriva]], stood guard. After convincing himself that Vali had died, he left, causing Vali to wrongly arrest him for treason and banish him from the kingdom. Sugriva, in an act of desperation, then hid his general on a hill that Vali did not have access to. He was eventually saved from oppression by [[Rama]] the god, and appointed ruler of the monkey-kingdom. Vali was killed by Rama in the ordeal.<ref name=":0" /><br />
[[File:Sculptures of god Shiva dancing Thandavam.jpg|thumb|Shiva dancing]]<br />
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=== Temples ===<br />
Near the hill, and visible from the summit, there are the [[Achyutaraya temple|Achyutaraya]], [[Vishnu]], and [[Hanuman]] temples, and at the summit, there is a viewpoint temple, the Virabhadra temple. [[Virabhadra]] is an embodiment of [[Shiva]], who the locals once worshipped.<ref name=":0" /><br />
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Matanga Hill was likely home to more Hindu temples during the south Indian Vijayanagara empire in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, but many of them have been in ruins since 1565, when the Deccan Sultans came from the north and ended the Vijayanagara Empire.<ref name=":2" /><br />
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== Geography and climate ==<br />
The hill is in the state of Karnataka, southern India, somewhat near [[Bangalore|Bangalore (Bengaluru)]], and close to the south end of the [[Deccan Plateau]] (still on the plateau). It is well within the [[tropics]], consistent with its climate, at 15 N, 76 E.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Bing Maps |url=https://www.bing.com/maps/?toWww=1&redig=B8E1C39C2BF94AAFB55C3ACD69E96642 |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=Bing Maps |language=en}}</ref> The hill has abundant plant life towards the bottom, with a rocky top.<ref name=":0" /> The river [[Tungabhadra River|Tungabhadra]] passes near it and is visible from the summit.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> It is also surrounded by farmland that uses the Tungabhadra as a water source.<ref name=":2" /><br />
[[File:Screeching Great Horned Owl.jpg|thumb|A great horned owl]]<br />
The area has much tropical birdlife, and also possesses [[Quail|quails]] and [[Great horned owl|great horned owls]]. Coconut trees populate the landscape.<ref name=":2" /><br />
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It has characteristics of a [[Semi-arid climate|hot semidesert]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Kӧppen]] ''BSh'') and a [[Tropical monsoon climate|monsoon]] (''Am'') climate, being extremely hot (up to 40 C) from March to May, with winters (Oct-Feb) being warm to hot and extremely dry. The monsoon season (May-Oct) is the only time when significant precipitation occurs and there is none from January to March, making March an extremely severe month.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}} The area is extremely humid (up to 70 F [[dew point]]) during the monsoon season. The average lowest temperature to be observed in a year is {{Convert|56|F|C}}, and the average highest is {{Convert|108|F|C}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Hampi India |url=https://weatherspark.com/y/108598/Average-Weather-in-Hampi-India-Year-Round}}</ref><br />
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== See also ==<br />
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* [[List of mountains in India]]<br />
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== References ==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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{{Asia}}<br />
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in India]]<br />
[[Category:Hills of Karnataka]]</div>Svetlafz