The broken remains of two Alwar statues have been found during ongoing excavations on the northern side of the Hazara Rama Temple complex in Hampi, the Archaeological Survey of India has confirmed. It is the first time that independent sculptures of the Alwar saints have been discovered anywhere in Hampi, and the find is expected to open new lines of inquiry into the religious history of the Vijayanagara period. K. Ramakrishna Reddy, Superintendent of the ASI Hampi Circle, said that no Alwar statues had been found in any of the excavations conducted at Hampi so far. “The remains of Alwar statues are likely to shed new light on the history of the Vijayanagara period,” he said.
He noted that Vishnu temples typically house 12 to 13 Alwar statues, and whether remains of more will be found in the ongoing excavation remains to be seen. The Alwars are the 12 great Vaishnava saints of South India, revered especially in Tamil Nadu, who spread devotion to Vishnu through their poetry and lives. Their statues are traditionally installed in Vishnu temples as a mark of their spiritual significance. At Hampi, their presence had until now been visible only in the form of bas-relief carvings on the black stone pillars and walls of the Hazara Rama Temple, where intricate figures of the Alwars are depicted standing with folded hands among the ten incarnations of Vishnu.
Historical records show that during the reigns of Krishnadevaraya and Achyutaraya of the Tulu dynasty, Sri Vaishnavism received strong royal patronage. Alwar statues were installed in the major Vishnu temples of Hampi, including the Vijaya Vitthala, Krishna, Achyutaraya, and Hazara Rama temples, and daily worship and festivals were held for them. Inscriptions found at Hampi record royal and noble donations made specifically for offerings, lighting of lamps, and special festivals in honour of the Alwar idols. Yet the existence of independent freestanding statues at the Hazara Rama Temple had not been confirmed until now.
The statues were found in broken condition. Reddy explained that after the Battle of Talikote in 1565, Hampi was attacked by the Bahmani Sultans and thousands of idols were destroyed across the city. Vaishnava temples were the primary targets. Many broken idols have been recovered from Hampi over the years, but this is the first time Alwar statues have surfaced. It now appears that the freestanding metal and stone Alwar idols at the Hazara Rama Temple were smashed during the destruction and buried in the soil, where they lay for over 450 years. V. Virupakshi, General Secretary of the State Tourist Guides Association, said the find confirms that the Vaishnava temples of Hampi were shaped by Tamil Nadu’s religious traditions.
“The idols and ruins found here bear witness to the glory of the Vijayanagara period,” he said. The discovery is part of a broader excavation at the Hazara Rama Temple complex that has already yielded a buried temple structure, including a brick-built shikhara and the top of a sanctum sanctorum, on the southern side of the same compound. The ASI has said all sculptures and structural elements will be carefully preserved and restored.