File:16th-century Bala Krishna temple, Kamalapura Hampi Hindu monuments Karnataka.jpg

English: Krishna temple is in Kamalapura, about a half kilometer from Hampi, on the other side of Hemakuta hill. The temple used to feature an infant Krishna statue which is now housed in a Chennai (Tamil Nadu) museum. The temple faced a large market with a broad nearly a kilometer long road typical of Vijayanagara city planning. Between the temple and the market was a large daana (charity) donation box made of stone, whose walls display the traditional Hindu iconographic symbols for Vaishnavism. The temple and the market are in ruins. The surviving reliefs on the pillars of the temple and market shrine display legends from the Hindu epics and puranas. Near the temples and markets complex are the two giant monolithic carvings of Shiva linga and Vishni avatar Narasimha in yogi form.

Hampi ruins and monuments date to pre-17th century period of South Indian history, particularly those related to the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire era (14th-16th centuries). The site consists of numerous ruins and temples over a large area, the most visited and studied are those located near the Tungabhadra river.

The town derives its name from the Pampa Devi Hindu mythology in Sanskrit, with Pampa morphing into Hampa in Kannada, then Hampi. The city served as capital of the Vijayanagara rulers, was pillaged, ruined and abandoned after Muslim armies of a Sultanate coalition attacked and defeated it. In the modern era, it serves as an archaeological site and is a UNESCO world heritage site.