The mythical town of Kishkindha – the monkey kingdom – mentioned in the epic Ramayana, was believed to be located in Hampi. Therefore, you can see plenty of motifs and carvings of Lord Hanuman all around here. Some of thee are brilliantly painted. Located on the top of the Anjeyanadri hill, the Yantrodhara Anjaneya Temple is dedicated to lord Hanuman, the son of wind. The temple has an idol of Lord Hanuman positioned inside an amulet (locally called 'Yantra').

Myth Associated
As the legend goes, Sri Madhwacharya (an incarnation of Lord Hanuman) appeared in the dreams of Sri Vyasathirtha and instructed him to install an icon of Lord Anjaneya (Hanuman). The next time, while meditating, Sri Vyasathirtha saw the image of Lord Hanuman, and without any delay, he starting drawing the same on a rock using an Angara (coal used by Brahmins during Pooja performance). To his surprise, a monkey in the painting became alive and jumped out of the rock. This way, the drawing disappeared. This happened to him for 12 times. Finally he decided to bind the image of Lord Hanuman in a 'Yantra'.

The 'Yantra' here looks like a 6 cornered star. Therefore the temple was named 'Yantrodhara Anjaneya Temple'. People believe that Sri Vyasathirtha installed a total of 732 Hanuman temples all over South India, out of which the Yantrodhara Anjaneya Temple is highly revered.

Architecture
Located just behind the Kodanda Rama Temple on the riverside, this is the second most important shrine dedicated to Hanuman (also called Anjaneya) in Hampi. It contains the image of Hanuman positioned inside an amulet. While taking a closer look, one can see a number of monkeys carved around this amulet.

Mostly, the Hanuman images in Hampi depict a valor posture of Hanuman with one hand raised, the other fixed on the hip and tail made into an arch. Contrary to this, the Yantrodhara Anjaneya is unique with Hanuman depicted in a meditative or prayer position.