The village of Hampi is a site of Hindu pilgrimage and the location of the former capital city of the Vijayanagara empire. Its temples and ruins are a World Heritage Site collectively known as The Group of Monuments at Hampi.

The Monuments can generally be grouped into three sections; the Sacred Centre, the Riverside Ruins and the Royal Centre.

The Sacred Centre

The focal point of the Sacred Centre is the Virupaksha Temple. Hampi’s history as a Hindu holy site dates to about the 7th century – long before the empire took hold – though it has been expanded by different rulers through the ages. The most identifiable structure – a nine-tiered tower – is actually a gatehouse leading to the inner courtyards which house the main temple and various shrines.

The ceremonial road running east from the temple is known as Hampi Bazaar. Originally lined with market stalls and the homes of wealthy citizens, parts of this street have now been taken over by poor local residents and those running businesses aimed at tourists.

The Vijayanagara Empire thrived from the 14th century, dominating this part of India. With up to a quarter of a million habitants, Hampi was possibly the largest city in the world at the time. This all came to an end when the king was killed in 1565 – following which the capital was plundered and ruined.

Beyond one of the rocky hills for which the region is known, we find the Courtesan’s Street – also a market – and the Achyuta Raya Temple which was one of the final construction projects before the destruction of the empire.

Another large shrine in this area is the Sri Krishna Temple which is noted for detailed carvings depicting religious stories.

There are numerous other small temples and shrines in the Sacred Centre, though most are hidden amongst the rocks, or in smaller buildings not visible on Google’s images.

The Riverside Ruins

The Riverside Ruins lie along the banks of the Tungabhadra River which formed a protective barrier to the north of the city. This area is dominated by the Vittala Temple, one of the most elaborate complexes.

A large stone chariot – the centrepiece of the courtyard – is carved from several granite blocks. Two stone elephants have replaced the monumental horses which were originally positioned in front of the chariot.

The Royal Centre

The Royal Centre encompasses a much larger area to the south of the present village and includes a huge number of historically and architecturally significant ruins. The royal palaces were mostly built of wood so were burned in the destruction of the city, leaving only foundations and basements visible.

Nearby are four tanks or bathing areas – a pair of octagonal structures, the Queen’s Bath (lower right in the thumbnail image; probably actually used by the King) and a large elaborately-stepped tank (upper left).

Visible near this tank and many other structures are the remains of a widespread system of aqueducts and canals which carried water throughout the complex.

Just to the north-west is a large enclosure which may have served a number of uses – possibly military or administrative. The royal mint and granaries (circles in the first image) are generally agreed upon by historians, along with the beautiful domed elephant stables.

Sections of fortified walls can still be seen around the complex. Experts believe that there were up to seven concentric walls protecting the capital, up to about 32km from the centre.

There are literally dozens more structures, temples and other archeological discoveries visible on the satellite images. These maps – from the excellent Hampi website – can be useful when trying to identify them.

In the Spanish town of Mejorada Del Campo, former monk Justo Gallego Martínez has devoted the past 50 years of his life to constructing a cathedral, all by himself.

After contracting tuberculosis as as a young man, Don Justo promised to build a cathedral dedicated to “Our Lady of the Pillar” if he recovered from his illness.

A man of his word, Don Justo hasn’t let his lack of architectural knowledge impede this mission – there are no architectural plans for the cathedral; the design has simply been inspired by other churches and Don Justo’s own vision. However, this has led to concerns about the building’s structural integrity.

Don Justo has done the majority of work by himself, but has had occasional assistance from family members or volunteers. He uses income from his farm to purchase some construction materials but the bulk are recycled, donated, or leftovers from nearby building projects.

It’s probably going to take another 15-20 years of work to complete the cathedral, but as Don Justo is now in his mid-80s, he may not be around to finish it himself.

Given the uncertain construction quality, and the fact that technically, permission for the construction was never granted in the first place, it’s clear that the town authorities will face a dilemma about whether to leave it standing after Don Justo’s eventual death.

Thanks to Nicolas.

Britain is renowned for historic pubs serving fine ales and mouthwatering food. While the reality may be that dozens of pubs are closing every week, or being taken over by large corporate chains, there are still plenty of inns that retain their character and popularity.

Let’s begin by looking at several of the claimants to the title of Oldest Pub in Britain. The Guinness Book of Records officially recognises Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St Albans.

Originally named the Round House, the current name was taken from the barbaric sport which used to take place in the bar. While the octagonal building dates to the 11th century, it was moved to its current location in 1599. This fact leads to disputes about the legitimacy of its claim to be the oldest pub.

It’s unsure exactly when Ye Olde Man & Scythe in Bolton was built, but it was mentioned in historic documents from 1251.

However, it too has been rebuilt over time, with only the cellar remaining from the original building.

Continuing a somewhat predictable naming theme, Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem in Nottingham claims to have been built in 1189, though no official documentation proves that, and the current building is about 300 years old.

With no clear winner, I’ll claim the Trip as my personal favourite of the three, having had my share of pints in its tiny rooms and caves carved out of Castle Rock.

The Sheep Heid in Edinburgh claims to be Scotland’s oldest pub, dating the site to 1360.

While they probably no longer sell the food for which the pub is named, it is a listed building with a famous skittle alley about 140 years old.

The Skirrid Mountain Inn claims to be Wales’ oldest pub, with an interesting history serving as a courthouse, with condemned prisoners being hung from a beam in the bar.

Moving on to other superlatives, Britain’s highest pub is also somewhat disputed. The Tan Hill Inn at 528m above sea level is generally considered the highest.

Anything at this altitude in the Pennines sees its share of weather; in fact after this past new year’s, revellers spent 3 days trapped in the pub because of snow. I can think of worse places to be stuck, and by all accounts a jolly time was had by all.

The Cat & Fiddle in Derbyshire is contesting the title however, with measurements placing it anywhere from 515m to 540m.

Meanwhile, Street View takes us to the top of the Glenshane Pass (305m) and Northern Ireland’s highest pub, the Ponderosa.

A number of pubs boast somewhat gruesome histories or legends, including Bristol’s Hatchet Inn, where the front door is rumoured to be covered in human skin (underneath the paint).

Meanwhile, the Bucket of Blood in Phillack takes it’s attractive name from an incident many years ago when the landlord, fetching water from the well, pulled up a pail full of human blood.

The victim is purported to be the local tax collector, with his ghost believed to haunt the pub to this day. A hearty red ale is served to take advantage of this story.

To Scotland, and the more heart-warming story of Edinburgh’s Grayfriars Bobby’s Bar, named for a dog which, in the 19th century, spent 14 years watching over the grave of his owner.

A small statue of Bobby is visible outside the pub, which is near the graveyard where Bobby kept his faithful watch.

Also in Edinburgh, the Canny Mans is notable both for the vast collection of random objects which adorn the ceilings and walls, and the strictly-enforced list of ‘rules’ outside the pub, giving it a reputation as somewhat unwelcoming.

Finally, Glasgow’s Horse Shoe claims the longest bar in the world, though that is disputed by a number of other establishments.

With an estimated 50,000+ pubs in Britain, this is just a tiny selection. Where do you raise a glass?

Thanks to Alex and James for the Scottish locations, and kevinoakgrove for the Ponderosa.

Continuing on from last week’s look at the mountain venues, today we’ll explore the city venues of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

The Games’ opening and closing ceremonies, along with nightly ‘Victory Ceremonies’ (which we assume means medal presentations) will be held at BC Place in downtown Vancouver.

North America’s largest air-supported roof will ensure all these festivities can proceed without interference from inclement weather. For the opening ceremony in particular, a vast security cordon was in place to ensure planned protests¹ did not disrupt proceedings.

Right next door is Canada Hockey Place, perhaps the focus of this hockey-mad nation’s attentions for much of the next few weeks.

Olympic naming regulations mean the arena has to be stripped of its usual branding as General Motors Place, despite the fact that GM is one of the IOC’s largest sponsors. Also the arena’s usual tenants – the Vancouver Canucks – have been forced to go on the longest road trip in NHL history because of the Games.

Some hockey games will also take place at the University of British Columbia’s Thunderbird Arena.

East of downtown, the Pacific Coliseum will house the figure skating and short-track speed skating events.

Dating to the 1960s, this arena has undergone significant renovations to prepare it for the Olympics.

A number of new venues have been constructed for these Games, including the spectacular Olympic Oval with stands beside the Fraser River in the suburb of Richmond.

While emphatically non-oval in shape, the building is named for the long-track speed skating course inside, which will hold close to 8,000 spectators. The $178 million construction project includes an elaborate rainwater collection pond and associated sculptures known as the Water Sky Garden.

There has been a minor controversy regarding practice time at this venue, with allegations that Canadian athletes are benefiting from privileged access.

Another new venue is the Vancouver Olympic Centre which will host the curling competitions.

This building is conveniently surrounded on all sides by baseball diamonds, should the athletes want a change of sport. It will be converted into a community centre after the Games.

As part of an effort to stage the ‘greenest’ Games ever, both new buildings were constructed to high levels of LEED certification. The wood used for the roof of the Richmond Oval came from forests killed by a pine-beetle infestation, rather than cutting down live trees.

The 2,700 athletes participating in the Games will be housed in the Vancouver Olympic Village on the south-east shore of False Creek.

Construction of these buildings hit serious financial difficulties courtesy of the same investor that may have to sell the Whistler resort during the Games, as mentioned in the Mountain Venues post. They were finally finished at a total cost of $1 billion, and will be sold off after the Games to recoup some of that money.

Meanwhile, the thousands of media representatives will work in the Media Centre located in the Canada Place / Convention Centre complex on the waterfront.

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The port and harbour will host a significant number of cruise ships for the duration of the Games – providing accommodation for visitors unable to secure a hotel room, as well as members of police and security forces.

To the west of the harbour, near Stanley Park, a 14m tall set of Olympic rings lights up every evening.

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games start today and Google has treated us to excellent new imagery of many of the venues¹, particularly those in and around Whistler, the mountain venue about 120 km north of the city.

Earlier this week Google really pulled out all the stops to give us the first ‘Slope View’ – ski trail images from Whistler captured by snowmobile – along with trike views of the village and a couple of other venues².

The brand-new Whistler Sliding Centre can hold 12,000 spectators for bobsled, luge and skeleton events. From the upper and lower start houses athletes will go through as many as 16 turns on the 1,450 m long track. A maximum incline of 20% propels sliders towards the finishing area at speeds of up to 140 km/hr.

Alpine skiing events will take place at Whistler Creekside which will accommodate 7,700 spectators near the finish line. Street View gives us an idea of how steep the course really is.

One slight concern regarding this venue is the financial status of its owner Intrawest, or more specifically its financiers missing debt payments, which presents the possibility that Whistler may be put up for sale during the Games.

A few kilometres west of the town in Callaghan Valley we come to Whistler Olympic Park, a brand new $117 million CAD venue constructed to host ski jumping and two nordic events, with up to 12,000 people attending each of the three sports.

The ski jump towers are modestly called the ‘normal’ (bottom) and ‘large’ (top) hills, but with launch speeds approaching 100 km/h and jump distances up to 140 m, I don’t think they’re fooling anyone about how utterly terrifying they must be to experience.

Cross-country skiing events start and finish in this area, with the longer races (up to 50 km) taking the tracks off through the surrounding woods.

Biathlon events are focused just to the north, with the rectangular area being the firing range where, very shortly after climbing lung-bursting hills, athletes have to swiftly steady their pulse and breathing to be able to shoot straight.

Athletes in all these sports will be housed in Whistler Olympic Village a short distance south of the town. Google’s new images show the housing mostly complete but the rest of the facility still under construction.

The world’s media will be based in the Whistler Conference Centre in the centre of town, while nightly medal ceremonies will take place in the new Medals Plaza, which is seen under construction in these images.

The one weakness of Whistler as a venue is the single access road – the infamous Sea to Sky Highway which often has a cliff on one side and ocean on the other. The province has gone to great expense – approximately $600 million CAD – to widen the road and straighten the more dangerous sections, but bad weather or landslides could easily cause disruption to the thousands of people travelling between city and mountain.

While Whistler has been enjoying near record snowfall, the other mountain venue for these Games has been suffering through one of the warmest Januarys on record. Cypress Mountain is due to host the snowboard halfpipe, ski/board cross and freestyle skiing competitions.

While Google’s images do show snow, other than at the very top of the mountain, constant rain has currently washed most of it away. A massive effort is underway to transport snow from other areas, with straw bales being used to shape the various features needed for these sports.