Experiments are carried out in the IISc hypersonic shock tunnel, to understand the gasdynamic phenomenon associated with the presence of a thermal bump in a hypersonic flow field over a flat plate with sharp leading edge. A region (27mm × 4 mm) of high temperature (1200 K) within the thermal boundary layer located 42 mm from leading edge of the flat plate is generated using heating element mounted in flush with the surface and this region is referred here as 'thermal bump". Surface heat transfer rate measurements using platinum thin film sensors and surface static pressure measurements using miniature pressure sensors are carried out to understand effect of 2-D thermal hot spot on the flat plate flow field at Mach 7.4 (with air as test gas) and 12.6 (with argon as test gas) in the shock tunnel. A commercially available glow plug (DC 10 V, 10 A, temperature of 1200 K) has been used to generate a high temperature zone near the leading edge of the flat plate. Although there are local variations (∼ 10-15%) in the measured values of static pressure and surface convective heating rates because of thermal bump on an average the distribution of flow parameters on the flat plate remains unaltered within the measurement uncertainties. Copyright © 2009 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.