HAMPI- A Must Visit Heritage Place

We boarded Tirunelveli Express (110211) @ 9.30 pm from Dadar for Hubli , reached around next day 1pm to Hubli , from Hubli we boarded Amravati Exp (17226) for Hospet , We reached Hospet station around 5 pm and took rickshaw for Hampi which cost you around Rs 150 (you need to bargain with rickshaw drivers , to reach hampi bazaar it takes 30 mins but due to railway crossing we reached late, after reaching hampi bazaar we stayed at Siri Home stay near to Virupaksha Temple, soon we freshened up and rushed to Hemkutta hills for sunset but unfortunately we missed it.

Next place was ranga temple , this temple complex is dedicated to lord Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi. More than anything else, the principal attraction in this temple is the huge slab with the image of Hanuman carved on it.

After exploring places of Zenana Enclosure we headed to Royal Enclosure this includes durbar halls, Main attraction is the stepped tank and Mahanavami Dibba , undergound chambers,stone doors .

Present conditions of Zenana Enclosure and Royal enclosure is that more of the places are ruined . But the amount of effort and the intricate architecture that went into this place makes it a worth visit place . The impressive sanitization system & water collection system in those days left mesmerized.

Next day early morning we headed to Matanga hill for mesmerizing sunrise . Matanga Hills has no entry charges and the starting steps to the hill are just walkable distance away from Virupaksha temple around 2 km . The climb uphill is easy and can take around 45 min depending on your speed. We reached Matanga hills around 6.30 am to see the first light of the day brightening the beautiful city Hampi.

After few steps we reached Kodanda Rama temple means 'crowned Rama'. This temple is dedicated to lord Rama. The sanctum of the temples houses huge statues of Lord Rama, goddess Sita and Laxamana. The idols were initially carved on a huge rock and later the sanctum was built.

After beautiful sunrise we headed to Achyutaraya temple the magnificent architecture . The sculpture from matanga hills and architectural work visibly decorated on monolithic block are religious themes relating to Lord Krishna as an infant and Lord Vishnu, we explored full Achyutaraya temple and headed to few other places

Varaha Temple (dedicated to Varaha Swamy, one of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu) just close to Achutaraya temple .

Chakratirtha temple and Yantrodharka Hauman temple is considered to be one of the holiest places in the ruined city. It is located on the banks of the River Tungabhadra, close to the Kodanda Rama Temple. Chakratirtha is regarded as the most sacred bathing spot on the River Tungabhadra.

After completing above temple we reached kings balance (also called as Tula Bhara or Tula Purushadana) . It is located near Vittala Temple. King's balance is regarded as one of the unique monuments of Hampi. According to the legend, the balance was used by the king to weigh himself with gold, gems, silver and precious stones and distributed to the temple priests on certain occasions like Solar or Lunar eclipse, New Year's Day, Coronation day etc.

After Kings balance we went to most magnificent architecture to Vittala temple. One of the main attractions of Hampi has always been the Vittala Temple Complex. It is the architectural extravaganza of Hampi. The temple was built by the 15th century AD, the highlight of the temple is the impressive pillars. The halls are engraved with lot of sculptures on the giant pillars at the entrance of the temple. The temple facing to the Stone Chariot, with a series of steps flanged by the elephant balustrades opens up to the open hall in front of the temple called the Maha-Mantapa. There is a dramatic representation of the folklore on the walls, where dwarf elephants are seen fighting with the giant lion Yalis. The Maha-Mantapa has been kept on a high stand which has been carved with floral motifs all around. The lowermost of it is a chain of horses, trainers and traders.It is said that tapping on these pillars gives a musical note, thus the name musical pillars. These do not belong to any standard musical notes, but the musical tone of vibes has earned its name. This interests the visitors and are tempted to tapped number of times so tapping of pillars is actually banned so that it can be preserved. It takes you around 1 hr to explore full temple .

After exploring Vittala Temple we returned back to Virupaksha temple complex once again 6 km walk and we came across huge Monolith Bull also knows as Yeduru Basavanna ( Bull carved out of a single stone). The statue of the Monolithic bull is placed just opposite to the Virupaksha temple in Hampi.

After completing the one side of hampi we returned back to our room for lunch and rested for a while in the afternoon and again started our sightseeing around 3 pm started with Kadalekalu Ganesha. This giant statue of Ganesha was carved out of a huge boulder at the slope of the Hemakuta hill. The belly of this statue resembles a Bengal gram. This 15 feet tall statue is one among the largest sculptures in Hampi.

Atlast dinner time Hampi has best cafe we went to Mangotree cafe for dinner famous for israel cuisine and end of the day

Sasivekalu Ganesha Temple is a huge statue of Lord Ganesha, carved out of a single block of rock. It is one of the major landmarks in Hampi just few walkable distance from Kadaleku Ganesha . Sasivekalu Ganesha is about 8 feet tall.

After Sasivekalu Ganesha we reached Krishna temple was built by the king (Krishnadevaraya) to celebrate the conquest of the eastern kingdom of Udayagiri or Utkala . It is known for its exquisite carvings and elegant architectural designs. The temple is beautiful one with every wall and pillar decorated with sculptures and carvings of Krishna in his various forms. It also represents of the Dashavatar - the ten incarnations of vishnu as well as scenes from the Ramayana and the Krishna Leela .

After Krishna temple we headed to Lakshmi Narasimha and Badavilinga.

Lakshmi Narasimha statue is one of the most imposing sculptures found in the ruined town of Hampi.

Badavilinga is the largest Linga image in Hampi. Located next to the Lakshmi Narasimha statue the Linga is housed inside a chamber with an opening in the front. Legend has it that this was commissioned by a peasant woman and hence the name (Badva means poor in local tongue).

We reached around 4 pm to Virupaksha temple . It is the main center of pilgrimage at Hampi and had been considered the most sacred sanctuary over the centuries. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, known here as Virupaksha, as the consort of the local goddess Pampadevi who is associated with the Tungabhadra River. The Kanakagiri gopuram towards the north takes the tourists to a little enclosure with supplementary sanctuary. You can witness the daily temple rituals and ceremonies in the mornings and evenings. Temple opens before the sunrise and closes in the night. Usually the sanctum is closed in the noon. So entry into the campus may not be possible at that point of time.

Visited few temples in hemkutta hills (total there are 35 temples , also you get the best view of Virupaksha temple. Hemkutta hills is open till 6.30 pm. After 6.30 pm they wont allow you.

After exploring Virupaksha temple we headed to Hemkuta hills for beautiful sunset. We climbed the peak on time reached around 5.30 pm so that we can see can see natures colourful display as the sun sets from blue to red are splashed in the sky. The canvas keeps changing every minute so wait till the light fades out. It was very peaceful and we just sat there for 20 minutes looking at the sunset . After amazing sunset we left soon around 6.30 and explored hampi market. Soon after shopping we headed to dinner in one of the local cafe.

We left our homestay early morning 5.30 am and headed for underground shiva temple which is around 4 km walk from main hampi bazaar , we were lucky to see beautiful shades of sunrise and blissful morning .

We saw famous boulder called as Akka Tangi Gudda means Fabled of 2 Cursed sisters. This sister rock formation is associated with two sisters who visited Hampi during its heyday

Reached Underground Shiva temple (Prasanna Virupaksha )around 8 am , it is believed that this is one of the oldest temple in Hampi. Inspite of beautiful architecture it has been left unattended and the interior is in a dilapidated condition. The name underground also comes from the fact that the mud that was taken out during the excavation was put on the side of the temple and hence raising the ground level around it, leaving it with the name "Underground Temple". We were lucky to visit on a day when it was dry, but then it is so dark inside and full of bats that going anywhere near the shivling is impossible. But we still manage to go with the help of torch because it was too dark. We noticed that there was shivling with a Defaced Nandi statue.

After Underground Shiva temple we headed to Noblemen's and Muslim Quarters, this was just a quick glimpse from Mohammadan Watch tower . It was just simplicified structures where the aristocrats of the Vijayanagar lived.

After nobleman and Muslim Quarters, we headed to Hazara Rama Temple. This temple is dedicated to Lord Rama . The Hazara Rama Temple is a unique temple in many aspects. The first thing that draws attention about the temple is its name. The term ‘Hazara Rama’ literally means a thousand Rama and refers to the multitude of relics depicting the reigning deity of the temple.The walls of the temple carry the story of Ramayana carved on stone.

After few km walk we reached Zenana Enclosure a segregated area that is used by the royal women of Vijayanagara Dynasty. Lotus Mahal is perfect example of Indo Mughal architecture

After lotus temple we reached Elephant stable one of the major tourist attraction . Indo-Islamic style structure used as the stables for the royal elephants of the Vijayanagara Empire.

Next we visited Queen's bath another masterpiece architecture . Though named as the Queen’s Bath, it was in all probability used as the private bathing chamber of the king and his queens. It is also believed that the lavish bath was a royal pleasure complex.

After exploring queens bath we took lift of bullock cart ride to reach homestay we freshen up and check out for other side of Tungabadhara river Hippie Island (Virapapur Gadde ) , preferable you can walk and cross the river in the month of december since the water wasn't too much , there is also boat available per seat Rs 20 and with luggage Rs 40. We took sharing boat reached Hippie Island and checked into Evergreen homestay .

We rested for a while had our lunch around 3 pm we headed to Sanapur lake which is around 6 km. We decided to walk and reach , on the way there was coracle ride they were charging Rs 100 till half way to sanapur , so we decided to enjoy coracle ride and reach half way to sanapur lake . It was an awesome experience ride passing through the jungles , she dropped us half way and from there we walked more about 3 km to sanapur lake . Sanapur lake is paradise and must visit place during sunset set time . You can just climb on one of the boulder rock and enjoy the sunset view . You can also enjoy coracle ride over there but it is bit expensive Rs 450 -800 pp. Around 6 pm we started back to Virapapur gadde and reached 7.30 pm.

Hippie island is like mini goa , night life is full of fun , also night market worth to see but very expensive . Personal suggestion wouldn't recommend for shopping, we checked into laughing Buddha for dinner , from cafe you get to see the amazing view of Virupaksha temple. After dinner we took short walk to night market of hippie island and back to homestay

Next day early morning we headed to Anjaneya hill and hanuman temple which is 3 km walk from Virapapur Gadde. Approx 575 steps to reach at the top and enjoy the mesmerizing view of sunrise . This hill in Hampi believed to be the birthplace of Hanuman , the view from the hilltop is marvelous. Patches of paddy fields looks like a solved jigsaw puzzle, coconut tree plantations and the whole of the ruins sites is visible stretching into the horizon. After sunrise we visited the temple and reached to the base , walked again 3 km to homestay reached around 8.00am we quickly checked out from homestay and in return to hospet station we took bus (ticket charges around Rs 30) and here comes to an end of memorable trip.