A short 2-day trip to Hampi - 4000/- Rs per person
Hampi is a place in Karnataka that reminds us of how brave, intelligent, wealthy, and hardworking our ancestors were! Amidst the rock-filled mountains formed of ancient lava as per local story and granite mountains cracked by weathering and erosion as per google, the remains of the old empires stand tall yet.
Hampi has so much to offer, from fun-filled coracle rides to prayers to ancient gods. We planned to go for a short trip to Hampi from Bangalore in the 1st week of June 2022. My friend was leaving Bangalore, so we thought, why not have fun before she leaves.
We went by train from Bangalore Yeswanthpur railway station to Hospet. Hampi has no railway station at the heart of it. In June, the weather in Bangalore is such that you don't actually need AC coaches. So as we decided to keep the cost of this trip bare minimum, we booked 2nd class seats for 385 Rs each. We boarded the train at midnight and reached Hospet at 8 in the morning. We took an auto from the railway station to the Hospet/Vijaynagar bus terminal. We immediately got a bus from there to Gangavathi, where we had a booking at the Megha resort for one night (1500/- Rs). After we freshened up at the resort, the resort manager booked an auto (1000/- Rs) for us for the full day to show us the nearby places.
On the 1st day, we visited -
1. Yantrodharaka HanumanMonkey temple
We had to climb 575 steps for it. However, it was worth it when we saw the view from up. People usually go to enjoy sunset there, but we did not wait till then.
2. Sonapur waterfall
We enjoyed the coracle ride there for the 1st time (100/- Rs each. They said during season the price is more). The stones near the waterfall were naturally curved by water and it's a real delight to the eyes.
3. Sanapur lake
We enjoyed the coracle ride there for the 2nd time (150/- Rs each) because 'Dil Maange More'.
4. Kanakagiri temple
We visited a few more temples, but in some places, construction was going on, and the others were not very important. The best part about the 1st day is that we had our food with a local family at their home. It was authentic South Indian regular thali prepared at home - affordable and hygienic.
The next day we checked out of the hotel at 8.30 AM, and we booked an auto for the full day (2000/- Rs.). We were heading to the other side of Hampi, where most of the major temples of Hampi were situated at. Places we visited on the 2nd day were -
1. Lotus Temple
Architectural design of this temple is definitely one of a kind.
2. Virupaksha Temple
It seems to be the largest temple in Hampi which is also active.
3. Vijaya Vithala Complex/Temple
Remember the chariot from the 50/- Rs. note. You will get to see that chariot inside this complex. You will also get to buy stone chariots of different sizes made by locals in the Hampi bazar. I bought one medium size chariot for 500/- Rs.
4. Queen's bath
5. King's enclosure
6. Queen's enclosure
7. Krishna Temple
8. Elephant Stables
9. Badavilinga Temple
10. Lakshmi Narasimha Temple
11. Underground Temple-Prasanna Virupaksha Temple
12. Tungabhadra river and dam
The auto dropped us at 8 PM at the railway station from where we took a train back to Bangalore. Before that we bought some old coins from the road side market at Hampi.
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