Single Day Visit to the Hampi-Budget

This is not the place to find the exclusive information on the Hampi Sites. As there are thousands of the article mentioned the travel information with the all-around photos of the place. It is a World Unesco Heritage Site, So No Need to write more about it. This article focused on My experience on the travel to the Hampi and Badami and Bijapur. It is good for the reader seeking for the budget traveling to Hampi and nearby itinerary. Let's Start

I have started my journey from Silicon Valley of India to the World UNESCO Heritage site. There is a lot of information in internet regarding the beauty of the place focused on the advertisement of the Hotel and travel agencies. So I will not go to that. I Started my journey to the Hampi by taking the Train from Bangalore to Hospet. Though Hampi is most famous tourist place in Karnataka, there is no train station, there is no Proper bus stand. So Everyone has to travel to Hospet. Place is more developed than the Hampi because of the travel facility to the Hampi. I have taken the famous Hampi Express. It was a Overnight journey from Bangalore. By Morning i was in Hospet. It cost me 230 Indian Rupees. Due to the budget issues, i did not book any Hotels. I had taken a shower in the public Toilet and shower available at Train Station. It cost me 10 Indian Rupees. It is Now it is time to have some breakfast. I have chosen a small hotel nearby and inquired about the bus timings to Hampi. It cost me 20 Rupees. Hospet to Hampi is only 13 KM . I have taken a Karnataka general Government bus to Hampi. It cost me 10 Rupees. It has taken a full round to the place.

After Reaching to the Hampi Bus stand, Let me tell you that there is no designated Bus stand in Hampi. I went to the Krishna Temple near to the Bus stand. I prefer to go by walk. I have opened the Google Map and started following the instruction. After that, I went into the ruins of Krishna Bazaar.

There is Ganesh Temple near to the place and After that I started taking the uphills towards the Hemakuta Hills. More known for the Sunset point.

Though the Human made the downhill path to the Virupaksha Temple- The Main Attraction of the Hampi. If I am not wrong, the only working Temple of the Hampi. I took a entry ticket to the Temple. Let me tell you that. It is not required to take a ticket to see the Shiva Idol( Snake) and roam around the temple. It is absolutely free for the locals as well as for the tourists. The Temple is surrounded by the Big walls. There is a Pond inside the Temple Compound increasing the beauty of the Ruins. The Flowing Tungabhadra river near to the Temple increasing it's significance. There is no parameter to calculate the joy of watching a beautiful place. After a short tour of the temple, I headed towards the Riverbank. I sat there for some time and looking to the cluster of Big boulders like the clouds in the sky. I just want to see the river and How i have spent a considerable amount of time looking at the site, I don't know.

Cycles are available near to the Temple Compound at a reasonable Price. I prefer not to take, Tourist places in Hampi are within 6 KM Radius. I went straight towards the Matunga Hills and Bull Temple. Nandi is sitting just nose straight to the main idol in the Virupaksha Temple at a distance of 300M. Both the side of the road is full of Market Ruins.

From there I followed the street signs and people to the next Main attraction of the Hampi( Veerbhadra temple). It is just 2KM from the Virupaksha Temple through the Hills. No Vehicles can go to the Temple through the same road. I have taken the walkway and followed the narrow path made by Humans. After reaching a cluster of temple, I have taken rest near the banks of the Tungabhadra. From there I have taken a path less taken by the Lone Traveler. Through the hunted roads of the hills beside the river and by following the same route,

I reached Vijaya Vithala Temple. The stone chariot in the middle of the Temple courtyard is like a gemstone in a necklace. In front of the Stone chariot, there is the Sabha mandapa standing on 56 nos of pillars. Out of that 7 Pillars can make 7 notes of the Music, when stuck . I Spoke to some locals near to the Vithala Temple and come to know that it is better to see another temple on the way to the Hospet than walk around 3 Km to the fairy point of Anegudi Hanuman Temple.

I started walking towards the Hospet station and roam around the Saraswati Temple. There is not much to see but it denotes believe in different types of a deity not just Krishna or Shiva. I went back to the Bus stand got the bus to Queens Bath Place. There are small tourist attractions available. After that, I walked along the same road to see the Lotus Mahal. This is significant architecture in zenana enclosure which is very different style than other buildings in Hampi.

Elephant stable is near to the Zenana Enclosure. It consists of 11 square chambers aligned from North to the south. There is so many small building blocks and temples near to the zanana enclosure. From West to the zanana enclosure there is Hazara Rama Temple and Royal Enclosure. One can see the nearby places from the top of the Royal Enclosure. It is having 100 Stairs to the top of the Building. Adjacent to that I have visited the Puskarini( Public Bath). During the Diwali, Local used to lit candles all over the steps.

After a long walk from the temple to the Main road, I took a bus to Hampi. It cost me 7 Indian Rupees. I took a Motor fairy to the other side of the River to explore the place. I crossed the river near Virupaksha Temple. It cost me 20 Indian rupees. I took a walk towards the boulder cluster nothing else. As road ends, I headed back to the sunset point as It was going to Sun Set. I took back Motor Fairy. I had to wait for some time as there were very few people who want to go to that side of the hills. Finally I crossed the river with the motor fairy. It cost me 20 Indian Rupees. I had my snacks and headed to the famous Sunset Point. No one can deny the place is beautiful as well as spiritually connected.

This is a special Sunset as there is so many sunset point in India with surreal beaches and Lush green Hill Tops but Sunset in Hampi surrounded by Large boulders and temples is something different. I sat at the Hemakuta Hills Sunset point for 2 hours.

I called it a day at the Hampi Journey. There was so many places to see around the Hampi, But i covered all the iconic Monuments in and around Hampi. Let just hope I will come back to Hampi to see the other places and obvious the sunset from the Matanga Hills That time. I took a Bus to Hospet Bus stand. It cost me 13 Indian Rupees.

Let's Enjoy the Coming Days. Happy Travel Memories. Please have a visit to the Historic place.

Personal Views I am not spiritually attracted to the place as I have imagined this place as World UNESCO Heritage. The place of Art and culture. I am more inclined to the fascination of the Art in the 14th Century India. The amount of money has been invested in such architecture, No one can imagine what kind of the process it has been gone through before the plan to make a such a big city with proper planning and all the facility. The place is so much filled with the Architectural Marvelous. Hampi was the largest market on the planet with proper planning of the water reservation and water disposal. As believed The Great King Krishna Devaraya has made this city with the love of a classical Dancer Nagala Devi. Before it was renamed as the Vijayanagara or Hampi, This place was called Nagala Puri. The King is so much in love with Art and Music. The place is perfectly placed near to the Tungabhadra River as much Ancient Civilisation in India. Historians made a connection to the Mythology. The place is significant Value in the Ramayana and so many other holy books in India.

Local Interaction Outcome

I have inquired about the places and local culture at the particular time. There is so much to learn from them about the travel and collateral damage due to the increased in the no. of travelers. I was shocked to know that, the local people are not happy as they should be. There is no development in the quality of life. The increased travelers attracted the big hoteliers to the small village and commercialization of the space. It is just damaging the environment and giving very little to the locals.