Don't worry..Be HAMPI..

There really is something magical about Hampi that I just can't describe, there's a good reason why this place is very much on the backpacker trail in India.And it has always been on my bucket list..

Perhaps it is the surreal boulder strewn landscape, interspersed by bright emerald paddy fields, perhaps it is the amazing ruins of temples, or the magical stories of myths and legends and gods and goddesses or the surrounding countryside that is almost frozen in time. Perhaps it's a combination of all these things that make Hampi so special.

So we just packed our backpack,hopped on to the bike started our 380km ride from Hyderabad to Hampi..

We already pre-planned to stay near sanapura lake..So we reached at around 7pm and checked into Staychillhampi.
It was a beautiful property with a little cafe,cottages and a camping area..We preferred camping over there.

So the next day we wanted to do some touristy stuff..we drove off to the ferry point and went to the other side and got down at virupaksha temple.

VIRUPAKSHA TEMPLE-
I was mersmerized with the grandiosity this temple held..
We took few pictures and went out near the hampi bazar to rent out cycles for the day..

HERITAGE WALK-The ancient path:
We started off towards the ancient pathway which connected Virupaksha and vittala..We were kind of misinformed that it was a cycling trail so we had to carry the cycles most of the time..

Nevertheless walking through the ancient pathway was out of the world experience..I just kept wondering how it all must have been like in those days?
I walked through the empty bazaar lanes and stop for a while to let the bustling business pass by in my imagination..

We crossed through sugriv's cave and the banyan tree and reached the vittala temple..

VITTALA TEMPLE-
One of the all the time famous ruins is The Vittal Temple which was built by Devaraya Il during 15th century who was the ruler of Vijayanagar Empire.

This is a great example of craftsmanship and architectural excellence of the sculptor's of the Vijayanagara era. This temple is built in Dravidian style and was damaged during the Mughals invasion over the Vijayanagara Empire.

One can even spend a whole day admiring this structure. This structure is very unique and special. Mostly constructed using stone except the gopuram above roof which is brick.

The Maha Mandapa contains four open halls for each direction. The main highlight is its richly carved giant monolithic pillars which are 10feet in height supporting the roof structure.

You find slender and short pillars carved out of the main pillars,called as Musical pillars. Yes! You read it right, Musical pillars also know as SaReGaMa pillars. When they are gently tapped, we can hear the musical notes..

And other than the pillars, we can see the carvings in bottom part of the structure.

It has carvings of horses, warriors, swans and several other ornamental designs.

This temple is a must visit place in Hampi for its beautiful craftsmanship and magnificent architecture.

Unfortunately my cycle broke down and we had to get back to Hampi bazar to return that..
And then we took the last ferry at 5:30 and returned to our camp..

Important timings-the ferry starts at around 7am and the last one is at 5:30pm sharp..If we miss that ferry and if we have to return to sanapur,we will have to to take an auto which can charge us upto 1000rs.. Distance is about 20km
There are no direct buses.We might have to change 3 to 4 buses..

The next day we checked out of staychillhampi and checked into rambo guest house..It's a dormitory with camping facilities too..what stole our heart was the hospitality they serve..In a moment I felt like home.And it had a very rustic look inside..
We dropped our luggage and had a quick breakfast and decided to go towards hampi again to see few places again..

ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF HAMPI-
One such must visit place in Hampi is the Archaeological Museum. The collection of sculptures and architectural members were made by the British Officers and were earlier housed at the Elephant stables. The Archaeological Survey of India established its museum here in 1972, the antiques were shifted to the present building at Kamalapura. The museum can be visited on the way to the relatively isolated area located towards the southeast end of Hampi ruins. The museum has four galleries enclosing the model of Hampi valley with a corridor all around. The exhibits in the museum consists of elegant replica of Krishnadevaraya, most famed ruler of Vijayanagara dynasty and his queens greeting the visitors at the entrance.

HAZARARAMA TEMPLE-
Hazara Rama Temple was built in the early part of the 15th century by Devaraya II. The term Hazara Rama literally means a thousand Rama and refers to the large number of Ramayana panels depicted on the walls. This temple is believed to be the private temple of the kings and the royal family of Vijayanagara.

ROYAL ENCLOSURE-
A dusty road from 'Queen's Bath' takes further north towards a high walled structure called 'Royal Enclosure' and the first striking feature you'll come face to face is called 'Mahanavmi Dibba'.

"This elevated platform is where the King Krishnadevaraya used to sit and watch various musical performances, aquatic sports and mainly 9 days of Navratri functions" - narrated our guide and all we could imagine in those ruins was beautifully clad dancers performing in sync.

It will be untrue if I'll say I wasn't disheartened to see the reality flattened out and unrecognizable pieces here and there, but the entire area has a vibe that will transport you to a once alive and kicking community.

Just when you are shaking your head in disbelief, you will come across a still un-destroyed structure - the step-well - that among the totally ruined ones seems totally intact - not even a scratch. The step-well is very different from the other architectures in Hampi. It was constructed using the finished block of black schist stones. The mason marks on them indicate that these blocks were fabricated somewhere else and then brought and assembled here The tank has 5 landings, each connected by mini steps and symmetry is quite pleasing to the eyes.

We kept the last day to just relax and chill at our stay.we sat in the cafe the whole day..we met a lot of solo travellers and we got lost in their travel stories and experiences.I must say the level we people connected was beyond what I expected..
I felt safer with these people than what I feel at my hometown..
Evening we just went for a stroll near the sanapur lake..Sat on a rock and watched the sunset..Quite and serene,the whole trip flashed in front of my eyes..There was sense of satisfaction and freedom that coming on this small trip was the best thing that has happened in the near past..