The trip price includes to and from travelling expense for Bus,Hotel and every other thing.
It was a Solo Travel. I started from Pune on 18th night at 10 pm and reached Hospet at 9am . I took the bus for Hampi from the Hospet Bus Stand ,it costed me around Rs15.
It took 45 minutes to reach the Hampi Bus stand ,which welcomes you with a magnificent view of the Hemakunta Hills and the Virupaksha Temple.
After getting down I directly headed to the shore of the TungaBhadra river where motor boats/coracle sail you to the other side of the shore.
I reached Hippie Island which is the unofficial name of Virupapura Gaddi. I booked a single room guest house in Vijaynagara Guest House for Rs300 for one day. I freshened up and started my journey.
Hippie Island is known for its lush green paddy fields,Kiskindhya(Birth place of Lord Hanuman)/sunset point,Sanapur Lake(must visit),Anegundi Fort and Hills,PampaSarovar,and getting lazy in cozy shacks or huts and enjoying some peaceful time.
I rented a Honda Navi for Rs250 and filled 1ltr petrol from local sellers selling it for Rs90.
The place wows you with the scenery of the place consisting of Boulder mountains ,coconut trees and lush green paddy fields.
I went to Anegundi Fort , the hills and interacted with school children and had a nice time with them.
Then I headed to the petrol pump and filled it with 2ltrs of petrol (that would be enough).
Then I went to Pampa Sarovar.
It was 1 30 pm and next headed for Sanapur Lake. The road to Sanapur lake must be captured throughout. You shouldn't stop once the lake arrives . I would suggest to start the video and head in that direction for more 3 to 4 kms. The place breathes you a wonderful scenery that you could never forget. Then return back to lake ,take a ride in the coracle and enjoy the beauty of the lake and the nature. Next thing you do is have your lunch and rest a bit.
Take a sip of coffee and start for the Kiskindhya(Sunset Point)/(birth place of Lord Hanuman) temple at 4 45 pm. You have to climb 575 steps to reach the top of the temple. The sunset view from the temple will immerse you with peace,colours and beauty of nature. It will breeze away all your stress and worries and will pump you with joy and delight.
You can either keep the bike or have to deposit it before 7 pm.
Now comes the real excitement. The beautiful themed cafes welcome you with all sorts entertainment,music and Israeli,Russian or Italian cuisine. There are many great cafes you can try . I had a wonderful time in the Top Secret Cafe. A foreigner band mesmerised us with the drum and tunes of sitar. I had Mexican Sizzler and it was delicious.
After having my dinner I roamed the narrow streets and visited the local shops and they all welcome you with a open heart. I bought some antiques.
Then I went to my guest house where the Cafe was playing a movie.
So I sat there and enjoyed the movie and then went to sleep at 10 pm.
I started for the other side of the river at 7am. I had breakfast in Hampi. The hotel was managed by ladies and it was very well organized and clean . They served South Indian food. After breakfast I went to Virupaksha Temple. There are many small kids selling book on Hampi. You should buy that one. The actual price of the book is Rs100 but you can haggle and get it for Rs75. Inside the temple if you are lucky enough you get to see the elephant and offer dakshina or fruit. Inside the temple you witness some great sculpting and painting on the inside top roof which decipts an epic. The temple has a room where you can see the inverted image of the tower reflected on the wall.
Next thing you do is rent a cycle for Rs80 or Rs100( I walked my entire trip). Tour the Hemakunta Hills and it's another sunset point. Ensure that you cover each and every place ,temples in the hill. The places to see here is Sasasivekalu Ganesh, Kadalekalu Ganehsa, double storeyed building on stone pillars ,Jain temples.
Next you head to UgraNarasimha statue and Badavlinga. UgraNarasimha is the biggest idol in Hampi. The Badavlinga is made of black stone and its always in water since a canal passes through this temple.
500 mtrs ahead is the Krishna Temple which decipts the early life of Lord Krishna. Observe the towers in the temple they are very minutely sculpted. Infront of Krishna Temple is the Krishna Baazar which is huge and is eye catching.
After visiting the temple, ride through the straight roads and enjoy the whispering breeze. Next you stop at the Veerbhadra temple and then on the way you find the sisters stone which has broken.
The moment you slow down and decide to take a break ,the sight of the Hazara Rama Temple takes you aback. This temple is dedicated to Shri Ram. The temple is intricately carved like all the temples. The temple carves the entire Ramayana on its walls. It's a must visit temple.In between you shouldn't miss the Pataleswara temple which is an underground temple and exists in ruins. You must visit this place.
The next site is Lotus Mahal.(Keep the ticketa with yourself till you visit Vittala Temple). The Lotus Mahal ,and the Elephants stable at the backside is an architectural splendour and is a photographers delight . The artwork on the walls of the Lotus Mahal is one of the finest. Diagonal to the Lotus Mahal is a watch tower which is now in a dilapidated conditions, but speaks a volume about the kingdom. Beside the Elephants stable is the guards room.
Riding straight from here you reach the Mahanavami Dibba and the Pushkarini. Mahanavami Dibba is the only place that stands complete now. It's a very high platform which the king built after his conquest of Odisha. The stepped portions are intricately carved and speaks about the trade and other activities that took place under Vijaynagara kingdom. On descending down you see a beautifully stepped water tank and the precision in which the tank is carved ,makes you mind blown. It was one of my favourite site.Outside the Mahanavami Dibba are the stone doors placed on the ground.
On pedaling a few steps you reach the Queen's Bath . No, you won't find the queen bathing there . But it's a place you must not skip.
It was 2 30 pm.
Time for lunch. To have my lunch I used the Government bus to reach Kamlapur( I walked to all this places,I didn't rent a cycle).
I finished my lunch and took rest for 30 mins and again started at 3 30 pm. I kept the best place for the last.
It was Vijaya Vittala Temple. The famous place of Hampi ,whose photograph you find in the Indian currency of Rs50. This is the most photographed place. I booked an auto for Rs200 ( to & fro) price.
The first word came to my mouth was ' Welcome to the city of ruins. The beauty of the place captured my soul. Describing it's beauty would be less if you don't observe it from your eyes. The area is full of ruins. You don't need to buy another ticket keep the ticket you bought for Lotus Mahal. The gate itself is very elegant and a piece of wonder. On entering the premise you see the stone chariot, the beehive where all the bees gather. Left side of the temple is a mantap supported by numerous pillar. Some pillars are musical. On striking the pillars you get to hear different notes of music. It took around 1 and 1/2 hours to observe and explore the place . It was worth spending that much time for that place.
I left the temple at 5 30 and reached Kamlapur at 5 50 . I took bus and reached Hospet as I had bus for Pune at 6 30.
In these 2 days I covered 65% to 70% of Hampi. The city reflects the artistic and sculpting skills of our hardworking skilled ancestors and packs a rich history of Indian culture ,art and tradition. The city is also gifted with it's unique natural beauty,the Boulder mountains.
The city will etch a strong everlasting memory and enrich you with its historical significance and at the same time will make you fall in love with the peaceful life on the other side of the river.
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