If you have just thought that Rome was not built in a day let me assure you that Hampi was also not built in a day. I have seen both Rome and Hampi, and to be honest, I was more amazed by the latter.
Hampi is more like an open museum. You will see history in each of the numerous stones scattered everywhere.Though now everything is in ruins but still one can feel the vast magnitude of an once prosperous city of Vijaynagara.
One thing we realised while seeing Hampi was that it is IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE HAMPI IN A DAY. Please keep aside atleast 3 days if you are planning for a Hampi visit. We kept 2 days for Hampi and at the end we still felt that we should have kept 2 more days.
From Dandeli we drove till Hampi. The road is good and its roughly 250 km. Once we reached Hampi, it was almost 4:30 in the afternoon. There are quite a good number of lodges (people rent a few rooms in their own house to tourists) in Hampi. We checked in one such lodge that was just outside the Virupaksha Temple. It was a no fuss and pretty okay lodge. From the lodge we could get a clear temple view whenever we used to go to its roof top restaurant.
A lot of tourists stay at Hospet which is just 12 km from Hampi. The reason for staying there is that there are lots of hotels in terms of choice and budget. Moreover in Hampi both liquor and non-veg food is not allowed. Tourists can enjoy those luxuries in Hospet.
Since the day was almost nearing to an end, we decided to check the Virupaksha Temple and the adjoining Hampi Baazar. The Virupaksha temple is kept open till 8:30 PM and buses ply between Hospet and Virupaksha temple. It is a huge temple complex and house temples of Pataleshwara, Muktinarashimha, Suryanarayana, Laxminarasimha and Mahishasura Mardini. The main deity is Lord Virupaksha, after whose name the temple is, also referred to as Pampapati (husband of Pampa).
Since it was already dark, we did not go to the back of the temple where there is a dark chamber. There is a hole in the eastern side through which sunlight enters and an inverted image of the temple tower is formed on the western wall.
Next we went to the adjacent Hampi Baazar. The Bazaar is now a lot more slimer than what it was even a few years back. There are shops mostly selling souvenir and jewellery. It makes a lot of sense to hire a guide for a day and also get equipped with one of those numerous ASI guide books. You will find them almost at all important sites in Hampi.
From the next day we will start our actual Hampi exploration.
Please read the next part here Hampi,beauty admist ruins~Part II
Important Pointers:
Hotels: There are plenty of hotels in Hospet which is 12 km from Hampi
In case if you want to stay in hampi you can opt for the lodges near Virupaksha Temple.
Guide: It makes a lot sense to hire a guide. There is so much of interesting history in each and every corner of the ruins that if you actually roam aimlessly it actually does not make much sense.
Hampi is an UNESCO World Heritage site and a no plastic zone, so please be a responsible tourist. Most of the places and monuments do not take any charges for entry and photography.
Best time to visit Hampi is during the winter months, it really really gets hot in Hampi during Summer.
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| Vittala Temple Stone Chariot |
One thing we realised while seeing Hampi was that it is IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE HAMPI IN A DAY. Please keep aside atleast 3 days if you are planning for a Hampi visit. We kept 2 days for Hampi and at the end we still felt that we should have kept 2 more days.
From Dandeli we drove till Hampi. The road is good and its roughly 250 km. Once we reached Hampi, it was almost 4:30 in the afternoon. There are quite a good number of lodges (people rent a few rooms in their own house to tourists) in Hampi. We checked in one such lodge that was just outside the Virupaksha Temple. It was a no fuss and pretty okay lodge. From the lodge we could get a clear temple view whenever we used to go to its roof top restaurant.
 |
| Virupaksha Temple |
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| Lodges near Virupaksha Temple |
Since the day was almost nearing to an end, we decided to check the Virupaksha Temple and the adjoining Hampi Baazar. The Virupaksha temple is kept open till 8:30 PM and buses ply between Hospet and Virupaksha temple. It is a huge temple complex and house temples of Pataleshwara, Muktinarashimha, Suryanarayana, Laxminarasimha and Mahishasura Mardini. The main deity is Lord Virupaksha, after whose name the temple is, also referred to as Pampapati (husband of Pampa).
Since it was already dark, we did not go to the back of the temple where there is a dark chamber. There is a hole in the eastern side through which sunlight enters and an inverted image of the temple tower is formed on the western wall.
Next we went to the adjacent Hampi Baazar. The Bazaar is now a lot more slimer than what it was even a few years back. There are shops mostly selling souvenir and jewellery. It makes a lot of sense to hire a guide for a day and also get equipped with one of those numerous ASI guide books. You will find them almost at all important sites in Hampi.
From the next day we will start our actual Hampi exploration.
Please read the next part here Hampi,beauty admist ruins~Part II
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| Hampi moment: At the gates of Prasanna Narasimha Statue |
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| Hampi Moment: Early Morning; Krishna Temple overlooking Krishna Bazar |
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| Hampi Moment: Ready to move towards Vittala Temple |
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| Hampi Moment: Hazara(one thousand) Rama Temple; Sun Down. |
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| Hampi Moment: Just above Krishna Bazar, Early morning. |
Important Pointers:
Hotels: There are plenty of hotels in Hospet which is 12 km from Hampi
In case if you want to stay in hampi you can opt for the lodges near Virupaksha Temple.
Guide: It makes a lot sense to hire a guide. There is so much of interesting history in each and every corner of the ruins that if you actually roam aimlessly it actually does not make much sense.
Hampi is an UNESCO World Heritage site and a no plastic zone, so please be a responsible tourist. Most of the places and monuments do not take any charges for entry and photography.
Best time to visit Hampi is during the winter months, it really really gets hot in Hampi during Summer.
