Jan 20, 2017 11:25 PM
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What should I begin with? If you are looking forward to going somewhere extremely peaceful and beautiful on a tight budget, Hampi is one of the best choices in our country. Once the proud capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, Hampi is a city of ruins holding within it the last vestiges of the great empire. When we chose Hampi as the location for our last weekend trip, it wasn't very exciting for me as I knew it as a place of historical importance with lots of ancient monuments. How wrong I was going to be, I had no idea.
We started from Chennai and first reached Bangalore from where we booked a sleeper bus to a small town named Hospet near to which Hampi is located. The bus journey from Bangalore to Hospet took around 7-8 hours. Hosapet is the nearest town to Hampi where you can travel to by train or bus. After another 30 minutes auto ride from Hospet, we finally reached Hampi. On the way, there were quite a few monuments which we could see at a distance.
As we crossed the gates of the small tourist village of Hampi, the first sight we had was of the Sri Virupaksha temple. Tall, majestic and splendid, the temple towered over the village. We had booked our accommodation in one of the several small guest houses there. It was very evident that the whole village lived on tourism. Most houses were either entirely for tourists or rented out a portion of the house for tourists, with lots of restaurants and handicrafts market surrounding them. The village was very pleasant and noise free with hardly any vehicles around. We came to know from the house owner that all the residents of Hampi stood together and made sure that no corporates from the outside world came into the village, thus ensuring a serene atmosphere in the village.
For all of you who are looking forward to shop here, make sure that you have a good amount of cash in hand. The village is only starting to get used to cashless transactions. The place is very safe, as the village is full of friendly locals and curious foreigners.
To travel around the place, we had to make a choice between an auto rickshaw or a rented cycle as no outside vehicles were allowed inside the village. And trust me, a cycle is the way to be here. Amazingly good roads with lots of beauty around you, a cycle is easily the cheap and optimal option.
On the first day at Hampi, we decided to explore the monuments and places to see on the road connecting Hampi to Kamalapuram Museum. The greenery and the pleasant winds added to the joy of cycling as we set out. There are a lot of places to see here, details of which you can easily find from the internet. I will just concentrate on some of my favorites.
The Royal Enclosure is for the photographer in you. Scenic locations to take all the awesome future profile pictures for you. You will be able to see the duct system that was used to transport water during that time, the royal swimming pool next to it. The Rangamahal remains is an exquisite show of past architecture, judging from the ruins it has left behind. We can see the quality of Indian architecture here which includes even underground constructions. The Lotus Mahal showcases the royalty of that period, with its beautiful exquisite buildings. The elephant stable within the Mahal is worth the sight.
The next day, we decided to start with the Mathanga hills. As we trekked past the monolithic bulls, what started as a gentle slope started to turn into a full fledged climb up the hill. There is a rest spot for travellers in between the climb from where the sight of the ruins below and the mountains surrounding it was breathtakingly beautiful. At the top of the hills, there is a temple with Lord Siva as the deity. The whole view of Hampi from the top of the temple will be one of the most beautiful sights a traveller would see. As you climb down the hills, you can move into the ruins of the Achyutaraya Temple, which again is very photogenic. Lots of places of importance are around the temple, with the Tungabhadra river flowing right next to them. A boat trip across the river is exciting, with more beautiful places to see.
To describe about the different places in Hampi is pointless. With all its mystery, Hampi is for the explorer. There are infinite small routes leading off to different ruins and monuments and places of natural beauty all around, you can often get confused where to go. If you have the spirit of adventure combined with the sense of appreciation for nature and craftsmanship, this is one of those places you must visit.
