Hampi a majestic land was the final spot we zeroed down to when looking for a weekend getaway . Hampi is one place which is a land of ruins spread across acres of land with rich monumental heritage and history enough to leave anyone stunned .Infact I would say Hampi is poor man's Egypt , one place which can leave you completely awestruck by the grandeur of marvellously carved architectural remains.
The journey begins. Our journey began on a promising note as it was bestowed with showers of blessings on the onset of our journey which did save us from seething in Hampi's scorching sun .We started around 7:30 and boarded the bus to Hospet at 9:30 .The journey from Bangalore to Hospet lasted exactly 8 hours; we reached the Hospet Bus stand at 6.00 a.m. Then started the haggling with the swarm of auto drivers who descended on us even before we got off from the bus.The distance from Hospet to Hampi is about 13 kms and the autowallas started the amount at 150/-; we were able to get them to 120/- and then off we went. The idea was to go till the boat point on the river Tungabhadra from where we will go across to Virupapur Gadde to check out the guesthouse on that side. Ankit one of our friends recommended staying across the river as the nicer accommodations are in that part of Hampi – all favoured by foreigners mostly.
We took a motorboat , reached the shore and as we were walking we saw the word 'Kishkindha ' written on a board which provoked the genesis discussions of Hampi.The history of Hampi begins as the kingdom of monkeys or Kishkindha from Ramayana where Lord Rama met Hanuman. There is infact a temple atop a hillock which stands as an evidence to . Moving forward we checked out 2-3 stays with dingy rooms and finally landed in Shanthi Guest House.It appeared as quaint and popular place next to the river and scenic paddy fields. Rooms were nice with attached toilet and a swing right in front .It was a cloudy morning, on account of it having rained the night before – the weather was cool and breezy ,any attempts to get the sunrays were foiled by the cloud cover so I decided to lay on the swing , enjoy the serene view of lush green paddy field , hear the bird chatter and not to be missed do some occasional camera work .The whole thing of sitting on a swing, gabbing with friends and taking pics of paddy fields, had such a surreal feel to it. After feasting the eyes it was time for the real feast and we headed to Mowgli restra where we had a real sumptous and fillig brunch .To my surprise all the continental dishes which some of my friends oredered turned out really well which was least expected by me atleast . After the lazy friday brunch we headed for the Hampi sightseeing .
As we set out on our tour of Hampi, we started witnessing the real charisma of the ruins much heard of .My knowledge of history however has become a bit rusty and I didn’t do much reading up before I went. Hampi is a true paradise for history lovers and has the beauty of unfolding many mysterious stories . Its journey from being a stretch of uninhabited land to the capital of one of the richest kingdoms in India, to once again becoming a neglected area forgotten for generations is vast and amazing.
Vijayanagara, the capital of the mighty Vijayanagara, was founded in 1336 AD by two Hindu brothers Hakka and Bukka under the able guidance of a Brahmin priest Madhva Vidyaranya. Bukka is credited with laying the foundations of a brilliant irrigation system, traces of which are left even today, and inspire awe and admiration among tourists.The kingdom became stronger with every new heir to throne but just like all good things come to an end this period of growth was followed by one of stagnation, with a few weak kings, and the Sangamas were replaced by the Saluvas. These were then followed by the Tuluvas.
The wheel of time took a turn and the throne was annexed by Krishnadevaraya – who left an indelible mark on the city, and indeed history, though he ruled for less than 20 years! It was he who re-established supremacy over south India, subdued the Bahamani Sultans, and re-captured Orissa. No doubt he wa a great patron of art and architecture . Most of the architecture of that period owes much to him, he embellished his capital too with great temples, and renovated those already present.
This fairy tale city was devoid of all its strength and splendor in 1565 AD when the then ruler Rama Raya was defeated and killed by a confederation of Muslim kings. The capital was ransacked and reduced to Shambles within 6 months by the victorious Mohamedans who left it desolate, resembling more a ghost city than a former captital. This in short was the tale of Hampi.
Coming back to my tale we hired an auto and our first halt was Krishna Temple .The Krishna temple at Hampi was built by Krishnadevaraya to celebrate the success of his Orissa campaign. It is believed that he brought back with him, an idol of Bala Krishna – Krishna, the child – which was enshrined in this temple. Each pillar of this temple was beautifully adorned with carvings which were a masterpiece .The ceiling of this temple seemed to be burnt as a part of the loot nad plunder. A short walk from the Krishna temple leads us to one of the most impressive figures in all of Hampi – the monolithic sculpture of Narasimha – the fourth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The huge size of the idol reflects the sheer awesomeness of the sculptors (aided with no fancy machines )of that time .Next was a lingam – almost adjacent to this figure – which is believed to have been commissioned by a poor woman. Another monolith, it is as majestic as the earlier one, except for the embellishments. This is called the ‘Badavalinga’.
Next we headed to Hazara Rama Temple .This temple was full of carvings depicting scenes from Ramayana . Just outside the temple was Hampi bazar where sacks of diamonds and emeralds were traded. The bazaar is spread across acres of ruins. What a fortune it would have been to live in that era , disregarding the wars of course .
After that we covered Queens bath ,Lotus Temple , Elephant stable and Watch tower. Queens would take bath and kings would rejoice from the watch tower :P . Lotus Temple had an amazing symmetrical architecture . After resting for a while we headed to an Underground temple. This is below the ground level. There is always a certain level of water inside. It has a connection with some remote water source it seems.
This was near Royal Enclosure , our next destination was the largest extant enclosure. Occupying an area of 59,000 square metres and protected by lofty double walls, it housed as many as 45 buildings including the Mahanavami Dibba , King's audience hall and the public bath. Mahanavmi Dibba was splendid and standing there gave an insight of all the kingly constructions spread around . There was a secret chamber for those who would experience a chill down their spine by the thought of spooky , mysterious , dark chambers.
After doing our photo shoot we descended towards the most splendid and photogenic place of Hampi ,the Vittala temple. To reach this place you can take a battery operated tram run by women promoting eco-friendly practices and also empowering women by providing them employment.The temple's gopuram is practically all gone, but inside, its another story .The highlight of Vittala temple is its impressive pillared halls .The halls are carved with an overwhelming array of sculptures on the giant granite pillars.These are monolithic pillars, with 16 or 25 smaller pillars in each one and among these are the musical pillars – which not only give out notes when struck, but are also said to reproduce the sound of various musical instruments .Then there is the stone chariot which is possibly the most famous and most photographed structure in all of Hampi.
The day would have been incomplete without shopping for some local wear , there was an array of shops in front of Virupaksha Temple decorated with haram paints , colorful tops , funky junk jwellery and the English hats . We did some shopping and headed back to our guest house Shanthi .We ended the day, with a long and lazy dinner in the sitout area of Mowgli. The glow of the lanterns was bewitching and lent a surreal look to the whole place. The food in this place was incredibly good; we tried the Indian ,Chinese and Italian dishes mainly and were happy with the lot. Some entertainment for the evening was provided by a group of firangs sitting next to us ;).
Now came the day two where we had on list to cover Mango tree ,Hanuman temple and the
coracle ride .We started with Hampi temple at 7 am and after climbing 512 steps. The view from there was amazing , and the great boulders that surround this lovely little place appeared breathtaking! . After attending the Arti we rushed back to grab breakfast which was kinda disappointing as we were there in an off season and most of the food joints were closed . Next was time to get all decked up in the Hampi attire we girls purchased the previous day . We had a portfolio shoot in that funky oops funny attire and then we were all set to relish food at much heard Mango tree restaraunt. Mango Tree is a lazy and relaxed restaurant that can be reached by walking through a banana plantation, west of the Hampi Bazaar. It has a nice
terraced seating with views of the river .They also serve nice food at a very reasonable price . Nice place to kick back for a while in the middle of a hot day.
Full with sumptous lunch we went for the final coracle ride which was so serene and makes you wonder about the great boulders ..how they came to be there, no one knows for certain. Mythology says they were thrown there by a mischievous god. Science tells us that they are the last remnants of a volcanic eruption… No matter how they came to be there, they stand vigil, sole witnesses to the highs and lows of various dynasties who passed by….They watched over as kings were born, as kings ruled and made their names, some for their valour, some for their wisdom, some for their greed….. They stand testimony to the kings’ foresight….. As water channels and aqueducts, capable of supplying water even today, five hundred years after
they were made…They stand testimony to the kings’ understanding of markets…. as huge areas set aside for commerce…They stand testimony to the kings’ spirituality…
in the form of huge temples… most of all, they stand testimony to the creativity of the artisans, who created works of art which the world would admire…
Standing tall among all the ruins, are they telling us not to make the same mistakes as those before us? To live a peaceful life without greed or enmity, forgetting petty differences such as religion and languages, to live in peace and harmony, for as humans, our life is short. We will soon pass on, but these huge boulders shall remain witness to our lives too, and what we choose to make of it! Tada the philosophy time over and it was time to say goodbye to Hampi
Before I say a goodbye here I would like to share some freebies for those of you who plan to Hampi soon -
Must Carry
A nice camera , sunscreens and scarf or a cap .
When to go?
The best time to go to Hampi is whenever its raining towards Bangalore side so that the temparature becomes bearable . Months of October to February would serve you the best .
How did we get to Hampi from Bangalore ?
The best way is to take a bus to Hospet. Its an overnight journey from Bangalore to Hospet and from Hospet you can hope in an auto.
Where to stay?
There are two options
- To stay near Hospet, where one can get accommodation – not advisable as Hospet is around 13 km from Hampi
- At Hampi town – there are many guest houses and lodges near Virupaksha temple and then many more across the river, there are many places which have a typical hippie, Goa feel.The lodgings are basic but scenic. And is a popular haunt of backpacking foreign tourists. To get across the river, one has to take a ferry to cross the river (2 min ride, ferry runs from 7 am to 6:30 pm). Mowgli or Shanthi are nice ones to check in .
Must do
Hampi sight seeing of course , lunch at mango tree , visit to hanuman temple and pampa sarovar and the coracle ride in the typical hippie outfit available at Hampi .
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