Hampi Dairies

If you wanna visit a place which has both historical and mythological prominence, then add Hampi to your bucket list.


Picturesque landscapes, magnificent monuments of architectural importance, massive temples with a rustic look, ruins of Vijayanagar Empire,  beautiful Tungabhadra river, Sunrise and Sunset Views, Rocky hills, Giant stones - it is about Hampi in brief. 

Coming to the detail, it was on 23rd Feb 2017. And it's a long weekend as Friday is a holiday due to MahaShivarathri. And all our plans to Lonavala and Vizag are cancelled due to some reasons. And I was worried as the long weekend will simply go as a waste. So I started googling for the places nearby Hyderabad to spend the weekend and came across this beautiful place- Hampi. And it is just 373 kms away. Read various blogs related to Hampi and found its the perfect place and the perfect time, as it is the end of the high season, to visit and convinced Nithin(my husband) too. 

As it was just the two of us, we did not opt to drive there but chose to travel by bus/train. So booked the train to Hospet which is 13 kms away from Hampi. And made a reservation for a hotel stay in Hospet at Priyanka residency. The charges were about 1000 and 1800 for Non-AC and AC rooms respectively. 

So we started to Hospet on 24th Feb by Kolhapur Express at 11 p.m. from Nampalli Station, Hyderabad. But, the better option is to take the evening train from Hyderabad and to reach early to Hospet the next day.

Waiting for Kolhapur Express at Nampalli Station

Day 1 (25th Feb):  Virupaksha Temple, Hemakuta hill, Sree Kodanda Rama temple on banks of Tungabadra river, Kadalekalu Ganesha,  Sasivekalu Ganesh, Krishna Temple , Tungabadhra Dam in Hospet.

As I always believe, convenient train journeys always happen in the night- board, sleep and disembark for a full day of whatever.
We reached Hospet by 10 a.m. and by 10:30 a.m. we checked into our pre-booked hotel Priyanka Residency. Got ready by 11 a.m. and started to Hampi by hiring an auto for 600 INR.
PS: Maybe that was the biggest mistake as we couldn't explore in that mid noon and returned Hospet by 2 p.m. Instead, we could have had lunch in Hospet itself and then after resting could have just visited attractions at Hospet.

Virupaksha Temple:


The first place we explored in Hampi was the Virupaksha temple- the only temple that still receives Pooja/Worship. As we reached by 12:30 p.m., the temple was almost closed. Enjoyed taking pictures, though we regret not knowing much about the architecture. Thought to google about it later as we were unable to hire a guide at that time. 







 A selfie with such a beautiful monument is a must !!! And it is the first picture of us in Hampi.  













Who doesn't love to pose in such a scenic place!!! 











The first thing we noticed in the temple was the Elephant giving blessings to people who offer money. Truly a well trained!!!!

Roof paintings- Dasavatarams

Hemakuta hill: 

Later, our auto driver tried to find a guide for us but couldn't. So he himself started guiding us and suggested to visit Hemakuta hill. So we just walked through that hill which is nearby Virupaksha Temple. You can enjoy the beautiful landscape of Hampi from that hill.And there are several ruined monuments/temples. 

Panorama from the Hemakuta hill

The dancer inside me; Me, after seeing those monuments and the mandaps

A selfie with Virupaksha Temple as background

Sree Kodandarama Temple on the banks of Tungabhadra River: 

After taking few snaps at Hemakuta hill, we headed to explore temples near Tungabadhra River.

These popsicles made us active even under such hot and burning Sun. 

Tungabhadra River.

Waited to go for boating but there was only one boat available which had left already and several other tourists waiting for it. So decided not to wait for but to drink coconut juice. And we were not so interested to visit the temple near that so we headed back. 

Kadalekalu Ganesha and Sasivekalu Ganesha:

Next, our driver took us to Kadalekalu and Sasivekalu Ganesha temples. These two are the giant monolithic sculptures of Lord Ganesha and got those names because of the shape of the belly.

Shrine of Sasivekalu Ganesha

Kadilekalu Ganesha

Posing inside Kadilekalu Ganesha Temple

Krishna Temple:

Next, we headed towards Krishna Temple. Here are few pictures of it.

The most important thing I will do when I wear long skirts is Twirling!!!! 

This ends our day 1 in Hampi. We started to Hampi and had lunch in Hospet at Iceland hotel and reached our hotel by 3 p.m. Took rest till 5 and after freshening up, we started sightseeing Hospet. So first thing in our itinerary of Hospet is Tungabhadra dam. Hired an auto to the dam for Rs 70. 
And you need to walk a lot to reach dam though it was quiet, cool and pleasant. 

And finally, we arrived!! Tungabhadra Dam. 

And the most awaited Sunset!!!

Tungabhadra Dam in lights!!!

After the Sunset, we thought of going to our room, but there was a garden nearby the dam which was very well maintained. So thought of giving a look and coincidentally there was a lazer-musical show too. Enjoyed the show which started with AR Rahman's Maa Tuje Salam followed by Karnataka's Anthem and then Mega Star's Abbani Tiyyani song which surprised me. This musical show reminded me of my childhood days. After a relaxing evening, we started to our room by an auto. We had slight breakfast in a local hotel which was not so convincing for me. So again after an hour break, we had dinner at our hotel, Manasa Restaurant. 

Day 2 - Badaviling Temple, Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Royal Enclosure, Mahanavami Dibba, Hazara Rama Temple, Zanana Enclosure, Elephant's Stable, Octagonal Pavilion, Talarigatta Gate, Vitthala Temple, Museum, Underground Shiva Temple, Shopping at Hampi Bazar, Sunset at Hemakuta hill.

We got ready by 7:30 a.m. itself and vacated our hotel room and left some of our luggage in reception itself and started to Hampi by local bus. It was just a 5 min walk to bus stand from our hotel and don't want to do the mistake of hiring an auto. We thought of hiring either a cycle or scooter to explore Hampi. So without wasting time, as soon as we reached Hampi bus stand, we inquired about cycle and scooter rentals. To our luck, many scooters are available for rent. It costs around 450 along with fuel. 

And this is my first ever Luna Experience. I feel so royal to drive the Luna in that local area though it was the reverse for Nithin. 




We were totally dependent on Google Maps and the reviews.  


And our first place in our itinerary was Badaviling Temple and Lakshmi Narasimha Temple.  One can enjoy the countryside beauty near these temples as these are surrounded by banana plantations. These two are the giant monolithic statues that were just adjacent to each other and you can see these pictures on almost every blog you search related to Hampi. In Hampi, almost all idols are East facing.
.

Badaviling Temple

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple

Royal Enclosure:

Though we were hungry, we didn't have breakfast anywhere as we want to cover as many places as possible before heat kicks in.  So we headed towards Royal Enclosure where you can see the ruins of Vijayanagara  Dynasty. The stepped tank is the attraction in that area. 

King's bathing Tank

Mahanavami Dibba is the platform used by the Royal family for important festivals like Mahanavami and the King used this stage to watch various musical performances, army march-pasts, war games etc.

Mahanavami Dibba

Stepped Tank

Hazara Rama Temple:

As you can see, the unique feature of this temple is that its' walls carry the story of Ramayana and it is the private temple of the King and Royal family. 

Inside Hazara Rama Temple and my poses continues!!! 

Shrine of Goddess in Hazara Rama Temple Complex

Relics portraying processions of horses, elephants, soldiers and dancing women taking part in Dussehra festival

Zanana Enclosure:

We need to buy tickets to enter Zanana Enclosure and the same ticket is valid for Museum and Vittala Temple as well. 

This was a reserved place for royal women and the attractions in this are Lotus Mahal, Elephant's Stable and Guard's Quarters.

Lotus Mahal

Elephants' Stables

Octagonal Water Pavilion: 

One among many ruined attractions

Vitthala Temple:

Next, we headed towards the most famous spot - Vitthala Temple. Here you can find a unique architecture of Vijayanagara Dynasty. By the time we reached here, I was damn hungry and decided to have breakfast and was looking for hotels on the way.

On the way to Vithhala Temple

On the way, we came across this Talarigatta gate which is an entrance to the city from the riverside.  

Talarigatta gate

Reached our destination spot, and found a small stall to have breakfast. But as time was 10:30 a.m., not many options for breakfast were available. So Nithin adjusted with tamarind rice and mirchi bajji. I didn't want to eat rice and I was expecting to eat some south Indian breakfast as Karnataka is famous for it. The lady who served rice came to me and said only three idlis are available and inquired whether I am willing to have them. I felt myself lucky and accepted her offer immediately. 

Had stomach full of food and inquired about how to reach Vittala temple(as Vehicles are not allowed inside and it's about 1.5km to the temple) with that lady. She said we can go by battery cars to reach the temple. I felt so relieved hearing about battery cars. 

To and fro it is just 20 per head. We got the front seat beside the driver. This reminds of my Andaman Trip as even in that we got the front seat beside driver while exploring the city. I feel ourselves lucky as we had a very good view of the monuments which were on the way.

And my husband is the guide for me in this temple as he had explored many videos related to the architecture of this temple. 

It took an hour to explore it. I thought of doing some shopping outside the temple but the fellow is telling very high prices. But I love all those silver stuff. So I decided to do shopping in Hampi Bazar. 

It's mid noon and we know that we cannot roam under the hot and sizzling Sun and we need a shelter badly. Thought of spending time in restaurants but we had one more option also, i.e Archaeological Museum. And it was the best place for us to visit in mid-noon as we were able to escape the heat. 

Nithin trying to listen SaRiGaMaPaDaNi from the pillars in Museum

After spending 1 hour in that museum, we decided to have lunch in Tibetan Kitchen as we liked the authentic style of seating arrangements there. #GoogleMapsReviews.

Reached hotel around 2 p.m. and ordered Veg noodles first and he got it exactly after 30 mins and in between Nithin ordered Egg Thanthuk and he got it exactly after an hour. If you are very tired and if you cannot roam in hot Sun, then this is the best place to relax and eat.  

Relaxing at Tibetan Kitchen

Egg Thanthuk

Now, the only thing that was left for us to do in Hampi was watching the Sunset. And we still had time for Sunset so the next thing we did was, my favourite, shopping in Hampi Bazar. Roamed the entire bazaar twice and bought few ornaments. 

And then for the Sunset time, we went to Hemakuta hill and explored the vast area. And this place exactly reminded me of my Pednanna's village (Yendapalli, Kadapa) where we used to climb a hill similar to this one.  

Playing with the shadows!!!!

Selfie-1

Selfie-2

View of Virupaksha Temple from Hemakuta Hill

Finally found someone to take a picture of us!!!!

And he is very much interested in photography. Lucky we!!!

And my posing continues.....

Pose-1

Pose-2

Pose-3

A Candid one I guess

And a picture perfect one!!!!

My favourite one!!!

After enjoying the scenic Sunset, we immediately started to Hospet on a local bus. We reached our hotel by 7:30 p.m., collected our luggage and got freshened up -then had these yummy dosas in the same hotel. #Nivedyam.

Caught our bus on time and this ends our Hampi trip with a bag full of memories for the lifetime.