10th Dec 2013, Tuesday
I just returned from Hampi today morning and I have no words to
describe this delightful visual treat. Physically I am here but I am missing
the sight of the wonderful architectural stonework, feel of air of the Hampi
which bears testimony to the fact that it was ruled by greatest of emperors and
speaks impressively about the culture and rich history of the place.
There is nothing more amazing in the world than boulder-strewn
landscapes, royal ruins, mystic monuments, giant temples, great lakes and
Banana and coconut plantations of Hampi.
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| Hampi Main Tower |
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| L to R. Virupaksha temple and Hampi Main tower View from Top |
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| Again Hampi Tower captured from different point |
Once you entered in
this village, you will feel like that you entered in the different era where
the time is frozen. It is very small village and all the people are very
friendly. I lived there for 2.5 days and it seems that I have made good number
of friends. People have recognized me well and greets every time we
happen to cross each other. Since it is a small place, you will easily come
across same sets of villagers again and again. It is quite an offbeat
destination among Indians and as far as I remember, we were the only Indian
tourists. However, it is quite famous among foreigners. Hampi Bazaar reminds me
of Palolem Bazaar in South Goa.
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| City of Stones |
Hampi, A
UNESCO world heritage site, was the capital of Vijayanagar Empire. It is
situated on the banks of Tungabhadra River in Karnataka, the majestic ruins of
Hampi’s emperors, temples and royal buildings speak powerfully about the wealth
and magnificence of the Vijayanagar Emperors. The capital of the Vijyanagar
Empire from 1336 to 1565, the city was ruled by four dynasties – Sangama,
Saluva, Tuluva and Aravidu dynasty. There are more than 500 monuments built by
different rulers.
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| Broken Gopuram at Vitthala temple |
Also, it is believed that Kishkindha region which is mentioned in the
epic Ramayana is in Hampi only across the Tungabhadra River. Kishkindha refers
to the monkey kingdom. Sugriva, the younger brother of Vaali,
is mentioned as the ruler of the forest-kingdom Kishkindha. Also, Anjaneya
Parvat which said to be birthplace of Lord Hanuman is situated in Kishkindha.
Also, Shabari Ashram is believed to be at this place. Foreigners generally use
the word “Monkey temple” for the famous Lord Hanuman temple which hurts many
Indians.
What to expect in
Hampi?
I will come up with my detailed itinerary and series of blogs for Hampi
covering all the details which I didn’t able to get while planning for my trip
in coming blog posts.
I would recommend complete 2 days for this place. You can reserve
1 day for visiting royal ruins, ancient temples and monuments and you can
reserve another day for visiting sites like Kishkindha and Birthplace of Lord
Hanuman which are across the river. Also, you can use Coracle boats to cross
the river which is an experience in itself.
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| Coracle Boat and its route |
One can also cross river using mechanized boats which are much cheaper
in terms of money and time but prefer them only if you want to take your
bike/bicycle/rented 2 wheeler across the river. Coracle boats and steamers
start from different places and there are regular autos between these places
and will take around 10 minutes. Also, one can rent a bike/bicycle across the
river.
There are good numbers of restaurants in Hampi and the best part is that
they are very close to each other. I have explored around 9, 10 restaurants and
will write a different post on that.
I am sharing this short trailer which will give you the highlight of
what to expect in the upcoming write-ups on Hampi.
Day 1:
Day
2:
2 comments:
Looks to be a very quiet and tranquil place. Very inviting too since it is small and friendly. Wonderful and informative write-up Rachit, and thank you so much for adding me to your blog-roll. I surely look forward to taking more trips along with you. Keep writing. :)
Thanks Arti for your precious time and comment.
Hope to see you more frequently here
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