Historical Hampi - Travel Guide

Hampi was in my bucket list for long.

The historical heritage of India stands rich and proud , at the helm of tourism affairs of our country. Whether it is the architectural magnificence of ancient structures or relics and museums that excite you , Hampi is a must-visit site , A small town in Karnataka , lying on the banks of River Tungabhadra, Hampi is a paradise for tourists who love to study ancient relics and ruins.

Hampi, a UNESCO world heritage site, is known for its magnificent temples 

April 18 , 2019 - I started my journey on 18th april 2019 from Pune  to Hampi by Bus. TrekPanda was trip organiser . The distance from Pune to Hampi is 533.2km approx . It took us 11-12 hr to reach Hampi.

Those of you who don’t know Hampi has two sides –

1. Hampi with all the historical buildings and monuments
2. Hampi hippie side where you’ll find a lot of foreigners and hippie cafes 

Day 1 :

We were staying in guest house , This area is know as Virupapura Gadda . After Breakfast, we started our Hampi exploration (around 12 noon).


1. The first place is ofcousre Virupaksha Temple  , The temple is dedicated to Lord Virupaksha, a form of Shiva , Virupaksha Temple is the main center of pilgrimage at Hampi, and had been considered the most sacred sanctuary over the centuries

Laxmi - Virupaksha temple elephant 

2. Laksmi Narashimha Temple
Lakshmi-Narshimha: It is a huge monolithic, about 6.7m high four armed Narshimha (one of the Vishnu’s Dashavtar). but all the arms are broken know. Large seven-hooded naga curls above its head and originally there was a figure of Lakshmi (wife of Vishnu) seated on Narshimha’s left thigh, but know only a part of her arm is remain which was placed around Narshimha’s waist. 
There was big temple in the Vijaynagar period where this statue was placed. It was made by Vijaynagar’s king Krishnadeva Raya in 1528 AD, but now only this statue is remained

Yoga-Narasimha

Shiva  Linga

The Badavilinga Temple is located near the Lakshmi Narasimha Temple .Its second largest monolithic Shiva Linga.The Shiva Linga has a 3 eye mark drawn on it in line carving.The 3 eye mark depicts the three eyes of Lord Shiva.The beautiful Linga is made of black stone.It has a height of 3 meter

3. Sasivekalu Temple is one such fine specimen to be visited. The temple is devoted to Lord Ganesha's form Sasivekalu. According to the Hindu mythology, Lord Ganesha is quite famous for his quirky habits, including his love for food. A story goes, when he had too much to such an extent that his stomach almost bursted. To stop this, he found a snake and tied it across his belly; the same is depicted in the statue.

Sasivekalu Ganesha Monument

4. Lotus Mahal is the primary attraction of the Zenana Enclosure. Shaped like a lotus flower from the top, the archways of the structure resemble petals of a lotus and provide the whole structure the shape of a half-open lotus. The central dome is carved in the shape of a lotus bud.It is built in Indo-Islamic style. The two storied structure is symmetrically laid out, with equal projections on four sides. The base of the structure resembles Hindu temple style while the upper superstructure is Islamic in architecture with pyramidal towers.

Lotus Temple

Underground Shiv Temple

   


                                                                          
5.The Underground Shiv Temple
This religious spot has an antaral the core of the sanctum. For some reasons the temple was metered inside the earth surface and due to this core part is submerged in water.This royal place has its importance of its own. The plain pillars also attract the attention of the tourists.

6. Vithala Temple

The most impressive structure in Hampi, the Vithala Temple dates back to the 16th century and is a truly splendid example of rich architecture. The famous stone chariot, which has become an iconic symbol of the architecture of Hampi, is located inside the premises of this temple.

                                                                    Stone Chariot of Vithal Temple

 The pillars in the dance hall were carved in such a way that they would sound like instruments .You can hear different notes when struck properly.Each pillar which supports the roof of the temple is again supported by the pillar which represent musical instrument.
The 7 pillars, when struck, emanate the 7 notes from the representative instrument, 
varying in sound quality based on whether it represents a wind, string or percussion instrument.

Hampi Archeological Ruins

Elephant Stable

The Pushkaranis - stepped tank

Day 2:

Coracle ride

Sanapur Lake

1. The first place was the Sanapur lake which is about 4.5kms from the entry of the hippie island. The ride to the lake was very beautiful and scenic.

Coracle Ride is one of the must do things in Hampi. Coracle is bowl shaped boat that can carry 5 to 6 people across the river.  It is unique boat ride on Tungabhadra to see this ancient city of Hampi. 

Our ride ended with a spinning of the coracle which was another amazing experience. When the coracle spun, I felt no worries. Just the dizzying effect of spinning and a feel of clam.

2. Hampi Bazaar

No Vacation is complete without carrying souvenirs of the place on return. A perfect place for shoppers, Hampi Bazaar offers antique coins , jewelry , music instruments, shawls, bags and various articles that are worth buying. The Bazaar faces the Virupaksha temple and hence is also known as Virupaksha Bazaar.

Hampi Bazaar

3. Best restaurant in town , Mango Tree in Old Hampi
The vibe here is beautiful. Best for foreigners and a bit expensive for Indian backpackers. 

But good quality and very humble service. Best restaurant to chill in Hampi

Mango Tree