Boulder City

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Many of the places I end up visiting in India are recommended to me by various other travellers I meet along my journey and that is how I heard about Hampi. I arrived right in the middle of a festival where thousands of people filled the streets and main bazaar to celebrate with music and dance among Hampi's temples. Police were here on mass to keep everything running smoothly and helped fill up all available accommodation around the main bazaar. I made my way over to the quiet side of the river via a motor boat crossing and was happy to find plenty of space there. This is definitely the side to be on if your staying more than a few days.

Accommodation here is very cheap and there are numerous restaurants providing good food of all types. Alcohol is prohibited in some states but the rules have been relaxed on the queit side of the river as police turn a blind eye. It does mean prices are slightly inflated however and the price of a large Kingfisher (the local beer of choice for many foreigners) would nearly cover the cost of my room for the night but at about a pound I can cope with this occasional indulgence.

Hampi (pronounced by dropping the H) has an especially chilled out and surreal vibe about the place. I loved exploring the countryside and rural villages as much as anything else. The mountainous terrain of mysteriously piled up rocks, intersparsed by perfectly flat areas of yellow paddy-fields, green banana plantations and forests of palm trees creates a kind of spiritual bewilderment to the mind and eye.

I was fortunate to have been here to experience the excitement of the festival, with music and dance on stage, wrestling, a procession of floats and performers and a dazzling fireworks display that lit up the night sky. But I also had the best of both worlds as I witnessed Hampi transformed into the quiet and peaceful place it normally is with not too many people around and solitary that brings alive the numerous temple complexes spread out over several square kilometers.

It is a real joy to have been here and I found it possible to loose a week without even realising it. Unfortunately due to the festival and a dodgy travel agent my train journey south towards Kerala wasn't quite as smooth as I would have hoped but as always; it all turned out alright in the end. A tip for anyone travelling in India however; buy a train ticket with confirmed seating otherwise you could find yourself on a waiting list with nowhere to sit. Lucky I was near the top of the list. When buying a ticket it's worth checking availability on the web first and if your seat number says RAC or WL, see if you can find a station supervisor as he might be able to confirm your seat using reservations from the foreign tourist quota.

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Photos

Rock Face
A friend spotted this unusual formation on the way up to a temple. This kind of thing is not unusual here hence the travellers name for Hampi - Boulder City.

Hampi Across The Tungabhadra River
This side of the river has the more quiet accomodation and is an excellent place to chill out. From here you can see the tall Virupaksha Temple.

River Crossing
Take the boat for 10 rupees in order to get to the town and majority of the temples. During the festival the river crossing was very busy.

Friendly People
I stopped to talk to these guys who were extremely friendly and pleased to have their photo taken with such a strange foreigner.

Amazing Landscape
The landscape is very surreal and I can't help wondering how on earth all these rocks ended up like this.

Rural Life
It was really nice to venture out into the rural villages surrounding Hampi and see real farming and village life.

Vijaya Utsav
I arrived in Hampi in the middle of this festival of traditional music and dance among Hampi's temples.

Fireworks
On the last day of the festival I saw this awesome fireworks display from across the river.

High Above Hampi
There is a specactular climb up a pile of rocks just towards the end of Hampi Bazaar and from here I can see for miles.

Achyutaraya Temple
This is just one of so many temple complexes that it stretches the imagination to think how these people lived and worshipped their gods.

Inside a Temple
Inside the temples you can find images of gods, elaborate pillar designs and rooms for sacred worship.

Monkey Business
High up in the mountains of boulder rocks you can find hundreds of small Monkey Temples. Perhaps a tribute to these little fellers.

Royal Baths
In the Royal Centre, among the temples, you can find ancient elaborate baths like this one.

Bus Loads Of Children
It was a amazing stroke of luck that these children all lined up in front of the bus for me so I could take this picture. Most were here for picnicks beside the river.

At the end of a hard days exploring
It becomes a bit of a ritual in places that you wander off somewhere nice to see the sun go down. I climbed some rocks with a few friends to see this one. I came by the idea for this photo completely by accident.