Hampi calling

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One of the UNESCO world heritage sites, HAMPI is a small village in the northern part ofKarnatakaStateinIndia.



We left for Hampi from Chitradurga afternoon on the last week of December. It took three hours to reach the place.



Hampi is situated on the banks of theTungabhadraRiver. Like Mahabalipuram in Tamilnadu this place also represents the sculptural arts of earlier centuries of the southern parts of the country.



The site remains as the ruins of Vijayanagara Empire. It was part of the capital of this empire in the 14^th century.



The major attractions here inter alia include the centuries oldVirupakshaTemple,AchutharayaTemple,HazaraRamaTemple,KrishnaTemple,VittalaTemple, the sacred Tank nearKrishnaTemple, Ganesha Mandapa,UndergroundSivaTemple,AnjaneyaTemple, Elephant Stables, Lotus Mahal, Monolithic Nandi Bull, Tall carved pillars, canals, Aqueducts, Two storied gateway & Tungabhadra river.



In the evening we covered theSivaTemplearea, Royal Enclosure, Fortified walls,WatchTower, the stepped Tank near the underground temple, Elephant stables, etc.



As the trip was shortly planned we were unable to book accommodation in the few hotels available at Hampi or near by town Hospet. Hence we had to cross Tungabhadra to reach Gangavathi, another township around 40 kms from Hampi, where we could book Hotel Sarvesh thru makemytrip. In the night we reached there, had dinner and next day morning returned to Hampi. On the way between the two towns, we could see on both sides of the road various vegetable cultivations, farms, and beautiful meadows.



Next day we moved around the Bazaar area, Hemakunta Hill, Ganesha Mandapa, Kodanda rama &VittalaTemples, Two storied gateway,VirupakshaTemple, etc. Due to shortage of time we had to give up the plan to visit theBearParkin the near by area and by evening we left forBangalore.



The following are some tips which may be useful for a prospective traveler who would like to explore this heritage site:



1.It may take two-three days to cover all the monuments and places in detail as the ruins are vast and spread over large area. Hence either you may plan accordingly or prefer selected items/views after studying the location map.2.Try to fetch accommodation in Hampi itself well advance, which will save a lot of time.3.Carry with you adequate drinking water as no shops are available in most of the parts.4.Eateries are there in the Bazaar area, Mango Tree Restaurant is one among them. However avoid peak ours for lunch as these small restaurants would be crowded too much and you have to wait outside for long time.5.For those who plan to connect withBangalore, plan carefully as it would take seven hours journey. En route you can visit Chitradurga fort, another heritage site.

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