‘HAMPI’ is not just a UNESCO world heritage site, but also a city filled with ancient temples and royal embellishments dating back to the Vijayanagar Empire, illustrating the glorious past of Karnataka. The River Tungabhadra flows through this city surrounded by several dark grey basalt and volcanic rock boulders creating a stunning and picturesque view.
A beautiful click of a monkey stealthily climbing a rock, soaking in the setting Sun.
Situated in southern Karnataka, it is equidistant from Hyderabad and Bangalore which worked to our advantage as it was convenient for us to reach there from a wedding in Hyderabad.
Reaching Hampi from Mumbai is quite time consuming. Luckily, the month prior to our visit, Hampi became accessible by daily flights from Hyderabad as well as Bangalore. We decided to take a morning 10 AM flight from Hyderabad and we reached within 50 minutes. We landed at the small yet beautiful Vijay Nagar Airport maintained at the JVSL compound. The main city of Hampi is a 40 minutes’ drive from the airport.
It’s not just the history at Hampi that is very rich. This ancient city was once the 2nd richest state in the whole world. First ruled by the Mauryan Empire and then by the noble King Krishnadevaraya, it is safe to say that this city witnessed the rise and fall of multiple great dynasties. Unfortunately, it’s prestige diminished as Hampi was looted and destroyed repeatedly by the Khiljis and left to ruins until the 18th century, when it was rediscovered.
We stayed at Hampi for 4 days and 3 nights. Our first stay was at a magnificent property called Evolve Back Hampi. It’s Kamlapura Palace exudes a sense of royalty and prestige. We booked a Jalmahal Villa with a private pool and courtyard to experience the luxurious lives the Kings and Queens once lived.
A beautiful property trapped in time,
worth every single penny and dime
With lilies and lotuses adding to the old world charm, this place felt like it was trapped in time. The service was excellent. On our first day there, captivated and mesmerized by the beauty of the property itself, we relaxed the whole day ending it with a candle lit dinner on the open roof top of our private courtyard.
The next day, we checked out and moved to a city centric hotel called Heritage Hampi. For the next 3 days we hired a guide to take us through all the places.
On the First day, we woke up at 4AM to go for a hilltop walk on the Matanga Hill and catch the beautiful sunrise. The hike was through rocks and shrubs and lasted about 2 hours before we reached a small temple on the plateau. Our exhaustion immediately turned into exhilaration as we witnessed one of the most beautiful sunrises ever.
At the Matanga Hill see the beautiful sunrise, truly an amazing experience make no compromise!
After a hot cup of coffee we headed back from the backside of the hill which lead us to a few temples. The route was scenic, filled with chirping birds. It was our lucky day as we spotted the extremely rare and endangered yellow throated bulbul.
THE YELLOW THROATED BULBUL flapping it’s wings with a vibrant flair,
A sight so beautiful, yet so rare.
We reached the Achyut Araya Temple designed in the Dravidian Style, with an open courtyard and a large Garbh Gragh. Our tour guide took us to several Temples along the banks of the river. These temples are Historic sites and no religious ceremonies take place here anymore. A few important places to visit include the Kodanda Rama Temple, The Narsimpha Temple, The Lotus Mahal, The Musical Pillars and several old excavation sites.
After we visited the temples, we went on the Coracle boat ride. It was a round boat on the Tungabhadra River floating along the stretch of boulders. We also went into a small cave where the water level was manageable. They charge approximately Rs. 2000 for a 1 hour ride for an exclusive boat. It was a wonderful experience and is definitely not worth the miss.
A picture of the Coracle Boat Ride,
to see the Basalt Rocks which are the River Tungabhadra’s Pride.
Another highlight of our trip included visiting The Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary. Asia’s first Sloth Bear Sanctuary, it is spread over 80 Sq Kms and is the habitat of about 130 Sloth Bears. The Sanctuary primarily has shrubs and rocks making it perfect for the bears to hide. The drive to the sanctuary was rough as the route was through a rugged terrain along the river and through 2-3 villages.
Don’t be fooled by the adorable exterior of the Sloth Bear,
they are really dangerous so please beware!
This area in Hampi was mentioned in the Ramayana under the name of Kishkindha, where Lord Ram met Sugriva and Jambvantha ( The Bear king) and formed his Ram Sena.
The bears can be watched from two places –
• From a watch tower from a safe distance
• From a hide which is very close and a little dangerous. However, you need to be a photographer and carrying a camera.
I had my camera and I ended up getting few lovely pictures of this amazing creature. We also saw the Ruddy mongoose which was a delight to watch. These creatures are red tipped with curved long tails.
The Old city of Hampi was famous for the ‘Hippi Village’ which was demolished in 2019 after incidents of drugs abuse and the presence of several illegal migrants. However, the presence of a few cafes like the ones you see in Israel or in western Europe have managed to preserve the “Hippi” vibe. We visited one such café called Chill Out, where we spent the afternoon there doing nothing and listening to the music from the 80s. The people of Hampi are very kind and friendly. We came accross a few tribal women as well.
A tribal woman with a smile so sweet, wearing vibrant colours and heavy jewellery- a visual treat!
Overall, our trip to Hampi was packed with unforgettable experiences and beautiful pictures. I would totally recommend you to visit this city!
Here are some Interesting Facts about Hampi that may be useful if you travel there:
1. The Idli near the Kodanda Rama Temple is one of the finest in the area, it has beautiful views of the Tungabhadra River and the boulders. The Idlies are handmade and freshly cooked by an old couple- Beware of the monkeys though.
2. Visiting the Chill Out Café in old Hampi and having a nice English breakfast is a wonderful experience.
3. The Elephant Laxmi is inside the main temple, blessing the visitors for Rs. 10, you can try that out.
4. There is a very scenic walk along the river from The Temple of Kodanda Rama to the City. If your’e lucky, you may even witness a few otters roaming about.
Beautifully written.