The History of Hampi

Hampi has become a world famous heritage site now being looked after ad monitored by UNESCO.The ruins in Hampi are spread across a wide area of several square kilometers . Hampi is charismatic and retains its grandeur even in its ruined state. It attracts thousands of tourists and pilgrims every year and of course several groups of archaeologists from all over the world. Vast stretches of boulder-strewn hills make the backdrop of Hampi unique and very attractive.

Hampi is situated in the Bellary district, in the state of Karnataka. Hampi has had a glorious past - During the 14th century Hampi was the capital of Vijayanagar empire. Apparently before the fall of Vijayanagar empire, diamonds and precious stones were sold on the streets of Hampi. The main street selling diamonds and other precious stones, was surprisingly called Pan Supaari Street (Beetle nut street) probably because beetle nut too was being sold side by side. When we visit Hampi and surrounding area , we can still see the exact location of Pan Supaari Street , which has now been taken over by Archaeological Survey of India. Hampi has lost its past glory and now remains in ruins but continues to attract hoards of visitors from within the country and for that matter from all over the world. 

 How To reach Hampi

 The nearest railway station to Hampi is Hospet Junction ( 13 kms from Hampi) and the nearest airport is Hubli airport which is located at a distance of 150 kms which has daily flights from Bangalore,Mumbai and Pune. Bangalore the capital city of Karnataka is located at a distance of 362 kms and one can drive from Bangalore taking the NH4 to Chitradurga, after which you take NH13 ( Sholapur Highway) that takes you to Hospet. Hampi is a village and the roads are not too good although it is a world heritage site. There are plans to upgrade the roads in the near future but until one has to manage with the pot holes and some bad patches.

Hyderabad is located at a distance of 360 km and many tourists drive down from Andhra Pradesh to this town. Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation operates daily buses to Hospet from almost all cities in Karnataka like Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli, Mangalore, Hasan and Gokarna. From Hospet you can go to Hampi on a local bus or a taxi. There are also many private bus companies operating from most places in Karnataka, Goa and from Gokharna which is well connected to Hampi and runs an overnight service to Hospet after which you have to either take the local bus or a private transport that is available..

When you reach Hampi

It is quite an awesome site and after all the trouble you have taken to reach the spot, you feel it was really worth all the effort. You see hills, small medium and largish all around the place, small streams and lakes and dotted around the hills and those valleys are a few hundred monuments and for a minute you are stunned wondering where to begin. You will find beautiful temples ( some of them destroyed partially) , basements of palaces, some remains of aquatic structures, ancient market streets including the famous diamond street , royal pavilions, treasury buildings etc; the list is practically endless. I saw the groups of archaelogists totally absorbed taking in all the minute details.

Many people prefer walking through the site with a backpack and in my opinion that is the best way of exploring Hampi although it can be very tiring. Hampi is often called a backpackers paradise and most Western and other foreign tourists walk all through the ruins which cover about 26 square kilometers and get to see and experience every little detail.The other popular mode of sight seeing is to hire a bicycle which is both economical and practical given the rough terrain. When we visited Hampi the last time few of us walked through the entire area which took us 3 days since one cannot cover more than seven or eight kilometers each day,taking into account lunch break and tea breaks and some of the youngsters hired bicycles and were naturally able to cover much more.

 Hampi as a tourist destination is well worth the visit . The entire area is simply stunning and I remember we were in awe of all those millions of boulders surrounding the area. The river Thungabhadra which flows nearby is another spot that enthralls you , although a few years back it had become home to groups of hippies and drug addicts who infested the area. Thungabhadra river has created a little oasis on its banks with lush palm, banana, and mango trees. Which is a treat to the eyes. When you plan to visit Hampi it is a good idea to spend a few days wandering around and discovering the rich, vibrant history and heritage of the place.

Personal experiences

I visited Hampi with my family and a few other close relatives a couple of years ago .We drove from Bangalore taking the route that I have already written about, driving through NH 4 and after Chitradurga taking NH 13 and continue on it right until you reach Hospet. The road is reasonably good when you are driving on the national highways . The route we took was starting from Bangalore- Nelamangala - Tumkur - Sira - Chitradurga - Kudligi - Hospet - Hampi. It took us nearly 8 hours to reach the place including 2 breaks , one for lunch at Chitradurga and Tea break at a road side tea shop. The drive is scenic in parts but dry most of the way.

Once you reach Kudligi the road is pretty bad mainly because it is used by the trucks carrying ores from Bellary mines. I wish the state tourism department would do something about this since connectivity is very important and many people stay away because of this. I wonder how all those dedicated archaeologists manage to travel to and fro and that too so many times in a  year!

There are some good hotels at Hospet and Kamalapur and we stayed at a KSTDC run hotel called Mayura Bhuvaneshwari at Kamlapura which was reasonably good. It is close to everything including a heritage museum which has some really beautiful artifacts. Food was alright and breakfast that we had the next day was the best meal there since it was a buffet and sumptuous.

We spent the next three days wandering among the ruins of Hampi which was an amazing experience, every evening dragging ourselves to the hotel for a hot bath, eat anything that was laid on the table and hit the bed. But looking back, I feel like going through that experience once again in a better organised manner, carrying a proper backpack that can hold a lot more stuff like a sun hat, sun screen cream , plenty of water and a route map and a guide who could explain the many minute details that we miseed out on.In spite of that we could not see some of the spots , so I personally feel that hiring a two wheeler is the best way of doing it.

On the last day of our trip we decided to spend a day at Vijayanagar on the banks of River Thungabadra overlooking the reservoir. It was a great day but we were told that the hotels are not good at Vijayanaga rand definitely dont live upto what they project on their folders , so we went back to Mayura and left the next morning taking a different route , this time through Bellary and Ananthapr and although the road conditions are far from perfect, they were better than the Kudligi road. 

I am now looking forward to my next trip to hampi , when we hope to cover other nearby places like Aihole, Badami  caves and Pattada Kal, all historical spots and having an abunadance of natural beauty and since they are not too out of the way, one can reserve one or two extra days to cover all the historical places at one go.

What to see and do in Hampi

Every year during first week of November a Hampi Utsav is organised by the state cultural department. Those who have had an opportunity to witness it say that it is a visual delight as all the monuments/ruins are lit up at night and it is a cultural extravaganza of dance , drama, folk art and music..The place is packed to capacity and unless you are the kind who is interested in being part of it , you are better off visiting Hampi at other times. However, those who have already visited Hampi once trefer to experience the festivities as well, so apparently the place is filled to capacity during that period.

Hampi (one can neither call it a town nor a village) in general is divided into zones.There are route maps that help you plan out your tour through the ruins once you identify the basic zones. It becomes much easier that way. There are principal paths and several additional side trips which you should be aware of as you go along. Making a list after studying the map helps you plan your route and cover most of the important spots that are not to be missed. As I already mentioned it require at least a minimum of 2 days to tour Hampi, but then again there are some who would like to cover this in a day in which case you have to compromise and see only the more important spots.

Temples and Architectural Marvels

Some of the more popular and often visited spots here are the two shrines called Kadalekalu and Sasivekalu Ganesha and a must go trek to the Hemakuta hilltop, which is just behind the temples. The famous Virupaksha Temple which lies in ruins now, dedicated to the Hindu god of destruction is located on the banks of Thungabadra river and the Hampi Bazaar that consists of rows of shops showcasing numerous handicraft products which you cannot miss anyway !

Another famous spot is the famous Chariot of hampi which one can see in many pictures  and Vittala temple which is an architectural marvel and Monolithic Bull at the east end of the Hampi Bazaar. There many more spots like the Kodandarama Temple, the Varaha Temple, the Riverside ruins, Sugreeva’s Cave, Narasimha Temple etc; Hampi Bazaar has a few local restaurants and one can have lunch here while visiting and trekking through the ruins. Incidentally, there are many shops hiring mopeds and tourists often hire them to tour the area since it saves a lot of time and leg work.

Another awesome sight is the statue of Ugra Narasimha in its most terrifying form ,a mammoth statue measuring 6.7 meters in height located in the south region of the temple complex of Hemkuta group. This is where the famous Virupaksha Temple too is located. Narasimha, being half-man and half-lion, is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Tours and places to stay

As I mentioned earlier doing Hampi in a day is hectic and you can’t cover all the places. If you are doing it in a hurry the chances are that you may miss many of the places and charm of Hampi itself. But the key monuments would be covered in such a one day Hampi tour.Since many of the places can only be reached by walking, one gets a good amount of exercise.. A few of these walking trails are well laid out because of constant use and the others are hill tracks that need to be negotiated carefully. If you are a hardcore trekking fan, then you have plenty to do here since there are hills all around you with heaps and heaps of boulders.

There are many tours organized by tour operators as part of a larger package. One can do it at any of the major cities and even after you reach Hampi you can go in for a local tour package.There are quite a few travel agencies offering Hampi tour as a package and when you are pressed for time it may be a good idea to take advantage of it since it saves both effort and time..

One can find accommodation is either Hospet or Kamalapur or at Hampi itself.There are many budget accommodations available at Hampi since every other house here is a guest house. They rent out a few rooms within or outhouses attached to their homes. The rents are very very reasonable at 300 - 400 Rupees a day and many tourists prefer to stay at Hampi itself since it saves a lot of travel to and fro.

Some Useful tips

Hampi like anywhere else in Karnataka and India has frequent power cuts, so make sure that you charge your phones and camera batteries whenever you get an opportunity to do so..

Since it can become unbearably hot during the day while you are walking about, wear lose light cotton clothes and good comfortable footwear.

Carry a water bottle with you every time you step out and also a pair of sun glasses to protect your eyes from the intense midday heat, also carry a hat or a scarf since you will be out in the sun almost the whole day.

Instead of trying to see the entire complex and ruins in a day or two, it is advisable to take your time and spend at least 4 or 5 days in Hampi which gib ves you enough time to cover the entire area including the temples and interesting spots atop the hills.

And last but not least beware of monkeys, there are plenty of them around and they tend to snatch any food items or even your bag when you are not looking.