All the pictures in this article are taken by me and my son.
ABOUT HAMPI
Hampi, also referred to as the Group of Monuments at Hampi, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in east-central Karnataka, India. It became the centre of the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire capital in the 14th century. Chronicles left by Persian and European travellers, particularly the Portuguese, state Hampi was a prosperous, wealthy and grand city near the Tungabhadra River, with numerous temples, farms and trading markets. By 1500 CE, Hampi-Vijayanagara was the world's second-largest medieval-era city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at that time, attracting traders from Persia and Portugal.The Vijayanagara Empire was defeated by a coalition of Muslim sultanates; its capital was conquered, pillaged and destroyed by sultanate armies in 1565, after which Hampi remained in ruins.
Located in Karnataka near the modern-era city of Hosapete(Hospet), Hampi's ruins are spread over 4,100 hectares (16 sq mi) and it has been described by UNESCO as an "austere, grandiose site" of more than 1,600 surviving remains of the last great Hindu kingdom in South India that includes "forts, riverside features, royal and sacred complexes, temples, shrines, pillared halls, mandapas, memorial structures, water structures and others"
The details of my trip are given below:
TRAVEL FROM BENGALURU TO HAMPI ON 21.11.18
We started the travel from my son's apartment in Bengaluru in his car on 21.11.18 at 7.30 am. Hampi is 352 killometers from Bengaluru. As guided by Google Map we took the route via Chitradurga. The road up to Chitradurga is very good.since it is a National Highway. But once we took a deviation from Chitradurga towards Hospet/Hampi the road condition was deteriorating and the journey was horrible with very rough road all the way upto Hampi. Further since there were no restaurants en route we had to skip our lunch at usual time. After undergoing the strenuous journey of nearly 7 hours we could reach Hampi around 3 pm. We stayed in Heritage Resort,Hampi which is near most of the monuments.
After taking some food and rest we went for sight seeing around 6 pm but could not see much since it was very dark by that time and there were no lights near the monuments to see them clearly in nights.
SIGHT SEEING ON 22.11.18
VIRUPAKSHA TEMPLE
After having breakfast at the resort we started for sight seeing by fixing Auto for taking us to all the important places. First we went to Virupakasha temple which is the oldest shrine, the principal destination for pilgrims and tourists, and remains an active Hindu worship site. Virupaksha is the only temple that continued to be a gathering place of Hindus and frequented by pilgrims after the destruction of Hampi in 1565. The main deity of the temple is Shivalinga.
Inside and outside the temple there were many monkeys and the visitors must take precautions to protect their valuables which might be snatched by the monkeys.
SHIV LINGA IN WATER AND LAKSHMI NARASIMHAR MONOLITHIC STATUES
Our next visit was to a place having two big statues of Shiva linga and Lakshmi Narasimhar. Both are large monolithic statues.(Made of single block stone). Lakshmi Narasimha statue is of 22 ft height. Due to passage of time many parts of the statue are in broken condition. On the left side of Narasimhar initially there was the statue of Lakshmi which is now missing. So the Statue is now called as Uggira Narasimhar.
Within a short distance we could see the huge Shiv Linga statue of 9.8 ft height. It is immersed in water and has three eyes sketched on its top
UNDERGROUND SHIVA TEMPLE
The next place visited by us was Prasanna Virupaksha temple which is also known as the underground Shiva Temple.An interesting fact about the Prasanna Virupaksha temple is that it is located a few metres below the ground level.
The roof of the temple is at par with the present ground level while the main structure of the temple stands on a low lying area. We have to climb down the steep stairs to go inside the temple .The place is infested with a lot of bats. A Shivalinga is there inside the Garbagraha. A Nandhi with mutilated face is facing Shivalinga.
The roof of the temple is at par with the present ground level while the main structure of the temple stands on a low lying area. We have to climb down the steep stairs to go inside the temple .The place is infested with a lot of bats. A Shivalinga is there inside the Garbagraha. A Nandhi with mutilated face is facing Shivalinga.
ELEPHANT STABLES AND ZENANA ENCLOSURE
Next place visited by us contained the famous elephant stables and Zenana Enclosure. Entry fees for the place is Rs.40 per head and we were told that the same entry fee ticket can be used for entry to Vithala temple also.
The Zenana enclosure contains the Lotus Mahal, the latter being a two-storeyed pavilion in the royal centre.
Gajashala, or elephant stables, which consist of eleven square chambers aligned north-south. The openings to the stables are arched; above ten chambers are alternating fluted and plain domes. In the middle of the stables are stairs to reach the roof.
The Zenana enclosure contains the Lotus Mahal, the latter being a two-storeyed pavilion in the royal centre.
QUEEN'S BATH
After leaving Zenana Enclosure we went to see the structure called as Queen's bath .Though named as the Queen’s Bath, it was in all probability used as the private bathing chamber of the king and his queens. The Queen’s Bath is a rectangular building. The structure has an area of 30 square metres. A large sunken bath constructed in the centre of the structure .
After visiting Queens bath we went to Tamarind tree restaurant on the way to our next place of visit and took lunch. Quality of the food was not bad but the hygienic condition was not satisfactory.
VITHALA TEMPLE
Since Vithala temple is about one and half kilo meters from the road they have arranged battery operated vehicles to pick up about 12 persons at a time for which they charge Rs.20 per person.
The Vithala Temple is also known as Shri Vijaya Vitthala Temple. It is dedicated to Lord Vitthala, an incarnation of Lord VishnuVithala temple as such is a very big complex with many independent mantaps with beautiful and delicate images carved on the pillars.
The temple has also an amazing stone structures of a stone chariot with four stone wheels which look very realistic.
There is a mantap with Musical pillars inside the temple complex which we could not visit since it was under maintenance.
Though there were many other interesting monuments to be visited we restricted our tour by visiting Vithala Temple due to shortage of time. It will be ideal to spend minimum two days to cover all the interesting places in Hampi.
After completing our visit to the monuments we checked in Evolve Back Kamalapura Palace resort. Evolve Back is located just 4 km from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hampi. The resort is inspired by the architectural splendour and magnificence of the Vijayanagara Empire. The resort features all the charms of the bygone era like the fort like entrances, stone-paved boulevards, arched hallways and regal chambers.
To know more about Evolveback resort,Hampi and for booking click the link below:
RETURN JOURNEY TO BENGALURU ON 23.11.18
After enjoying the facilities of the resort and taking rest in the night we left Hampi next day around 12.30 pm. Since we did not want to undergo the horrible journey in the route through Chitradurga we took the other route via Bellary and Anathapur which was really very good. After taking lunch in a restaurant in Bellary and tea break in Ananthapur we reached Bengaluru around 8.30 pm.
The trip to Hampi was a memorable experience for me which gave an opportunity of seeing the ruined monuments which reflect the glory and splendour of Vijayanagara Empire.
