Hampi

By deepthadoshi

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The Hampi Ruins

The Hampi Ruins

If you love history and architecture then Hampi is the place for you.

Hampi, the ruined city, was at one time the capital of the erstwhile Vijayanagar Empire. In its heyday it was a glorious city with countless temples and palaces. The city was robbed of all its grandeur sometime in 1565 AD when it was attacked by the Mughals.

There are huge boulders scattered everywhere in Hampi - a mark of what once had been a magnificient city.The Hampi Bazaar is the hub from where one can explore the entire area. The Bazaar is essentially a walkway with wee little shops and restaurants on both the sides and leads you straight to the Virupaksha temple. The temple is a 12-storied structure and is the tallest in Hampi.

You need atleast 3-4 days to cover all the places in and around Hampi. However you can plan a 2 day trip covering all the major attractions. The Vithala Temple Complex (also known as the “Sa Re Ga Ma” temple because of the musical pillars in the temple.) is known to produce a distinct musical note when you knock it with your fingers or a slender stick. This temple is a UNESCO world heritage monument for the musical pillars and the stone chariot that it houses. There are only 3 such chariots in India; one each in – Hampi, Puri and Mahabalipuram.

There are some really huge monolithic idols - the Sasivekalu Ganesh, the huge Lakshminarayana idol, the Badavalinga, the Monolithic Bull and the Kadelakalu Ganesh to name a few. Its amazing to see how wonderfully these idols have been carved out. It must have taken the artisans a long time to make these beauties.

The other places that you can visit are the Royal Enclosure, the Riverside ruins, Sugreeva’s Cave, Achyuta Raya’s temple and the Hazara Rama Temple.

You can also spend time on the rocky river bank and opt for a coracle ride.


The nearest major city to Hampi is Hospet. Hospet is well connected by train/road from Bangalore and Hyderabad among other cities.

From Hospet you can reach Hampi by:
Bus : approx Rs 15
Autorickshaw : around Rs 150-200
Autorickshaw (shared) : around Rs 50 per head.

Alternatively you can hire a car in Hospet for your entire trip.




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