Hampi – Journey across Karnataka’s heritage trail

Honestly Hampi was never in my bucket list because I am not a history loving person. But thanks to my friends whom I met during my Spiti trip for making this happen. It was a plan made 6 months back and was executed really well. Kudos to my girls J

Our plan was to visit Hampi, Pattadakal and Badami. So we had planned a detailed itinerary of 3 days which we felt was sufficient to cover the important attractions we wanted to see. After the planning, next steps were to arrange for travel and accommodation. We hired a car from Bangalore so that we can tour at our own pace and there is not much hassle.  Next we wanted to ensure that we chose the right place of stay. One of my friend suggested Hotel Malligi which is in Hospet. Distance from Hospet to Hampi is just 10 km distance which hardly takes around 15 minutes’ drive by car. So we made reservations for our stay here.

Day 1:  Starting our Journey to heritage trail

We started from Bangalore at 6 am. Took one stop break at Tumkuru where we relished Tatte Idlis. Then we continued driving up-to Chitradurga on National Highway. Before you enter Chitradurga town, you will need to get down on the service road and take right below the flyover to touch the Hospet Road. From here the distance to cover is 129 kms which took almost 2.5 hours for us to cover. Road is under construction and due to this the pace of our journey slows down from here.  But a road trip with best buddies comes with its own enjoyment and a long drive is definitely a refreshing experience for sure J

We reached Hospet at around 12:30 PM and this Hotel Malligi is located bang in the middle of this town. Once we entered the hotel, we were surprised to see what all amenities it had. This hotel stands out for its luxury in this dry place. We patted our backs for making such a good choice J.

After a quick freshen up, we inquired at Travel desk what places can be covered in half day today before dark. So they recommended us to cover Anjanadri hill, Pampa Pura and Shabari Ashrama. For the second day, they suggested us to take a guide for Hampi tour since there is no point in exploring the ruins or intricate carvings without knowing the story behind. Before starting to Hampi many people had advised us also to do the same. Hence we asked them only to arrange guide for us.

We then had a delicious lunch at the restaurant in Hotel Malligi and set off on our expedition.

Pampa Sarovar – This place is located on the road to Anegundi from Hospet but a kilometer before Anjanadri hill you will spot a leftward departing road. This road leads you to Pampa Sarovar. The pond and the shrine are located in a secluded valley hidden by boulder hills at the three sides.

There is a Lakshmi temple and a Shiva temple facing the pond. As you climb up the stairs to visit these temples, towards your left you can also see “Shabari Ashrama and Shree Rama Feet” written on a wall. Upon inquiring with a priest in the temple he told us that this is the place where Shabari waited for arrival of Ram.

There is an underground cave (which is called Shabari’s cave) where Ram met Shabari who was worshiping to see him. It is also said that Lord Hanuman saw Lord Ram meditating near this lake from his home, which is on the top of Anjanadri hill. From this lake, you can view the red flag on hill top which is Anjanadri hill. We clicked some breathtaking pictures of the lake amidst the valley and boulders and drove to Anegundi.

Anjanadri hill – This is believed to be the birthplace of monkey-god, Hanuman. The place where this hill is situated is called Anegundi which was previously called as Kishkindha (Kishkinta means in local language a forest where the monkeys lived) in the epic of Ramayana. You can easily spot this hill from a distance as the temple at the hilltop is whitewashed with a red flag and a white trail of steps zigzagging all the way to the top. We picked up some water bottles and snacks since locals told us that during the climb or on top there are no shops.

The complete climb is around 575 steps. Every 100 steps we took, stopped and turned around the view is just breathtaking. This hill is surrounded by lovely paddy and lush green fields. The sight of the valley and the Tungabhadra River flowing below offers a mesmerizing sight. Also you can view the Hampi ruins from this side of Tungabhadra River.

The temple is just a simple white building with humble furnishings.

Post praying to Lord Hanuman here, we quickly went to grab a good spot to view the sunset. The view from each side of this terrain is just outstanding. We relaxed and waited for the sunset to capture different shades of sky in this amazing spot.  I would say if you come to Hampi and you have the time after seeing all the other temples, definitely make a point to visit this.

Hampi Island also called as Hippi Island. Yes we were exhausted after a day long journey and the steep climbing. So it was time for a good delightful dinner. My friends suggested visiting the Hippi Island (named by locals since it is a paradise for foreign tourists). Road to this place is really not that great with no street lights and no sign boards. We reached there somehow by asking the locales for directions. This place has lot of guesthouses, homestays, restaurants and cafes catered mostly to the needs of foreign hippie backpackers than for the Indians. Most of the cafes have both Indian and Western cuisine. Some also have karaoke nights and live bands late in the evening. So for a second, you will get a feeling if you are really in Hampi. We had a good relishing dinner in a cafe and started to our hotel since we had to head back to Hospet before it’s too late.

Post reaching hotel we inquired at Travel desk for our guide and plan for the next day. We knew we had another long day tomorrow and need to wake up early. So just hit the bed and had a good sound sleep.

Day 2: Explore History of Hampi Within the ruins

There were many places to be covered in single day hence guide had asked us to start early from hotel. We set off to Hampi at 9 in the morning from hotel post having breakfast in hotel itself. Guide was waiting for us at the entrance of Sasive Kalu Ganesha temple. We set off from here and guide took us on a journey to the glorious past of Vijayanagar Empire. But most of the beautiful architectures and creations were destroyed when the Vijayanagara rulers were crushed by Muslim intruders. Due to this, you will see only ruins in Hampi. But Hampi is charismatic even in its ruined state.

Please note from here on whatever information I will be providing in my blog, sole source of truth is the guide who explained us all this in detail.

Sasive Kalu Ganesha

This giant statue was carved out of a single huge boulder. The belly of Ganesha has been chiseled in such a manner that it resembles a mustard seed (known as Sasive Kalu in the local language). Hence, the statue has been given the name of Sasive Kalu Ganesha. Next guide took us to the back side of this statue to show us a very interesting work. If you notice the statue’s backbone, you'll see a giant hand supporting Ganesha. The hand is that of Goddess Parvati. In aesthetic terms, the craftsman depicted a huge Ganesha sitting on the lap of her mother who is also supporting his back. The clever craftsmen never carved that huge Parvati but left it to the beholder's imagination. Indeed a very creative work by Craftsmen back then. Kudos!

We then started walking up the Hemakunta hill towards our next stop Virupaksha temple. We did not spare any pillar or monument while clicking pictures. But the moment we hit the periphery, we were spellbound by the landscape. The panoramic view of the group of temples, street, shops and the valley from the hill top was really spectacular.

Virupaksha Temple

As you descend down towards the north from the Hemakunta Hillock you will reach the eastern entrance of Virupaksha temple.

Temple represents the main center of pilgrimage at Hampi and has been considered sacred over many centuries. It is believed that Lord Shiva married Parvati in this temple.  Krishnadevaraya, one of the famous kings of the Vijayanagara Empire, had been a major patron of this temple.

At the entrance of the temple, 3 headed Nandi welcomes you. This is very rare sight in any temple.

The main sanctum houses Shivalinga knows as Virupaksha. We quickly took darshan of Lord Shiva and went to the rare end of the temple to see another unusual phenomenon – inverted shadow of the big gopuram. In a small room all the way at the back of the temple you can see an inverted image of the temple’s main gopuram on the wall – they call it India’s first pin hole camera!. This was a WOW moment for us.

 

You will see lot of monkeys here. There are 7 crore monkeys in Hampi. And you will find two species of monkeys here – Red mouth (Depicting Lord Hanuman) and black mouth (depicting the genre of Vali and Sugreeva).

As a capital of the Vijayanagar Empire, Hampi grew as a trade center for cotton, spices, and gem stones. Rubies and diamonds were believed to have been sold on the streets, gold and silver were used as currency. We could see ruins of those shops here. Hampi is so untouched by modernity that you can actually imagine all those things as you walk along these places.  

Now it was time for coracle ride. Most of our friends had told us that Coracle Ride across the river Tungabhadra in Hampi is a must do.

Coracle ride in Tungabhadra River

Our guide had already arranged a coracle for us through his local contacts. All 6 of us with guide and boatman set out on this thrilling ride to get an amazing view of valleys from both the sides of the river. As we moved ahead we could also spot the Anjanadri hill we visited the previous day. Then the boatman took us to a cool spot or locales call it A/C (Air conditioned) place. Trust me the place fully justified its name. Hampi is such a dry place with scorching sun heat hitting your head directly. This spot actually served us like a cooler. Boatman allowed us to relax there in the boat itself for some time and then drove us to another side of the river where we could visit Vitthala Temple.

Vitthala Temple

This is one of the most important temples found in Hampi, as it marks the highest workmanship indicating the mature Vijayanagara phase of architecture. The main temple was dedicated to Vishnu or Vitthala.

Vitthala Temple was famous for reverberating musical pillars and we have heard about this since childhood. However we were disappointed upon reaching there since the guide told us that tourists are not allowed to touch the pillars to avoid damage.

Another attraction here is the famous stone chariot – the Garuda Shrine in front. The Garuda Shrine is fashioned in the form of a chariot with meticulous decorations with 4 wheels. It houses an image of Garuda, the vahana of Vishna.

During Hampi festival, light and sound will be arranged which is a must watch. So please make sure you plan this in advance.

Now it was break time. We had lunch near a local restaurant there and then started our second phase of exploration.

Queen’s bath

This is a very ancient bathing place built for the women of the royal family of Vijayanagara. Most interesting aspect of this place is to watch how they had designed water channels from a distant lake to bring water this far for this private swimming pool.

Lotus Palace

This is also known as Kamal Mahal. It is believed that Royal queen would stay here during summers. The three watchtowers signify the level of security she had here. This is one of the beautiful structures that were left undamaged during the siege of the city. It is a pleasant mix of Islamic and Hindu architectural styles. This palace was air-cooled during summers using water from various streams nearby. Guide informed us that during Hampi Festival this palace will be illuminated which is a spectacular sight.

Elephant Stable

This is also built in the Indo-Islamic style of architecture. Eleven chambers are built side by side. And it is considered to be the stable for state elephants.  

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple

Lakshmi Narasimha statue has Narasimha (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu), sitting on the coil of a huge seven-headed snake, called Adishesha. The heads cover the statue in the form of a hood. The Lord is in cross-legged Yoga position with a belt supporting his knees. Sometimes he is also called as Ugra Narasimha due to his protruding eyes and facial expression.

The specialty of this imposing sculptures in the ruined town of Hampi is that it is the largest monolith statue here.

Badavalinga

Very close to the shrine of Ugra Narasimha statue is an interesting shrine with a huge monolithic Shiva Linga of nearly 3 meters high. The lower part  of the Linga remains in water throughout the year. Badavalinga which is believed to be built by a poor woman hence the name.

This was the last spot of the day and we bid adieu to our guide from here. We then headed right back to hotel and relaxed a bit since last two days had been really strenuous. Last day we had plans to cover Pattadakal and Badami on our way back to Bangalore. So our driver informed us that it will take at-least 3-4 hours to cover both and then head back to Bangalore. We knew the only way to make this happen is to start early. So we had quick dinner and hit the bed to have a good night sleep.

Day 3: Journey Back covering last two milestones of heritage trail - Pattadakal and Badami

Distance from Hospet to Pattadakal is around 120 km. Pattadakal to Badami is another 20 kms drive.

So we started at 7:30 in the morning from Hospet towards Pattadakal. One important tip to all fellow travelers, please ensure you keep the maps handy. We were little surprised that Pattadakal is also a UNESCO Heritage site but there was not a single sign board on the way. Google maps will take you into the villages in order to give you a shorter route. Once you enter these inner muddy roads of villages GPS also stops working. We had a hard time driving in those rough terrains. Finally we were able to reach Pattadakal by 10 AM after taking help from the locales of each village.

Pattadakal

We did not have a guide here due to time constraint. But at the entrance is a billboard with all the details which provides enough details about the monuments for you to explore. These are a group of Chalukya dynasty’s monuments.  There are 10 major temples in Pattadakal all dedicated to Lord Shiva. Four temples are constructed in the traditional Dravidian style of architecture (South Indian), with another 4 temples containing elements of Nagara architecture (North Indian). The remaining two temples are a confluence of both the architectural styles. The place is mesmerizing and immensely beautiful. It is an UNESCO heritage site, and very well maintained. A real gem for some great photography.

This place is very remote so you may not find good food joints. So we decided to have lunch at Badami. Request KSTDC (Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation) to make the roads to Pattadakal easily accessible by putting sign boards and also work on providing the basic amenities for tourists like good restaurants, rest areas, hotels etc. After reaching there, we really felt the place is worth a day’s stay. But due to lack of all these facilities, people plan to visit this en-route only.

Badami

We reached Badami town at around 11 am.  Entrance to Badami caves though goes through a very narrow lane of houses and there are no proper sign boards on the route. KSTDC needs to really work on this. Finally we reached the parking lot of Badami Cave Temples. 

Badami Cave Temples are the first known rock cut Hindu Temples. There are 4 distinct Caves Shaivite (Shiva) Vaishnavite (Vishnu) Maha Vaishnavite (Vishnu) and Jain. These date back to the early Chalukya period around the 6th Century. There are 4 caves here. It is not necessary to have a guide as there are well written descriptions before each cave. Cave 1 is dedicated to Lord Shiva in Linga Form. Cave 2 closely followed Cave 1 and was excavated for Lord Vishnu. Cave 3 was created by Chalukya Mangalesha for Lord Maha-Vishnu. Cave 4 is a Jain cave temple.

We had lunch here and started back on another long journey to Bangalore. Finally Reached Bangalore at 9 pm in the night.

I had always heard since childhood that Hampi is well-known for its exceptional architecture and unmatched craftsmanship. And this trip completely justified that.

Even though you will only see ruins amidst boulders, this place survives with the splendor in the minds of visitors.

No matter how many heritage sites you have visited, I can certainly say that Hampi’s landscape will overwhelm you J