[nandita_bayan21]

Unreal, enchanting, surreal and marvelous – these are some of the adjectives that would pop into someone’s mind when they enter the forlorn landscape of Hampi. I was spellbound when I saw this abandoned town, Hampi – immense beauty to offer yet all the monuments and structures standing tall, lonely and silently with so much tale to share with the passerby.

Hampi, a place always in my ‘to-go’ list was ticked off recently when Atul, Arun and I did a quick and last-moment-planning ride to Hampi. I was amazingly mesmerized by this place. So the detailed travelogue will follow soon.

I never knew until I started writing this travelogue that Hampi was once one of the richest and the largest cities in the world during its prime. In around 1500AD Hampi was the second largest city in the world after Peking-Beijing and almost thrice the size of present day Paris. The ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as the Group of Monuments at Hampi.

Much before I had any clue about all these history of Hampi, I was always excited to visit this place but as always never getting a right moment to do so. We had initially planned for a 4 day trip to Rameshwaram – Kanyakumari but due to change in holiday dates (25th Sept – due to Bakri Eid), our plan for the earlier destination got scrapped and we just had 3 days with us. A spontaneous decision was to go to Hampi. So with the minimal planning, instant hotel booking – we did get-set-go with our trip to Hampi.

Date of travel: 25th, 26th and 27th September 2015
Total travelers: 3
Riders: Atul and Arun
Pillion: Me
Bikes: Pulsar 200NS and KTM Duke 390
Route: BTM Layout > Nelamangala > Tumkur > Chitradurga > Hospet > Hampi > Bellary Highway > Challakere > Hiriyur > Tumkur > Nelamangala > BTM Layout
Total distance covered: 775kms (as per Atul’s ODO)



Day 1

Isn’t getting up early morning a big pain? Yes, at least for me it is. So we were supposed to start the journey by 6am, which eventually became 7:15am. Atul and I left home and went to the BTM Udupi Garden signal which is where Arun is supposed to come and join us. After some 15 mins he came, we started towards Nice Road via our usual route – Bannerghatta Road. Took toll for 2 bikes (Rs 98) and headed towards Tumkur Road. Without any break we covered some 75kms and entered the busy Tumkur Road. Trucks, cars, buses – phew! This is one hell of a chaotic road. Around 8:45am we reached Kamat Upachar and decided to have our breakfast as all of us were extremely famished by now. We ordered masala dosa, puri and tea. Took some 45 mins to finish our food and after a quick bio break we started once again. Weather wasn’t that bad till now but hold on – we still have a long day and way to go. Around 9:45am we reach Tumkur and by now the red-ball Sun just started showing its full glow. It slowly started getting extremely hot and sweaty riding through the boring, un-scenic Tumkur highway. And as usual, such boring roads put me to sleep. We reached Karajeevanahalli Toll Plaza – took a quick 15 mins break to bring back ourselves from the sleep mode. Another few kilometers and we reached Chitradurga by 11:45am. We still have a 140kms journey to cover before reaching Hampi. Before exiting Chitradurga town, the boys filled up their tanks with petrol.

Now comes the most dreaded part of our journey. As soon as we exited Chitradurga and took diversion toward Hospet (Bangalore – Sholapur highway) the roads started becoming bumpy, patchy, dusty and narrow. This is a narrow single lane highway with so many heavy trucks, state buses plying on it. It might be a risky affair for two-wheelers so need to take utter caution while riding through. We took many short breaks to relive ourselves from the stress and that patchy horrible road. To top it up, the scorching hot and humid weather.

Few distance ahead of reaching Hospet we reach Tungabhadra Dam and then came across this huge tunnel before the Hospet Road Circle. Well, I have never traveled through a tunnel in my entire life so I was pretty excited to enter my first tunnel ride. It was an amazing experience and I came to understand the literal meaning of ‘light at the end of the tunnel’. I stopped by and clicked couple of snaps as a remembrance of this moment. The tunnel cut through this huge mountain – simply brilliant. Around 3pm we reached Hospet and had another 33kms to reach Hampi.




At around 3:45pm we reached our resting nest – Mayuram Homestay in Hampi. This is a place situated in the Janta Flat Area in the River Road, walkable distance from the Virupaksha Temple. The house converted into 4 rooms is an amazing place to rest at an affordable price for travelers like us – neat and clean, mosquito net if needed, friendly owner named Ravi. We booked two rooms – Rs 900 each. The roof of the building provides a spectacular view of the Virupaksha temple. Quick freshening up and we headed out for lunch. There are many roof-top restaurants serving veg-only. We got into one and ordered our lunch – veg momos, cheese egg noodles, all day English breakfast. The restaurant was situated right in front of the river, we hogged down our food enjoying the nature, river and many many monkeys.

Done with lunch, we decided to walk and roam around some of the nearby places – first one to visit was the Virupaksha Temple. This is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, starts as a small shrine grows into a large temple complex. We could see the main temple, three chambers, a pillared hall and an open pillared hall. As soon as you enter the temple you can see Nandi’s structure guiding the main temple sanctum. The sculpture and carvings in the temple are just splendid. We spent some time here and headed south to see some other monuments. The day was dawning off and the blanket of darkness spread over the town. It started to become much cooler now.





We were running low on cash and started looking for an ATM. Alas! Nearest ATM is 4-5kms away in the Kamalapura town. We decided to take an auto – Rs 150 for a ride. Too much – we thought to take our bikes out but a decent guy agreed for Rs 80. On our way back he asked if we were interested to take a day’s tour of Hampi in his auto. Some murmur amongst three of us and we thought that would be an ideal thing to do. This way the guy will help us see all the spots and the poor bikes would have some relief after the hard work they did. We agreed for Rs 800 and asked him to come next day around 9am. Headed back to our rooms, we went up the roof top. Trust me it was an un-earthly view – a small light atop the temple, the dazzling scattered sky, moving clouds, the moon and the twinkling stars – this was all divine. All three of us started our talks and enjoyed the heaven above us. Not realizing it was already 8:45pm we headed out for some dinner. The locality had many small shops and eateries. You can buy books, fancy clothes, easy slippers and flip-flops, souvenirs and other such stuffs - crampped up yet a cozy surrounding. One can find many foreign travelers in and around this place. We entered a restaurant and ordered our dinner – fried chips, hummus with pitta bread, and omelet with toasts.

Back home by 9:45pm we decided to crash soon and get ample rest before we start our next day. 10:30 and it was all good-night time.

Day 2

Bang bang on the door. I opened up and saw the auto guy (Rajshekhar was his name). It was 8:30am. We hurried up and freshened up, need to have our breakfast as well. He was kind enough to wait and let us finish our food in peace. Breakfast was regular – English and French breakfast, peanut butter toast, scrambled eggs, tomato cheese omelet, coffee and hot milk. They say breakfast should be the heaviest meal of the day – we did abide by the saying and hogged till we couldn’t eat more. Didn’t realize the time being 10am, we headed out for our unforgettable Hampi tour. Weather was a bit clumsy as it started to drizzle, nothing to complain, at least it won’t be hot.

First he took us to Kadalekalu and Sasivekalu Ganesha Temple. The first one is a half completed Ganesha statue temple while the later one is a statue carved out of a single boulder in sitting position. This statue is seated in a large open mantappa within a pillared hall.




We moved on to see the Hampi bazar ruins where in ancient time diamonds, gold and valuable things were sold and bought. Right opposite to this bazar is the Krishna temple which is under construction now. Main altar of the temple is dedicated to Bala Krishna. This is one of the must visit site in Hampi as the carvings are spectacular with mythical lions and elephants on the pillars. Please note any kind of selfie sticks are not allowed within the temple premise – don’t know why but they were restricted. Arun was carrying his GoPro stick and the security stopped him right at the entrance.




From here we went to see the Ugranarasimha and Badavi Lingam temple which are next to each other. Ugranarasimha is the largest statue in Hampi. The statue looked quite terrifying with protruding eyes and dangerous facial expressions. Next to this is the largest Shiva linga statue – Badavi Lingam. Known to be the largest linga, it is housed inside a chamber with an opening in the front and always filled with water on all sides.




Next Rajshekhar took us to Udana Veerabadra Temple - a small yet religiously prominent temple. Right in front of this temple, we also came across a structure which had musical pillars. On tapping the pillars, they produce audible sound. From there we went to the Under Ground Temple – for some strange reason this Lord Shiva temple was built many meters below the ground level as a result almost all the time the sanctum and the main temple is under water, restricting entry inside. There is a wide fleet of stairs which takes you to the inner temple which consists of massive pillars all across. The temple has a huge boundary as well. Then we saw the Sister Stone – two gigantic boulders leaning against each other. Locals say these were two sisters who became stones due to a curse.







Now we went on to see the Lotus Mahal, Elephant Stable, Hajari Ram Temple, Watch Tower and Queens Bath. We paid Rs 10 per person to enter into the area. The Lotus Palace or Lotus Mahal is a unique structure with distinct and exceptional architecture located in a reserved area for the royal ladies during the Vijayanagara Empire. I really loved this monument as it was one of the few amazing structures that were left undamaged and looked marvelous. Adjacent to it is the Elephant Stable, a long building with a row of domed chambers which was used as place to park royal elephants. Next was the Watch Tower – located within the royal area used mainly for military and other civil activities observations. Later we proceeded to Hajari Ram Temple – this is a super huge monument surrounded by walls with tales from Ramayana carved out. Followed by Queens Bath complex – a colossal bathing area used by royal kings and queens is a lovely structure. We decided to sit down on the lawn for some time and relax a bit.









By now it was almost 1:45pm and it was lunch time. Then Rajshekhar took us to this place called ‘Tamarind Tree Food Point’ – a food joint where all the travelers come to have lunch. All they serve are some special and normal veg thalis along with refreshing drinks. The sitting area is large with space to accommodate many people at a time. Don’t forget to meet Charlie – a beautiful peacock who is supposed to be a domestic bird. I got a chance to click him right from the front. Around 2:15pm we were done with our lunch and now time to see the remaining part of Hampi.



Our first stop was Bheema’s Gate – one of the gateway to the walled town of Hampi. A figure of Bheema is carved on the gate, hence the name. There are couple of more architectural structures around this place yet it is not so crowded. (One of the Britannia Good Day ad was shot here). Next on list were Stone Car and Vittal Temple.



To get to this place you have to either sit on the tourism run buses or the battery cars driven by ladies. A distance of 2-3 kms and one can see the huge area dedicated for the temples, structures and sanctums. We took the battery operated car. Vittala Temple is one of the marvelous and extravagant architectural monuments of Hampi. The temple is surrounded by tall compound walls and gateway towers. There are many halls, pillars, pavilions and small temples located inside the campus. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. You can see the remains of a township campus that existed around this temple complex. The ‘Stone Chariot’ or the ‘Stone Car’ is one of the iconic structure of Hampi and is located within the premise of Vittala Temple. Actually it is not a chariot but a shrine built in the shape of a chariot built with many giant granite blocks. So please note that Vittala Temple and the Stone Chariot are must do things in your Hampi itinerary and also don't miss that customary photo opportunity with the stone chariot as your background.






On our return back we took the bus and met our auto guy Rajshekhar outside the main gate. It was 4:30pm now and the only thing left out was the Hampi archeological museum. This is a small yet very insightful museum located in Kamalapura town. It includes the Hampi valley blueprint, many archeological structures, monuments, findings, sculptures, paintings, etc. I kind of like this museum as it gives immense view about this historically enriched town. Around 5pm we started from the museum and reached our hotel in 15 mins. Gave Rs. 800 to the Rajshekhar and thanked him for showing us some of the amazing landmarks of Hampi. If not for him, our Hampi trip wouldn’t have been so great.

We took rest for some time and went out for some snacks – after a tiring day all you need is piping hot Gobi Manchurian and tea. We roamed around the market place for a while and came back home around 7. Terrace was the most exciting place at that time as the night sky with the full grown moon was just divine. We chatted till 9:30pm and by now it was dinner time. We went to this famous place called ‘Mango Tree’ – supposed to be the best restaurant in Hampi. The place was full so had to wait for some time for a table. Once in we ordered our food – pizzas, fried rice, pastas and some lassis. I didn’t like the food at all, absolutely no taste and no salt at all. Somehow done with the pathetic dinner we headed home by 10pm.

Let’s sleep because the next day is going to be a dead tiring one – the day to go back home.

Day 3

I always hate the day when we have to return back home. Nonetheless, as people say – all good things must come to an end. So we got up at 7am in the morning, quickly freshened up, loaded our luggage onto the bikes, the guys did some chain lubing, tweaking of their bikes and by 8am we were ready to leave Hampi. We decided to take a different route while returning so checked with the homestay owner if he knows of any. He suggested going via Bellary and the ride back home began.

Ride to Bellary highway junction was amazing, we rode through beautiful country roads with lush green crops on both side of the way. The whole area was surrounded by mountain rocks. Around 9:45am we reached the Bellary-Bangalore junction and took diversion towards Bangalore. Around 10am we stopped by a local shop to have our breakfast. This place was a roadside eatery serving hot hot masala dosas, puris, bhaajis and tea. Done with food and filling up bike tank with petrol we started our journey once again at around 10:45am.

The heat at times became unbearable and we had to take couple of quick breaks to cool ourselves. Around 12:30pm we reached Challakere and headed towards Hiriyur. At around 1pm and we finally hit the NH4. Some sort of relief as the guys could now ride at a faster pace. In no time we reached Tumkur and then the Nice Road junction around 3pm. Arun decided to go via Hebbal and we bid goodbye to each other. Paid our toll of Rs 48 to Bannerghatta Road and after beating the traffic we reached home at around 4pm. The ride back home was pretty uneventful yet reaching home was a relief.

Once again a destination was ticked off from our ‘go-to’ list and we did it safely. Hampi is definitely a magnificent place and pride of our country, I am happy to have seen it during my lifetime.

Hope the travelogue was informative enough and would help you plan your next trip to Hampi. Till next time, ride and drive safe. Above all, be happy!!

P.S. Have few more pics, will upload soon!

[fusionbang]

Excellent thread Nandita Thanks for the mesmerizing photos

And yes NH4 is not a scenic route and gets boring all the way. Probably you should have tried via Anantapur, I am not sure about the road conditions though.

[chandrda]

You keep surprising me with the places you select to visit in Karnataka. These places are not often visited or I can say not by regular holiday crowd.

Now you have got me hooked onto this tread for a detailed travelogue.

Again an excellent write up and much appreciated

Regards

[nandita_bayan21]

Thanks for liking the post @fusionbang and @chandrda

[theexperthand]

Amazing Pics and crispy narrative. Glad to see that the three musketeers soldering on, ticking off one place after another, in style.

--Anoop

[Full_Minchingu]

Amazing Tlog, great pictures. Thanks for sharing, have been to this place many a times, I am amazed that you were able to click pictures without anyone in the frame. Generally, this place will be crowded with lot of tourists. Especially near stone chariot and musical pillars. I mean, really, did you shoo them off before taking pics?

Last time when I visited this place, I saw lot of security guards keeping vigilance on each and every person, they were not allowing to even touch the pillars, how is the situation now?

Recently read a conspiracy theory about the wealth of this Kingdom: Krishndevaraya who was a great devotee of Lord Venkateshwara had somehow managed to shift most of his wealth somewhere near Tirupathi and buried it under the hills, not sure how true it is.

[navin_v8]

nandita you girl reignited the urge in me to visit Hampi, which has been on the back burner of my rides since the last two years(citing the riding distance between Bombay and Hampi). I really enjoyed reading your thread and also liked your easy and honest style of writing. The photos you have posted are amazing and brings out the beauty of Hampi really well. Whenever I read Hampi in travelogues section I jump to the thread to learn more about this place and its past. I know how it feels like sitting on an open terrace on a cool evening gazing at the stars and the clear black skies coupled with peace and tranquillity. This cannot be replicated in our polluted and jammed up cities. There is also a water body or some kind of a lake in Hampi where one can set up a tent/camp to spend time with nature. I hope you guys visited that place as well. Looking forward to more pics...

Although which is the that camera you are using and which lens?

[nandita_bayan21]

Originally Posted by theexperthand

Amazing Pics and crispy narrative. Glad to see that the three musketeers soldering on, ticking off one place after another, in style.

--Anoop

Thanks

Originally Posted by Full_Minchingu

Amazing Tlog, great pictures. Thanks for sharing, have been to this place many a times, I am amazed that you were able to click pictures without anyone in the frame. Generally, this place will be crowded with lot of tourists. Especially near stone chariot and musical pillars. I mean, really, did you shoo them off before taking pics?

Last time when I visited this place, I saw lot of security guards keeping vigilance on each and every person, they were not allowing to even touch the pillars, how is the situation now?

Recently read a conspiracy theory about the wealth of this Kingdom: Krishndevaraya who was a great devotee of Lord Venkateshwara had somehow managed to shift most of his wealth somewhere near Tirupathi and buried it under the hills, not sure how true it is.

Thanks for liking the t-log and the pics.

No no, I don't shoo people off for taking pics. I prefer to wait patiently for that time when the crowd becomes minimal or no-one in the frame at all. I know its a tiresome task but I won't mind waiting a bit if I get a good frame.

Regarding touching the monuments, yes, security is still a bit strict. Museum was a complete 'no touching' and 'no photography' area.

Wealth in Tirupathi again?? How much more is Tirupathi going to be rich.

Originally Posted by navin_v8

nandita you girl reignited the urge in me to visit Hampi, which has been on the back burner of my rides since the last two years(citing the riding distance between Bombay and Hampi). I really enjoyed reading your thread and also liked your easy and honest style of writing. The photos you have posted are amazing and brings out the beauty of Hampi really well. Whenever I read Hampi in travelogues section I jump to the thread to learn more about this place and its past. I know how it feels like sitting on an open terrace on a cool evening gazing at the stars and the clear black skies coupled with peace and tranquillity. This cannot be replicated in our polluted and jammed up cities. There is also a water body or some kind of a lake in Hampi where one can set up a tent/camp to spend time with nature. I hope you guys visited that place as well. Looking forward to more pics...

Although which is the that camera you are using and which lens?

Please do travel soon. According to locals, best time to travel to Hampi is between Oct - Feb. Trust me you won't regret going there.

BTW I use Nikon D5200 and have few lenses like Nikon 18-55, 50, 70-300 and Tokina 11-16. All the above pics were taken by 11-16 and 70-300.

[srinivaspai]

Originally Posted by nandita_bayan21

Hope the travelogue was informative enough and would help you plan your next trip to Hampi. Till next time, ride and drive safe. Above all, be happy!!

This travelogue is more than informative, Nandita, and it is goading me to start immediately. Thank you for this and it is always a pleasure reading your almost monthly doses of travelogues. waiting for your next one.

Also the pics are Fascinating and along with your trademark narrative ,as usual, makes for pleasurable reading. You have made full justice to the Tokina.

So Hampi > Bellary Highway > Challakere > Hiriyur > Tumkur > is the route to go to avoid the bad roads. Is it good or relatively better than the other route.
Also does the home stay have car parking?

[Self Driven]

Originally Posted by nandita_bayan21

BTW I use Nikon D5200 and have few lenses like Nikon 18-55, 50, 70-300 and Tokina 11-16. All the above pics were taken by 11-16 and 70-300.

Nice detailing and pictures. Happy to see you taking that extra mile for getting good pictures. More than the photographer fellow travelers need more patience to hang around.

The 50mm, 70-300 and 11-16 will get everything you need in this world unless venturing into deep jungles and need a bigger telephoto.

Wish you more trips (photo treat for us) and gear up for Nikon D7100 which is the best for the amateurs who has enough knowledge in shooting

Cheers

[adietya.d]

Beautiful narrative and stunning pictures Great use of the wide angle to capture the essence of this amazing place. Great post processing as well....It was a joy, this post

[gtonsing]

Originally Posted by nandita_bayan21

Unreal, enchanting, surreal and marvelous – these are some of the adjectives that would pop into someone’s mind when they enter the forlorn landscape of Hampi. I was spellbound when I saw this abandoned town, Hampi – immense beauty to offer yet all the monuments and structures standing tall, lonely and silently with so much tale to share with the passerby.
P.S. Have few more pics, will upload soon!

This is very true of Hampi. Nicely captured Nandita.
I have been to Hampi several times but am too lazy to write them up. You didnt go to the other side of the river - to the hanuman temple above the hill?
any idea what happened to the mango tree restaurant?

I like to sit on top of the tall "stage" (I forgot what it was called) and close my eyes and imagine people living, going about their activities, kings ruling, ministers ministering, building and enjoying. Quite a moving feeling.

[sukhoi30]

Very nice pictures and wonderfully written narrative. I am already thinking of planning my next vacation to this place.

[Zappo]

I am actually going to Hampi tomorrow. I will have at least 2 days in my hand to explore Hampi in leisure. All those of you who have been to Hampi earlier please do suggest an order in which to visit the different monuments and establishments. Also, what to see on Day-1 and Day-2?

If I had a half day over and above the two is there something close to Hampi thats worth a visit?

[neelemail]

@Nandita now I know, you are a "Traveller" and a "Photographer" who can write. The moment I saw the name "Humpi" in the thread, I cursed myself for not doing it when I was living in Chennai This was a must visit place for me, having heard a lot about the place.

Have been reading all your Tlogs and I quite like you style of writing. Buckle up more; write more, of course with lots of photos.