[prasanna_indaje]

With weekend at disposal in front of us, search for a place go was not over even by Friday noon. Briefly thought of Pondicherry , Ooty and Mysore, but did not proceed further. While revisiting the list of places around Bangalore again, Hampi seemed to be the best option considering distance and off-season. Despite of scorching heat, we decided to drive to Hampi !

Hexa had slight alignment issue, needed wash and needed fuel. Sorted out all these by Friday night and we were all set to go.

Day 1 : Saturday, 14th April
Bangalore – Chitradurga – Hospet – Kamalapura – Hampi – Kamalapura – Hospet : ~410 kilometers

Started from Home at 5.30 AM and we crossed Nelamangala by 6.45 AM. In a few minutes we were welcomed by long line of trucks at first toll of Tumkur road. To add to my ‘joy’, Fastag line was the longest. However, things moved moderately fast and we were out of the toll in few more minutes. Continued to drive towards Tumkur amidst of thick traffic for that time of the day. After crossing Tumkur, roads were relatively traffic free and we were able to cruise comfortably. We took quick break at Chitradurga (Upadhya Veg) for breakfast at around 9.15.

We took right from Chitradurga towards Hospet (NH50). And the ‘Good Roads’ became thing of past. This entire stretch of 140 odd kilometers is being upgraded to 4 lanes and the work is in progress. We followed GPS and took deviation towards Jagaluru , Ujjini and then joined again to NH50 near Kudligi. This deviation is again a mixed bag of good and not-so-good single roads, but better than continuing in NH50. We took about 3 hours to cover this distance and reached Hampi around 12.45 PM.

When we stepped out of the car, we realized why people were warning us about the temperature. It was about 37 degree C and burning due to heat waves from stones around. We visited Virupaksha temple, Narasimha temple, HazaraRama temple, ‘Mahanavami Dibba’, Secret Cellar, Pan-Supaari Bazaar, Queen’s Bath / Swimming pool and drove towards Vitthala Temple. Had lunch at Tamarind Tree restaurant, which is located on the way to Vitthala temple from Kamalapura. For visiting Vitthala temple, we had to park the car at designated parking place and take electric golf carts provided by the government. Round trip to the parking lot costs 20 rupees. If one wants to walk, they can and the distance is approximately 1.5 kilometers.

After temple visit, we drove back to Hospet via Kamalapura. We had booked our stay at Royal Orchid Kireeti. A nice hotel with free breakfast. Retired for the day after nice dinner at nearby vegetarian hotel (Nivedyam).

Mahanavami Dibba


Water Supply Network of That Time !


View of Ruins from Mahanavami Dibba


Queens Bath


Narasimha Idol


Step Well


Stone Chariot


Wheel(s) of Stone


Vitthala Temple - View of Gopura


Vitthala Temple - Walls


Market Near Vitthala Temple


Day 2 : Sunday, 15th April
Hospet – Hampi – Hospet – TB Dam – Chitradurga – Bangalore : ~430 kms

Started the day with breakfast at hotel. Nice spread and good food initiated a good day. Post breakfast, we drove to Hampi again and visited Sasivekalu Ganesha, Kadalekalu Ganesha, Mathunga Hill (Sunset Point) and drove straight to Tunga-Bhadra Dam (TB Dam). Vehicles are not allowed inside dam premises. We need to park the vehicle and take mini bus to lighthouse on top of the hill and to the garden near dam. Lighthouse is located on top of a hill from where we can have an amazing view of TB Dam, catchment area and the villages around. Round trip by bus costs 20 rupees.

After visiting the Dam, we started our return journey at 12.30 PM. Stopped for late lunch at Chitradurga (Upadhya Veg) at 3.30 PM . They serve good South Indian meal on plantain leaf. It was an uneventful drive back home after lunch. Traffic was sparse and got good opportunity to use cruise control. Reached home around 7 PM.

Sasivekalu(Mustard) Ganesha


Matanga Hill


View from Matanga Hills (Also called as Sunset Point)


We could not visit all attractions due to lack of time (and temperate outside). Following few are the important ones which we missed - ASI Museum at Kamalapura, Krishna Temple at Hampi, Lotus Mahal at Hampi, Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary (~15 kilometers from Hampi, Open from 2 PM to 6 PM everyday, Good to have a pair of binoculars to see bears from watch tower), Gejjala Mantapa (Near Vitthala Temple) at Hampi and Kishkindha(the ancient 'Vaanara' Kingdom) near Hampi. There are many other monuments and ruins which are very beautiful and less crowded, better take a guide if you want to visit these. At a leisurely pace, one needs a minimum of three days to cover all attractions of (and around) Hampi. For Foodies, Mango Tree restaurant at Kamalapura seems to be a good try. I did not try here though.

About the Car :
• Hexa equalized bad roads and kept us fresh to do site visits even after 400+ kms of drive under harsh sun. Car performed flawlessly and returned average FE of 12 kmpl.
• Outside temperature was around 37 – 38 degree C and Air Conditioner efficiently kept the cabin cool, even after parking the car under harsh sun for some time.
• Driver fatigue is very less in an automatic car, compared to manual transmission.

Hexa





Other observations :
• Due to Assembly Elections in Karnataka, we were stopped at every district border to conduct search of the car !
• April may not be the season, but best time to visit Hampi, if you can manage the heat.
• All monuments are well marked on premises and on Google. Possibly the guides can be avoided, unless one would like to hear history from them.
• Most of the eateries and shops are shifted from Hampi to Kamalapura now, including the famous ‘Mango Tree’ restaurant.
• Vitthala temple and most of the monuments close by 5.30 to 6 PM. Plan your visits accordingly.
• Bicycles and mopeds (with proper black and yellow plates) are available on rent. Not sure of the exact shops that rent, but any local should be able to guide you.
• A hat, shoes and bottle(s) of water are must have, if you are planning to visit Hampi during this time.
• There no good hotels between Chitradurga and Hospet. Please plan your food stops accordingly.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thanks for sharing!