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Hampi was the capital of Vijayanagara Empire and well known for its Temples and Sculptures. But beyond these magnificent structures, Hampi is also haven for Birds and Wildlife. Unique geographical location and mighty Tungabhadra River makes it an ideal place for Birding and spotting wildlife. It boasts India’s only Slot Bear Sanctuary – Daroji Bear Sanctuary.

We visited Hampi in the month of August this year. The plan was to cover the endemic Birds, Bears along with the world heritage structures.

Here is my humble attempt to capture the beauty of this land – Birds, Bears and Beautiful Temples.

Birds of Hampi
There are more than 200 bird species recorded in Hampi (Ref - https://ebird.org/hotspots). The main draw is the endemic and vulnerable Yellow-throated Bulbul which loves the rocky terrain of Hampi. We were also lucky to spot Indian Eagle Owl, Painted Sandgrouse, Yellow-throated sparrow, Jungle bush-quail and Painted spurfowls.

Yellow-throated Bulbul. Loves rocky terrain of Hampi.




Portrait of Yellow-throated Bulbul




Portriat of Painted Spurfowl Female




Painted Spurfowl Female



Painted Spurfowl Male






Jungle Bush-quail Female



Jungle Bush-quail Male








Yellow-throated sparrow aka Salim Ali Bird.

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Beautiful Painted Sandgrouse. The necklace Bird of Hampi.



Painted Sandgrouse Male



Painted Sandgrouse Female




Gray Francolin








Indian Eagle Owl. Look at those eyes. Loves to nest on rocky patches.




Baya weaver busy weaving..



A closer look..




Indian Silverbill couple.. Beautiful early morning light.




Plum-headed parakeet Female..feasting.




Scaly-breasted Munia on the Rock..




White-breasted Waterhen




Spotted Dove




and finally a Common House Sparrow.... They are fast disappearing and a rare sight in our urban areas.

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Bears of Hampi

Hampi has India's only Bear Sanctuary - Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary. The Sanctuay was established 1994 and expanded in 2009.

Few words on Flora and Fauna from Wikipedia

The flora of this sanctuary is primarily dry deciduous scrub and Southern thorn forests. At the time of declaration of the sanctuary, it was a large area of barren hillocks, but persistent efforts from Karnataka Forest Department have transformed the area into lush green forest, filled with local flora.

The sanctuary's flagship species is the Indian sloth bear (Melursus ursinus). It has a very stable population of sloth bears and they reside in the numerous caves found in the hillocks within the sanctuary. leopards, monitor lizards, mongoose, pangolins, star tortoises etc. are some of the other animals that abound in the sanctuary.

We were lucky to spot two Female Sloth Bears with cubs. Along with Bears, Mongoose and Rock Agama's are common sight nearby the sanctuary.

Mama Bear



A standing pose



With the Cub






Male Rock Agama...the colourful rockstar






Baby and Mumma Mongoose in morning light






Squirrel posing for a photograph

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Temples and Landscapes of Hampi

No photologue of Hampi is complete without capturing the beautiful Temples and surrounding Landscapes. There are more than a thousand surviving remains of the great Vijayanagara Empire. The empire reached its zenith during the reign of Krishnadevaraya (1509-1529).

Few words on the Vijayanagara Empire from Wikipedia.

The empire's legacy includes many monuments spread over South India, the best known of which is the group at Hampi. Different temple building traditions in South and Central India came together in the Vijayanagara Architecture style. This synthesis inspired architectural innovation in Hindu temples' construction. Efficient administration and vigorous overseas trade brought new technologies such as water management systems for irrigation. The empire's patronage enabled fine arts and literature to reach new heights in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Sanskrit, while Carnatic music evolved into its current form.

Vijaya Vittala Temple - The Garuda Chariot and Gopuram






Virupaksha Temple at Night






Beautiful Pushkarini at Royal Enclosure. Engineering marvel.




Black granite pillars inside Hazara Rama Temple. This was a private temple for the King. The outer walls of temple depict Ramayana story carved in stone. There are over a thousand stone carvings on the walls.




Hampi is also home to Kishkindha Kingdom of Vali and Sugriva. The Anjaneya Hill Temple is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman.




Sunset colours






Happy daughter




A window to the Past. My friend shooting the Hampi Landscape



Cheers

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[lrsays]

Thanks for sharing, superb pictures. Is this amazing sunset image taken from hill next to Virupaksha temple/Hemakuta?

[srikrishna717]

Amazing pics, Did'nt know Hampi was known for lovely birds.
Can you please share the camera gear for the photographs of Birds ?

[dmplog]

Wow, breathtaking photos!
Hampi and Badami is on wishlist, need to do sooner! Will add bear santuary as one more place to visit

[prsnck]

Awesome pics..like straight out of any core wildlife park !! Never knew Hampi was known for the Birds !! It s like a bonus and added an impetus to my hopefully upcoming long pending Hampi visit..

Can you please PM the Hotel and stay details. It would be helpful.

Rgrds
Prsn

[ROG_AK]

Stunning pics from an amazing place! Wish I had the patience and skill to click pics like that!

[Maverick0986]

A nice travelogue coupled with equally beautiful photos of birds and temples.

My personal favorite photos, yellow throat-ed bulbul, yellow throat-ed sparrow, plum headed parakeet, indian eagle owl & male rock agama.

[laser2707]

Thanks for the wonderful travelogue. I must compliment your skill in photography. Each pic looks straight out of NatGeo. They are amazing in sharpness, rich in detail & color.

If it's not too much to ask, could you share the camera settings? Especially for shots like the Mongoose close-up, the Agama, Baya Weaver. The Bokeh in each of these shots takes a lot of practice to achieve.

As someone taking tentative steps in photography, this will be a big help.

[Reinhard]

Beautiful pictures & great photography. Loved each of those. I plan for a Hampi drive in coming months & now I know there's so much more to look for in addition to the temple complex! Had no idea till now.

Its pleasant to see these little winged angels and beasts are still sustaining in some corners of the country trying to fight off the onslaught on their habitats. Such a soothing feeling to see the pictures! These pictures can cure an ill person I think.

Thanks a lot for sharing & I hope you journey so much more with your camera in times to come.

[GTO]

Thanks to Niranjan for dropping this note!

Beautifully captured birds. Just to put in my input about Sloth Bear Sanctuary; there is one in Rajasthan by the name Jasore Sloth bear sanctuary nestled in the Arawali ranges adjoining Palanpur, in Gujarat.

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Originally Posted by lrsays

Thanks for sharing, superb pictures. Is this amazing sunset image taken from hill next to Virupaksha temple/Hemakuta?

Thanks Irsays. The first image is from the hill next to Malayavanta Raghunatha temple. The other two with the tree are from Hemakuta.

Originally Posted by srikrishna717

Amazing pics, Did'nt know Hampi was known for lovely birds.
Can you please share the camera gear for the photographs of Birds ?

Thanks Srikrishna. Yes, Hampi offers excellent habitat for birds. All Bird photos captured through my Pentax KP + 300mm f4 and landscape with 15mm f4 lens.

Originally Posted by dmplog

Wow, breathtaking photos!
Hampi and Badami is on wishlist, need to do sooner! Will add bear santuary as one more place to visit

Thanks dmplog. We are yet to cover Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal area. Something for next year.