Hampi — The City Of Ruins

Hello Friends, this is my first attempt of writing a blog, so if you are reading this, please give appropriate & honest feedback in the comments.I recently visited Hampi and this blog will be all about it.
Before visiting Hampi, please read about it, otherwise it would be no fun. The city of ruins, was once, believed to be second richest city of the world. I also recommend to download the below app, as it describes some of the important monuments very nicely — https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phonegap.hampi .

History

The first settlement in Hampi dates back to 1st century AD and several Buddhist sites belonging to that time have been found nearby. Hampi was the capital of the mighty Vijaynagar Empire. Vijaynagar was one of the largest Hindu empires in India. Two brothers, Harihar and Bukka, founded it in 1336. Krishnadevaraya (1509–1529) was the greatest ruler and controlled almost all of peninsular India south of Tungabhadra River. The town of Hampi in the 14th century had a population of half a million people. Seven concentric lines of fortifications protected the city. It maintained a huge army to protects it from other kingdoms. Vijaynagar Empire flourished, as it controlled both cotton and spice trade routes of southern India. Medieval historians refer to Hampi as an important center of trade. However, the glory of Vijaynagar was short-lived. With the death of Krishnadevaraya, the combined armies of the five Muslim kingdoms-Bidar, Bijapur, Golconda, Ahmednagar and Berar-destroyed this mighty empire in 1565.
Source — https://www.tourism-of-india.com/hampi/

Best Time To Visit

Winters are the best time to visit and it is the peak season there. After February onward, the number of visitors begin to decline. I visited in the third week of February 2020, and all the famous spots were almost empty on the weekdays, but there was a lot of rush on the weekend(long weekend to blame).

Mode of transportation inside Hampi

Hampi is a very small city, following are the modes of transport available for exploring :

1. Your own vehicle — Worth, parking charges at the main parking ground(Hampi Bus Stand) is around 15–20rs per day, and there is no parking charges at any other spot.
2. Rent a normal bicycle — Around 100rs per day, but it would be tiring if not regular at cycling because of the uphills.
3. Rent an electric cycle — Around 250rs per day, this is completely worth it, and saves a lot of efforts during uphill. I suggest this if not having own vehicle.
4. Auto — Around 1000rs per day, i wouldn’t suggest this.

I used electric cycle for a day, and later had our own vehicle when friend’s joined.

Itenary

Hampi Map from hampi.in

Day 1:

1. Check-in to your home-stay/hotel, freshen up fast and also ask the owner for cycles if required.
2. Eat heavy breakfast as lunch can be skipped to cover maximum places.
3. Assuming you start from Hampi Bus Stand, go straight uproad till you see a road on left side. Here is the underground shiva temple(pt 16).
4. Afterwards take the left route and you’ll cover almost all the Royal Center. Important Things to see:

• Underground Shiva Temple.
• Hazara Rama Temple.
• Zenana Enclosure ( Lotus Mahal & Elephant Stables).
• Palace Ruins.
• Stepped tank & Octagonal Water Pavilion.
• Queen’s Bath.

1. Proceed to Vijaya Vittala Temple(It’s a bit far). You may take a guide here.
2. Lastly visit Archaeological Museum(It’s closed on Friday)
3. Sleep early on Day 1 so that you can watch the sunrise on Day 2

Day 2:

1. Wake up very early before sunrise, you won’t need a bicycle on this day, as you would be covering nearby spots.
2. Go straight opposite Virupaksha temple, towards the Monolithic Bull.
3. Climb the Matanga Hills for Sunrise View.
4. After sunrise, you can visit Achuta Raya’s Temple(pt 67) and then visit Virupaksha temple, which is the only live temple. If you are lucky, you can even catch the temple elephant Laxmi taking her bath in the Tungabhadra river.
5. Later, proceed to Krishna Temple(pt 9), the bazaar is huge here. Just a little walk ahead, you’ll reach the most famous Monolithic Lakshmi Narasimha Temple(pt 12) and Badavilinga Temple(pt 11).
6. Then visit the two Ganesha’s (pt 1 & 2) and start climbing the Hemakutta hills. You will see many structures along the road. There is a marked sunset point, and you can chill here till sunset, listening to the mantra’s from Virupaksha temple.

Day 3:

1. Here we’ll explore the other side of the Tungabhadra river, popularly knows as Hippie Island. There is ferry available to cross the river, otherwise if you have your own vehicle, you can go over that side via road which is long-cut. Once you cross the river, you can rent a two-wheeler (Please start very early if you want to watch sunrise at Anjaneya Hill).
2. Head straight towards Anjaneya Hill & Temple(pt 79). You have to climb 575 stairs, won’t take more than half an hour.
3. It is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. Also there is a very good viewpoint where you can see the entire Hampi city. One can also plan to come here for Sunrise/Sunset.
4. Later, you can proceed towards Sanapur lake. You can also enjoy the coracle ride here.

Accommodation

Anywhere near Virupaksha temple is the best place to stay. During weekdays and off-season, you can get a good bargain by directly calling the owners, but during weekends, all the stays are usually pre-booked and the owners can demand any irrational price. I’ll suggest to check online (booking.com/goibibo) for the availability of guest-houses, and call the owner once to confirm the availability. I wasted a lot of time reading reviews of all stays, but it doesn’t matter, because you’ll be using the stay just to sleep and rest. Avoid booking stays on Hampi Island, as most of them are demolished now. Even the stays opposite to the Hampi Bus Stand/Parking ground is good enough, as they are a bit cheaper, the only con is you have to walk 5–6 minutes for going to the good cafe’s.
Please note, most of the stays in and around Hampi are home stays, and you may not get the luxuries of Hotel, for example, hot water is not present at many home-stays(Some can get you a bucket for 20–30rs), no breakfast or tea/coffee, no towels(so carry one). Don’t spend more than 500rs per person per night for the stay(If on a budget trip).

The place I stayed :

Lakshmi Heritage (near Virupaksha Temple) — 1800 rs per night for 3 people (I know it’s expensive, but I was new, had booked online, and didn’t know much around, and i don’t want you people to do the same mistake). Towels were provided, free water refill, hot water available, no attached cafe/restaurant.

Appu Guest House (Opposite Bus Stand/ Parking ground) — 1700 rs per night for 5 people (We got a good deal here after a lot of bargaining). No towels, Hot water available only in the morning, has attached cafe/restaurant.

Food

Food in Hampi doesn’t disappoint at all. I liked the food at all the places, though I strongly recommend the following 3 Cafe’s(all are near Virupaksha temple).

1. Ganesh Old Chill Out Cafe(Recommended for Dinner) : I would rate this as the best cafe in Hampi. The food and vibe is too good. This is the only cafe which serves chicken in this area.

2. Mango Tree(Recommended for Dinner) : It is a bit hyped, but worth it. Sometimes there is a lot of waiting here.

3. Shiva Cafe(Recommended for Snacks) : This is a street side cafe, with 6–7 chairs and 3–4 tables. Try the onion uttapa here.

Onion Uttapa at Shiva Cafe

Important

As of Feb 2020, there is hardly any network in Hampi area apart from BSNL, so be prepared for it. Also carry enough cash, as there are no ATMs inside Hampi, and online payment via UPI won’t work because of very low network. There is water refill station just besides Hampi Bus Stand, where you can fill a litre of bottle for 2rs, but it wasn’t working on many of the times we went.

Pictures

Attaching some of the pictures below from my trip.

Lotus Mahal

Stone Chariot

Hampi Bazaar

And that’s about it. Please feel free to ask anything in comments. Also do check out my instagram — @pranaypai .