A major pit-stop for travelers, Hampi enchants everybody with its alluring ruins and eccentric nature
Hampi, Karnataka
Because of Hampi's religious and spiritual value, meat and alcohol is totally off-the-charts in any and all restaurants. But otherwise you can expect nice meals and nicer settings at joints such as Garden Paradise which is strategically located by the riverside and provides the best food. Menu includes delicious pizzas, the signature paneer lavadar, and excellent juices. Breakfast here is also highly endorsed. You can opt to dine outside under the big mango trees. Mains start at INR 120.
Though Hampi bazaar and the rest of the Hampi is considered extremely safe, but wandering off alone to the ruins after sunset is strictly advised against. It is easily to lose track amidst the ruins, and some guides have reported spotting sloth bears around Vittala Temple at night. Also, as per local laws, all foreigners are to report to the police station with their passports upon their arrival and notify them about their proposed duration of stay.
Vittala Temple, Zenena Enclosure and the Elephant stables :
Indians - INR 10, children below 12 enter for free
Foreigners - $5
This entry ticket provides same day entry to all the three sites mentioned above.
Archaeological Museum:
Entry fee - INR 5 (approx.)
The museum is open from Saturday to Thursday from 10:00 A.M to 05:00 P.M
Camera: Photography is free mostly except for Virupaksha Temple which charges about a dollar.
Bicycles/Mopeds:
Monuments and sights in Hampi are within close distance to one another and you can travel between one sight and the other in a bicycle or a moped. You can also hire an auto rickshaw. Bicycles cost INR 5 per hour, Mopeds cost around INR 200-300 including fuel for a day, and auto rickshaw (can be shared by three) for INR 300-600 depending upon how long do you wish to sight-see in a day.
If you are arriving at Hampi via an overnight bus from Goa or Bangalore, expect to pay around INR 300-500 for the bus tickets.
If you wish to hire a local guide for the sightseeing, they charge around INR 50 per monument, INR 200-300 for half a day, and INR 600 for a full day. The rates may vary according to season.
Being so popular among travelers, especially backpackers, Hampi has many family-run budget guest houses. You may also find some bigger and more-comfortable room equipped with facilities such as AC and Television. The Hampi Bazaar is the most popular locality among the travelers and also where most accommodation options can be found. Padma Guest House, located in a quaint corner of the market, provides basic but neat rooms with views of Virupaksha Temple from its first floor starting at INR 500 for non AC and INR 1600. They also provide free WiFi downstairs. A bit more modest option is the Pushpa Guest House, which although is a bit costlier than the rest, offers more comfortable rooms, a lovely-sit-out, a reliable travel agency, and a very welcoming family as your host. Rooms here start at INR 750 for non AC and INR 1100 for AC. If you prefer a more tranquil atmosphere, away from the rather lively Hampi Bazaar, you may want to find yourself a room across the river from Hampi Bazaar, in the Virupapur Gaddi area. Shanti provides nice earth-themed cottages with thatched roof and sunset views over the river starting at INR 500 Their in-house restaurant makes good thalis and pizzas.
Hampi, also known as Humpi or Hampe, is a small town in northern Karnataka, and is most famous for its group of monuments and temples which are of oh historical and religious importance to the country and its people. The town is also famous for being the capital of Vijayanagara, a Hindu empire which rules this part of India between 14th and 16th century. The ruins of Hampi are considered an enormous open museum storing some of India’s best archaeological and religious masterworks.
Expanding over an area of almost 25 square kilometers, the ruins of Hampi includes, ancient temples, beautiful rivers, bustling markets, intriguing fortifications and palaces, and many such mesmerizing structures. Together with all its historic and religious masterpieces, Hampi falls under the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is labelled as Group of Monuments at Hampi.
Some of the most important and breath-taking sights in Hampi include:
Vittala Temple : This temple is dedicated to Lord Vittala, who is an avatar of Hindu God Vishnu. The temple is famous for its religious as well as architectural importance. The temple complex consists of many shrines and halls. One of the most notable features in and round the temple are its pillars which display the brilliant artwork of craftsmen from that era. A pair of pillar, known as the musical pillars resonate when tapped. The entrance to the main temple houses an enormous stone chariot.
Virupaksha Temple: This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, also known as the Hindu God of destruction, and is one of the oldest active temples in the country. This temple is very popular among tourists as well as believers. Come here if you want to observe some really interesting Hindu religious practices and rituals.
Royal Enclosure: This is a fortified complex and is the seat of erstwhile kings. The complex comprises many ruins of stately structures. Its many palace bases, underground temple, and water bodies makes for an interesting experience.
Lakshmi Narasimha – This gigantic statue of the Hindu half-man-half-lion god is the largest of its kind in Hampi. Lord Narsimha, one of the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu, is shown here sitting in a cross-legged posture. It is claimed that the original statue where his beloved, Goddess Laxmi, was sitting on his lap was destroyed during enemy invasions, and what remains now is only a single arm of the goddess which can be seen resting on his waist.
There are hundreds of other breath-taking sites sprawling the area and are totally worth your time. The best season to visit the ruins of Hampi is from October to February, the New Year Holidays being the supreme-most peak time.
Many festivals take place in Hampi throughout the year which are also worth visiting for. Some of the most popular ones are the Hampi Festival which is Hampi’s largest festival and is generally held in the first week of November. The festival continues for 3 days and is packed with music and dance shows, fireworks, and a grand procession exhibiting land’s cultural heritage as its spell-binding finale.
For more information on Hampi, visit the official website of Ballari District.
How to get there
The main connection between and the rest of the country is via road. The railhead at Hospet serves as the secondary mode of connectivity. Hospet is approximately 12 km from Hampi and has rail connectivity with nearby major cities such as Bangalore, Goa, Bijapur, Hubli, Guntakal, and Hyderabad. This is also the starting point for local buses to Hampi. Flights are the third option when it comes to reaching Hampi. The nearest airports to the region are Bellary (60 km) and Hubli (170km). You can also take an overnight bus to Hampi if you are in Goa, Bangalore, or Hyderabad.
By Nics10 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsAnjuna
By Dominik Hundhammer (User:Zerohund) (Image by myself) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia CommonsVagator and Chapora