Hampi

‘Hampi’, actually you are thinking right, it is not that popular that you’ve heard about it before. So let us help you to know it better. Hampi is situated within the ruins of Vijaynagar Empire Karnataka, India. It is the former capital of Vijaynagara Empire. Hampi actually narrates the story of competition between mankind and Vishwakarma, the god of architecture according to Hindu religion.

An amazing fact about Hampi is that before its fall, diamonds were sold on the streets and the street on which these precious stones were sold was called the Pan Supari Street. There are a lot of stories and facts about this place which can be explored by making a visit to Hampi. Hampi is a great place to spend a few days wandering around and discovering the rich, vibrant history while also having a bit of ‘your’ time.

Attractions of Hampi

Virupaksha Temple: This temple actually predated the founding of the Vijaynagara Empire. It is a mainly a Shiva mandir in the Hampi bazaar. It’s having a very high tower of about160 foots (49 m).

Hazara Rama Temple Complex: This is a ruined temple, well known for elaborating frescoes from the Hindu mythology. Hazara Rama is given to this temple because its 1000 carvings & inscriptions depict the story of Ramayana for which it is quite popular.

Stone chariot: This small piece of ancient architecture makes you admire those architects. Stone chariot is a miniature, with stone wheels and some believe that they actually rotate.

Ugra Narsimha: This is an idol (Statue) of a Narsimha of terrifying countenance, an inscription found here state that it was executed in 1528 A.D during the empire of Krishnadevaraya. The icon actually a have small of goddess Laxmi sitting on the lap of Narsimha and because of that it is also called Laxmi-Narsimha. The image was carved out of a single rock by the architect. The statue is a perfect example of what they achieved in volume which they could not in delicacy.

Water channels: This site of Hampi is an area with lots of water tanks of different size. These tanks are filled by a well-planned water supply system. Kamalapura tank feeds the main stone; first it feeds the large public tank and then the stepped tank.

How to reach there?

Airlines

Hubli is the nearest airport to Hampi. It is about 143 km from the town. Kingfisher Airlines runs daily flight to Hampi from Mumbai & Bengaluru. Going from Goa is bit expensive because you have change the plane from Mumbai, so it’s kind of uncomfortable too.

Roads

In most cases your main entry point for Hampi is the Hospet Town. That’s the nearest bus station and railway station for Hampi. So from wherever you are planning for Hampi, look for Hospet as Hampi would not be listed in the railway/bus destination lists. Form Hospet town Hampi ruins site is 14 kilometers (9 miles) away. Take a local bus or auto-rickshaw.

Buses

State buses to Hampi depart every 30 mins from Hospet. These buses are almost like the local buses in your town. Don’t forget to buy your ticket from the bus conductor travelling without a ticket is illegal. If you are travelling from Bengaluru, Bellary or Hubli, you will have to go to Hospet by either train or bus and then change a bus there to reach Hampi.

Cabs

Hospet is connected by roads to NH14. Reaching Hampi by a car is not difficult; all you have to do is to keep your eyes on the milestones to Hospet, if you do so then Hampi will be very comfortably reached.

Trains

Hospet is the nearest junction. Travelling by a train is cheaper yet easy than a bus journey. Rickshaw drivers can be irritating at the Hospet stations as they will poke their heads into your train even before you get off it. But ultimately they are the best way of transport from Hospet to Hampi.

Trains schedules to Hampi: