Relive The Glorious Past At Hampi

The Meteorological Office predicted that the monsoon this year would reach India a week earlier than usual. It was definitely a good news for all to get relief from the intense summer heat. I was delighted to note that Hampi, about 350 km from Bangalore, remained mostly clear and the temperature was also soothing. To reach Hampi, I need to cross Hospet. The nearby area is popular for a number of Buddhist sites. Hospet, basically, is the gateway town to the Hampi ruins. As I reached Hospet bus station (KSRTC bus station), I saw most of the long distance state buses terminating for Hampi from here. While in Hospet, I enjoyed a few snacks at a roadside dhaba and paid short visits to the unique Anantashayana temple of Anantashayana Gudi.

After spending a couple of hours in Hospet, I headed for Hampi, the erstwhile medieval Hindu kingdom of Vijaynagar. On entering the small city I was actually amazed and overwhelmed to see the wonderful temples, monolithic sculptures and monuments. The excellent workmanship of all these structures reflects the splendor of the Vijaynagar Empire. I hired an auto to explore the major attractions of the city. Kuldeep, the auto-driver, told me that Tungabhadra River is the most prominent feature of the city. He told me that Hampi can be broadly divided into two areas from tourism point of view: the Hampi Bazaar area and the Royal center near Kamalapuram. We started exploring the city from the Hampi Bazar area. The 15th century Virupaksha Temple is simply a unique structure. Dedicated to Virupaksha, a form of Lord Shiva, the temple rises about 50 m from the ground. I also visited Jain temples and a monolithic sculpture of Lord Narasimha (a form of Lord Vishnu) at the Hemakuta Hill on the southern part of the Virupaksha temple. I also devoted a little time to visit the World Heritage Vitthal temple (built in the 16th century), the deserted Sule Bazaar, the Achutraya temple, the Monolithic statue of Lord Ganesh, Nandi, the Kodandarama temple and the Krishna temple.

After having lunch in the Hampi Bazar, Kuldeep took me to the Royal Center, where I saw the Lotus Mahal, a perfect blend of Indo-Islamic architecture. The Archaeological Museum at Kamalapuram, Mustard Ganesha and Noblemen's palace are again the masterpieces. Famous for its architectural ruins, Hampi is declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. After having such a great experience at Hampi, I moved on to Bangalore.