Hampi - The Stone Architectures

 Hampi

My desire to visit Hampi was realized in September 2023. I heard about the beautiful stone architectures and the marvels of the flourishing Vijayanagara Kingdom and desired to visit one day. The desire was finally realized. 

Hampi, a small town in Karnataka, 350 km north of Bangalore, is situated on the banks of the Tungabhadra River. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire (1336 – 1672) in the Deccan Plateau. South Indian history talks a lot about the Vijayanagara Kingdom and their love for architecture. The kingdom that was centered on Hampi extended to present-day Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, and Maharashtra. Now, Hampi is in ruins and remains a skeleton. Except for one temple (Virupaksha Temple), all other ancient temples have no places of worship; all other temples and major royal structures are in ruins. From the 14th century, the Kingdom flourished until the 17th century. In the 16th century, under the Kingship of Krishna Deva Raya, it attained maximum glory. The victory of the Deccan Sultanates paved the way for the downfall of Hampi, and the many structures became ruins. Today most of the architectural marvels at Hampi come under UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka.  

Stone structures are seen everywhere, and if one is not a historian or architecture enthusiast, one will be fed up soon seeing the stone buildings everywhere. It seems that people did stone works as a hobby and one can see in every nook and corner of the town. The place is surrounded by boulder heaps that forms the hills. Deccan plateau has rocks formation everywhere. According to some geologists, the origin of these rock dates back to 2.5 billion years, during the Archean Era. Similar rocks are in Ramanagara area in Bangalore; Chitradurga also has similar boulder hills. As usual, Hindu mythology has a different story to narrate as the origin of these boulders. 

Regarding the trip, Hampi is 370 km from my home. Since one of my students was eager to come in his motorcycle, it is a blessing to a 3-day trip. The first and last day for travel and the middle day for Hampi sightseeing. However, from my point of view, the whole trip ended up as a solo trip as my friend's motorcycle was a very expensive one and with a higher HP, he preferred to ride at a fast pace. I was riding at my normal speed of 80 to 110 km/hour. Therefore, I met him only a few times on the road while going. On the return trip, we had our breakfast at Hosapete, and he left on his own way. However, we visited Hampi together.  

The original plan was to meet near the Toll Plaza after Yeshwantpur at 630 a.m. Since there was rain, the trip was delayed. The meeting place itself is 50km from my house and it was a nightmare to ride the motorcycle in the city. However, the rains stopped, and I started at 6 a.m. from my place and reached the meeting point just after 715 a.m. The ride was good as the roads were toll roads and the motorcycles need not pay tolls. 

We decided to meet at Paakashala for morning breakfast. Reached the restaurant around 9 a.m., and cruised 150 km. The restaurant was on the other side of the road. Therefore, we parked our motorcycles, crossed the roads, and had a sumptuous breakfast. The place was crowded, maybe because it was Sunday or because of the taste. It was a good experience to find a tasty restaurant on the roadside. 

Around 945 a.m. we started our journey again and stopped for a photo session at 1045 a.m. having the windmill in the background. We planned to meet near Tungabhadra Dam. I reached the parking of the Dam at 12.45 p.m. Before reaching the dam one can see the backwaters of the dam before entering the Hosapete Tunnel. I had a desire to stop and see the beauty of the backwaters from there; thinking about my companion waiting at the dam site prompted me to move forward to the dam site. I was disappointed to meet him there. Where he was … God in heaven knows. Therefore, I missed both the beauty of the backwaters as well as the Dam. Called him and fixed the meeting point at a restaurant in Hosapete town.We met near Tukaram restaurant in Hosapete around 1:15 p.m. and had lunch. It was not a sophisticated hotel but had tasty food. It was crowded also. Persons travelling with family better avoid the crowded eatery. 

We reached safely Hampi Heritage and Wilderness Resort (Junglelodges) around 2.20 p.m. The room we booked was a cottage-styled house, very spacious and comfortable. I recommend this hotel to all, there was less noise, less crowd, and was away from town, had a beautiful wilderness, forest setting. I highly recommend that place to everyone who visits Hampi. We relaxed in the room and had a nap. Went to the watchtower of the resort to see the sunset. Unfortunately, there were clouds, and not able to see the sunset. However, the site was so beautiful from the watch tower. Around 7 p.m., though there was a restaurant inside the hotel, we went out for dinner. Thus, day one ended with a happy note. 

On day two, we booked our rooms in Hotel Mayura Bhuvaneshwari. It was in the town, but not as desirable as the previous day's stay. It was a mistake to stay in the town hotel (the first day stay was much, much better). We came to Mayura Bhuvaneshwari. Since the check-in time was noon, we dislodged our bags at the counter. Had some bargaining with an auto-rickshaw to show the tourist places at Hampi until 1pm (except Vijaya Vittala Temple which we planned to go by motorcycle in the afternoon). 

Having the auto driver as the tour guide, started our sight-seeing trip at Hampi. Since the time was limited to half day, the auto driver did not go to all the places, took us only the important places, and also the easily accessible spots. The driver started from Virupaksha Temple. It is a Shiva temple and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple existed in different forms from the 7th century. King Deva Raya II’s period, a chieftain of the town, built the present temple. Many additions are done to the original structure which anyone can see from the many different buildings seen. 

A common ticket to visit a few sites is needed. So better, to take it online by giving some details; otherwise, there are ticket counters at few places where one can pay and get the ticket. The price of the ticket is cheaper for Indians and higher for foreigners. The ticket can be used in many places in Hampi.  

Kadalekalu Ganesha temple, Hemakuta Hill and the ruins, Lotus Mahal, Elephant stable, Underground Shiva Temple, Stepped Tank, Queens’s bath are some of ruins we could cover in a short period in the autorickshaw.  

In the afternoon around 330 p.m., we went to Vijaya Vittala Temple to see the Stone chariot (which is printed in the Indian 50Rs fluorescent blue note). The campus has the ruined Ranga Mandapa (with musical pillars). Since some existing structures fell down recently, the music pillar hall is off-limits to visitors. 

No private tourist vehicles are allowed beyond a certain point, and one has to take the battery assisted open vans. The price of going and coming is very cheap in the battery car. We parked the motorcycles in the place where the battery-operated tourism vans are running. Beware of monkeys that could easily open the motorcycle bags and throw items out in search of food. We had to park the motorcycle near a shop and the petty shop owner promised to guard our bikes from the notorious monkeys. 

We took the battery-operated open van and reached the Vijaya Vittala Temple. Many ruins are seen in one place. The famous Stone Chariotn is here, it was a wonderful site; but also pain in the eyes due to the broken condition of it. The music pillar hall is under renovation, and one can see from outside only. The Stone Chariot is one of the important places to see in Hampi. There are many temples, stone architecture and stone structures on the campus. If one is very keen on understanding more about each structure, hire a knowledgeable guide who will explain more.  

Outside the temple, we can see the King's Balance, an ancient balance scale made of stone. Still further, there are many monuments, and the river Tungabhadra is also seen from there. One old, ruined stone bridge can be seen on the other side of the river. We planned to climb the Matanga Betta to see the sunset. We aborted the plan as there were rain clouds in the sky. Thus, on the second day also, not able to see the sunset at Hampi. We end the Hampi historical tour by driving the motorcycle to see the Bukkasaagara Aanegundi Bridge over the Tungabhadra River. It was 10 km away from the temple. Rain came and we put a full stop to that day's sightseeing. 

On the third day, we started our return journey. Around 730 a.m., had breakfast at Hosapete. After having breakfast at Ganesh Restaurant, at 845 a.m. my friend left at a fast pace, and I started my solo ride and reached home before 3 p.m. riding 350 km. I cannot say it was a very enjoyable trip, however, it was an enjoyable trip to drive the motorcycle to such a faraway place and seeing the architectural marvels of Vijayanagara Empire. Hampi is a place to visit by all tour lovers.