Hampi is a village and temple town recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as the Group of Monuments at Hampi. in northern Karnataka, India. It was one of the richest and largest cities in the world during its prime. It is located within the ruins of the city of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire.
Hampi is a place like no other and so are the activities that you can indulge in when here. Test yourself at bouldering over the hills, ride a bicycle all across the village, row a coracle in the calm waters of River Tungabhadra, spot some Indian sloth bears or get blessed by an elephant—Hampi has a lot to keep you busy. Watching a sundowner across its famous temple ruins is, of course, a delight.
BOULDERING
Hampi is a boulderers’ heaven. With its endless trails of boulder hills and right terrain, it has emerged as the country’s hotspot for anyone with a love for the sport. While the more experienced ones can get bouldering and rock climbing equipment from one of the many stores and travel operators in the village, newbies can learn sport tactics with experts who often camp by the boulders. A closely-guarded secret, bouldering in Hampi came into spotlight with Pilgrimage, the much acclaimed climbing movie by Chris Sharma, Katie Brown and Nate Gold; climbers from all over the world made Hampi a favourite soon after its release. You would know the lure of those flat, looming boulders once you set eyes on them. A must-do in Hampi.
BEAR WATCHING
Wildlife lovers can head off the Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary for jungle safaris. The sanctuary is some 20 km away from Hampi and doubles up as a conservation centre for the Indian sloth bear. Perfect to escape to from the more touristy lanes of Hampi, it is quite offbeat and houses more than 100 sloth bears, 90 bird species and an impressive variety of butterflies as well. You can either drive across the sanctuary or sit in the watch tower with a pair of binoculars and picnic lunch. Great place for kids.
GET BLESSED BY AN ELEPHANT
This one would never lose its charm! Lakshmi, the temple elephant at Virupaksha Temple, blesses visitors early in the morning with a gentle touch of her trunk. Anyone looking for a greater adrenalin rush should get into the river when she is in for a bath; a gentle shower from her awaits everyone who is eager enough to go near. Those not in a mood to get drenched can stay at the banks and watch the ritual-like bathing ceremony when Lakshmi splashes in the water, eagerly listening to her mahout’s calls.
BICYCLE TOURS
If there is one thing that you must do in Hampi, it is to get a bicycle and roam around the ruins and this sleepy village at a pace that keeps you discovering its beauty. Hampi is not a place to strike off from your wishlist in a rush; so let it work its magic on you—slowly. A number of bicycle rental points are in the lane that houses Virupaksha Temple.
CORACLE HOPPING
A walk by riverside is passe when you can go right in the middle of one in coracles, the coolest designed boats ever. Crossing River Tungabhadra to reach Anegundi, the hippie side of Hampi and back, becomes all the more inviting when you wade across it in a coracle. Watch a brilliant sunset, visit the drum circle and other live music sessions on the other side, photograph the Hampi ruins that look all the more fascinating from across the river or just enjoy some calm, away from the touristy clamour of the village in one.
VIRUPAKSHA TEMPLE
Dedicated to Lord Virupaksha, the main deity of the Vijayanagara rulers, the temple is an important pilgrimage centre and one of the main attractions of Hampi. Also known as Pampapati Temple, it has a 50-metre high tower at the entrance and displays beautiful architecture throughout. The miniature paintings on the ceilings make your visit worthwhile. Built in the beginning of the 7th century, it is one of the oldest functioning temples in India. The temple received a major overhaul and renovation at the beginning of the 19th century.
VITTALA TEMPLE
Dedicated to Lord Vittala, a form of Lord Vishnu, the temple was built in the 15th century. It is an exemplary symbol of the Vijayanagara style of art and architecture and one of the top attractions of Hampi. No words can describe the magnificence of the hundred pillared pavilion or mandapa that lies in the south-west part of the temple. The sculptures that adorn the eastern and northern gateways are also splendid. The composite pillars of the ‘sabha mandapa’ are massive and when tapped gently produce musical notes. The temple complex houses a number of important monuments including the famous stone chariot.
STONE CHARIOT
Considered as the most popular attraction of Hampi, this architectural marvel is located within the Vittala Temple complex. It is actually a shrine built in the form of a chariot and rests on a platform that is about a feet high. The shrine is dedicated to Garuda who is the carrier of Lord Vishnu. This stunning piece of architecture is among the three famous stone chariots in India, others being Konark (Odisha) and Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu). The carvings and sheer beauty of this structure make it a ‘must-visit’ attraction of Hampi.
UGRA NARASIMHA SWAMY STATUE
This is the largest statue in Hampi and depicts Lord Narasimha in a terrifying or angry form. Narasimha which means half-man and half-lion is one of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. This monolithic structure, which is 6.7 m in height, has the lord sitting cross-legged position on the coil of a giant seven-headed snake Adishesha. Originally the statue also had Goddess Lakshmi sitting on lord’s lap, but according to history it was vandalised and damaged in the year 1565. The statue of Goddess Lakshmi can now be seen in Kamalapura Museum.
Thanks for another informative blog. Where else could I get that type of info written in such a perfect way? I’ve a project that I’m just now working on, and I’ve been on the look out for such information.
Great post. I am facing a couple of these problems.
Hello, i believe that i noticed you visited my website thus i got here to “return the desire”.I’m trying to to find things to enhance my site!I suppose its ok to use a few of your concepts!!
I like this post, enjoyed this one thanks for posting. “‘I have done my best.’ That is about all the philosophy of living one needs.” by Lin Yutang.
Thank you for all your valuable work on this web page. Kate take interest in conducting internet research and it’s really obvious why. Almost all notice all relating to the dynamic mode you provide good suggestions on this web site and even attract contribution from the others on the content plus my child is in fact becoming educated a lot of things. Have fun with the rest of the year. You have been carrying out a pretty cool job.
Some really select blog posts on this internet site, saved to favorites.
Hey there! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a group of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us useful information to work on. You have done a extraordinary job!
Very nice info and straight to the point. I don’t know if this is truly the best place to ask but do you people have any thoughts on where to hire some professional writers? Thanks in advance :)
I believe this web site holds some very fantastic information for everyone. “Good advice is always certain to be ignored, but that’s no reason not to give it.” by Agatha Christie.
But a smiling visitor here to share the love (:, btw outstanding style.
Hi, Neat post. There is a problem with your web site in web explorer, may check thisK IE nonetheless is the market leader and a good portion of people will leave out your wonderful writing due to this problem.
Thanks for the sensible critique. Me and my neighbor were just preparing to do a little research on this. We got a grab a book from our area library but I think I learned more clear from this post. I am very glad to see such wonderful info being shared freely out there.
As I website possessor I believe the content material here is rattling magnificent , appreciate it for your efforts. You should keep it up forever! Good Luck.
Thanks , I’ve recently been searching for info about this subject for ages and yours is the greatest I have discovered so far. But, what about the bottom line? Are you sure about the source?
fantastic post.Ne’er knew this, thankyou for letting me know.
I’ve recently started a web site, the information you provide on this web site has helped me greatly. Thanks for all of your time & work. “So full of artless jealousy is guilt, It spills itself in fearing to be spilt.” by William Shakespeare.
I keep listening to the rumor talk about getting free online grant applications so I have been looking around for the top site to get one. Could you tell me please, where could i acquire some?
Wow! Thank you! I constantly needed to write on my site something like that. Can I implement a portion of your post to my blog?
Pretty section of content. I just stumbled upon your site and in accession capital to assert that I acquire actually enjoyed account your blog posts. Any way I will be subscribing to your feeds and even I achievement you access consistently quickly.
I conceive you have noted some very interesting details , thankyou for the post.
obviously like your web site but you have to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Many of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very bothersome to tell the truth nevertheless I will surely come back again.
very good submit, i actually love this web site, keep on it
good post.Never knew this, thankyou for letting me know.
Valuable information. Lucky me I found your website by accident, and I am shocked why this accident didn’t happened earlier! I bookmarked it.
I haven¦t checked in here for some time because I thought it was getting boring, but the last several posts are great quality so I guess I¦ll add you back to my everyday bloglist. You deserve it my friend :)
hello!,I like your writing so much! share we communicate more about your article on AOL? I require a specialist on this area to solve my problem. May be that’s you! Looking forward to see you.
Hi! This is kind of off topic but I need some help from an established blog. Is it very hard to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast. I’m thinking about making my own but I’m not sure where to start. Do you have any points or suggestions? With thanks
Thank you for the sensible critique. Me and my neighbor were just preparing to do a little research about this. We got a grab a book from our area library but I think I learned more clear from this post. I am very glad to see such excellent information being shared freely out there.
I’d have to examine with you here. Which is not one thing I usually do! I take pleasure in reading a post that may make folks think. Additionally, thanks for permitting me to comment!
You made some nice points there. I did a search on the subject matter and found most persons will approve with your website.
I appreciate, cause I found exactly what I was looking for. You’ve ended my 4 day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye
I am impressed with this website , very I am a fan.
I am extremely impressed with your writing skills as well as with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself? Anyway keep up the excellent quality writing, it’s rare to see a great blog like this one today..