Lets begin the journey from the state where I reside now i,e Karnataka,culturally rich and vibrant , with bustling and prosperous cities and abodes of ultimate natural heritage as well.
In Dec,2008, I came across several articles on the historical and architectural wonders of a legendary place called Hampi. Gradually I started recalling the chapters from my Class VII or Class VIII History books in which had some introductory information on Hampi. Since I am now relatively near to Hampi , I decided to visit Hampi, but I was looking for a suitable date for departure.Ultimately I zeroed on 08/12/2008.I gathered a company of two of my dear friends for the journey , since it is always fun to travel in a group.
One of my prized possession,which has been a guiding star to my passion, is a Travel Guide for Karnataka published by Outlook. We all started referring the Travel guide for our travel planning.
We were quite elated to discover that Hampi was well connected to Bangalore , through rail as well as by bus.
Locationwise, Hampi is located about 35O km north of Bangalore and takes about 8 hours to reach there by bus.Nearest railway station is located at Hospet which is directly connected to Bangalore by regular trains.For detailed information on trains and avanced bookings , please refer official website of Indian railways , and if you are interested for bus journeys, then advance tickets can be booked online from the official website of Karnataka Road State Transport Corporation (KSRTC).
We opted for the bus service because of ease in seat availability and suitable journey times.So tickets were booked in Rajhamsa Executive class of buses which were non-AC , 2/2 push back deluxe type.We departed at about 10 pm on 7/12/2008 and since it was an overnight journey , we hardly could enjoy the scenic beauties en-route.
It took exactly 8 hours and we reached at about 6 am the next day in Hampi Bus Stand.The moment we stepped out of the bus, we were surrounded by local hoteliers and self styled guides, promising for good services at better bargains.But we decided to stick to our golden rule of selecting right accommodation.Before leaving Bangalore we had enquired about govt. approved accommodation facilities available in Hampi and also referred my Travel guide.We finally decided to go for homely stays which are quite popular among tourists during season time (i.e, Oct to Feb, and July to Sept.) and are also recognised by state tourism dept.
So we straight away headed in search for our perfect home stay. We finally sealed a good bargain @ 500 bucks per day.The room was sufficient for three of us.
After a refreshing bath , we had a wholesome breakfast of aloo parathas and went straight to the KTDC office (Karnataka Govt. Tourism Dept. 's local office), for an approved guide.We hired one and booked an auto for a complete day of sightseeing.
Our rendezvous with the glorious ruins of Hampi began with an ancient Ganesh temples , one of which was called Mustard Ganesh Temple.We also visited Radha-Krishna Temple built by Krishnadeva Raya.
Now something introductory regarding Hampi (for all those who are not aware about Hampi).Hampi was the capital city of one of the most powerful and glorious Hindu kingdoms of Southern India, called Vijayanagara Kingdom.At the time of foundation of the kingdom during the beginning of 14th century AD, its initial capital was at Anegundi, one more ancient city across the Tungabhadra river.Later on Krishnadeva Raya, the jewel and the most influential among the line of rulers of the kingdom, shifted the capital to Hampi.Vijayanagara Kingdom was the last known Hindu stronghold in Southern India before felling to Muslim Sultans from north towards the end of 16th century AD.You can refer to several study materials on Hampi over the internet or better pick up some books on histories of Hampi from the local museum or book stores there.
Coming back to my journey, after Radha-Krishna temple we headed to one monolithic marvel, the Lakshmi-Narsimha Statue carved out of a single rock.Goddess Lakshmi 's statue is completed destroyed and is non-existent now.
Next was the turn of Stable for Royal Elephants and the Guards quarters.Both were quite captivating in terms of architectural works and historical background.
Lets continue our journey...
Next impressive architectural master piece is Lotus Mahal (Lotus Palace) which used to be a summer retreat for Krishnadeva Raya alongwith his queens.The palace has some breathtaking works on limestone and quite amazing a NATURAL AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM,which was consisting of water tanker at the top from which cold water used to flow throughout the walls of the palace by means narrow pipes built within the palace walls ,roofs,ceilings and floors.
The palace is currently have quite beautiful,lush green garden around the same.
The security arrangements for the Emperor's retreat was connsisiting of high watch towers erected at all strategic spots within the palace premises,and high fortified walls guarding the palace.Secret armoury is also believed to be located underground against unforseen attacks or ambushes.
After Lotus Mahal, we moved to Queen's Bath site. Some of the must-see sites are a number of Lord Shiva's Lingas,out of which one Linga surrounded by water body and underground Linga are quite significant.
By the time we finished the above sight seeings ,we all were tired and our guide also bit exhausted, so we decided to go for lunch.Again for lunch we were recommended to have it in the Govt. run guest house which was the nearest available facility for food.
We opted to try local South Indian lunch and really, it is a delicacy worth trying.Well after good luch, we headed straight towards the most visited tourist site in Hampi, i,e the Royal Enclosure.Royal enclosure consists primarily King's and queen's palace ruins, the ancient royal stages, and quite amazing rock carvings etc.All these ruins showcases the royal pomp and show during normal days and during festival time,especially Navrathri and Vijay Dashmi.
You may all be surprised to know that it was Krishnadeva Raya who began the culture of Navarathri celebrations in India.
We had spent some of the priceless moments in Royal Enclosure, and believe me if u have inclination towards history, u shall experience the royal feeling while strolling in the Royal Enclosure.
Next attraction is simply fabulous and is a jewel among all architectural wonders in Hampi.It is none other than the "Musical Pillars".These no ordinary pillars are constructed so marvelously that each of them produces different types of musical instrument sounds when hit upon.It can be found in the Vitthal Temple.
Before completing our first day lourney, we came across the Sugriva's Cave where Sugriva had hidden out of fear for life from his elder brother,Bali, and also visited Virupaksha Temple.
The second day was primarily for Anegundi, located across the river Tungabhadra,If u are bit adventurous, then you may opt for local circular type boats for crossing the rivwe ,and for others crossing the bridge is suitable.
Once reaching over in Anegundi-the cradle city,we visited some significant landmarks like Hanumadri Hill, the birth place of Lord Hanuman,Lakshmi Temple and some artificial lakes.
With Anegundi ' s trip over,we returned to our hotel and reached at about 6:30 pm.After refreshing birth we checked out and went to the local market for some souvenirs which made our Hampi trip memorable.
I peronally bought one hand made dairy anf my fellow travelers bought some antique pieces kind of stuffs.
We had our return KSRTC bus at 9:00 PM from Hampi Bus Stand, which we boarded well in time and were back in Bangalore by 7:00 AM next days with a lot of royal and historic memories alive in mind........
We opted for the bus service because of ease in seat availability and suitable journey times.So tickets were booked in Rajhamsa Executive class of buses which were non-AC , 2/2 push back deluxe type.We departed at about 10 pm on 7/12/2008 and since it was an overnight journey , we hardly could enjoy the scenic beauties en-route.
It took exactly 8 hours and we reached at about 6 am the next day in Hampi Bus Stand.The moment we stepped out of the bus, we were surrounded by local hoteliers and self styled guides, promising for good services at better bargains.But we decided to stick to our golden rule of selecting right accommodation.Before leaving Bangalore we had enquired about govt. approved accommodation facilities available in Hampi and also referred my Travel guide.We finally decided to go for homely stays which are quite popular among tourists during season time (i.e, Oct to Feb, and July to Sept.) and are also recognised by state tourism dept.
So we straight away headed in search for our perfect home stay. We finally sealed a good bargain @ 500 bucks per day.The room was sufficient for three of us.
After a refreshing bath , we had a wholesome breakfast of aloo parathas and went straight to the KTDC office (Karnataka Govt. Tourism Dept. 's local office), for an approved guide.We hired one and booked an auto for a complete day of sightseeing.
Our rendezvous with the glorious ruins of Hampi began with an ancient Ganesh temples , one of which was called Mustard Ganesh Temple.We also visited Radha-Krishna Temple built by Krishnadeva Raya.
Now something introductory regarding Hampi (for all those who are not aware about Hampi).Hampi was the capital city of one of the most powerful and glorious Hindu kingdoms of Southern India, called Vijayanagara Kingdom.At the time of foundation of the kingdom during the beginning of 14th century AD, its initial capital was at Anegundi, one more ancient city across the Tungabhadra river.Later on Krishnadeva Raya, the jewel and the most influential among the line of rulers of the kingdom, shifted the capital to Hampi.Vijayanagara Kingdom was the last known Hindu stronghold in Southern India before felling to Muslim Sultans from north towards the end of 16th century AD.You can refer to several study materials on Hampi over the internet or better pick up some books on histories of Hampi from the local museum or book stores there.
Coming back to my journey, after Radha-Krishna temple we headed to one monolithic marvel, the Lakshmi-Narsimha Statue carved out of a single rock.Goddess Lakshmi 's statue is completed destroyed and is non-existent now.
Next was the turn of Stable for Royal Elephants and the Guards quarters.Both were quite captivating in terms of architectural works and historical background.
Lets continue our journey...
Next impressive architectural master piece is Lotus Mahal (Lotus Palace) which used to be a summer retreat for Krishnadeva Raya alongwith his queens.The palace has some breathtaking works on limestone and quite amazing a NATURAL AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM,which was consisting of water tanker at the top from which cold water used to flow throughout the walls of the palace by means narrow pipes built within the palace walls ,roofs,ceilings and floors.
The palace is currently have quite beautiful,lush green garden around the same.
The security arrangements for the Emperor's retreat was connsisiting of high watch towers erected at all strategic spots within the palace premises,and high fortified walls guarding the palace.Secret armoury is also believed to be located underground against unforseen attacks or ambushes.
After Lotus Mahal, we moved to Queen's Bath site. Some of the must-see sites are a number of Lord Shiva's Lingas,out of which one Linga surrounded by water body and underground Linga are quite significant.
By the time we finished the above sight seeings ,we all were tired and our guide also bit exhausted, so we decided to go for lunch.Again for lunch we were recommended to have it in the Govt. run guest house which was the nearest available facility for food.
We opted to try local South Indian lunch and really, it is a delicacy worth trying.Well after good luch, we headed straight towards the most visited tourist site in Hampi, i,e the Royal Enclosure.Royal enclosure consists primarily King's and queen's palace ruins, the ancient royal stages, and quite amazing rock carvings etc.All these ruins showcases the royal pomp and show during normal days and during festival time,especially Navrathri and Vijay Dashmi.
You may all be surprised to know that it was Krishnadeva Raya who began the culture of Navarathri celebrations in India.
We had spent some of the priceless moments in Royal Enclosure, and believe me if u have inclination towards history, u shall experience the royal feeling while strolling in the Royal Enclosure.
Next attraction is simply fabulous and is a jewel among all architectural wonders in Hampi.It is none other than the "Musical Pillars".These no ordinary pillars are constructed so marvelously that each of them produces different types of musical instrument sounds when hit upon.It can be found in the Vitthal Temple.
Before completing our first day lourney, we came across the Sugriva's Cave where Sugriva had hidden out of fear for life from his elder brother,Bali, and also visited Virupaksha Temple.
The second day was primarily for Anegundi, located across the river Tungabhadra,If u are bit adventurous, then you may opt for local circular type boats for crossing the rivwe ,and for others crossing the bridge is suitable.
Once reaching over in Anegundi-the cradle city,we visited some significant landmarks like Hanumadri Hill, the birth place of Lord Hanuman,Lakshmi Temple and some artificial lakes.
With Anegundi ' s trip over,we returned to our hotel and reached at about 6:30 pm.After refreshing birth we checked out and went to the local market for some souvenirs which made our Hampi trip memorable.
I peronally bought one hand made dairy anf my fellow travelers bought some antique pieces kind of stuffs.
We had our return KSRTC bus at 9:00 PM from Hampi Bus Stand, which we boarded well in time and were back in Bangalore by 7:00 AM next days with a lot of royal and historic memories alive in mind........
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