Let me first start with the pre-trip experience. I have a bad habit (which my friends think) of putting everything on social media. But I love sharing my experiences with people. There’s a thin line between flaunting and sharing your experiences. One fine day when I was planning the itinerary, I uploaded one story on Instagram and on WhatsApp Status about next trip and got replies from friends asking where you are heading this time. I replied Hampi and the next question was What is Hampi? Where is Hampi? I was quite surprised to hear this question and the fact that not many of the people are aware about this place. Period. Hampi was on my wish list for past 2-3 years but maybe I was waiting for the right company to go on to this experience. And finally I found that company this time. My office Friends – Neha (NJ), Avani (AK), Mihir (Baba) and Ketki (KA)!
This was the fastest trip I have ever booked. We were out for one of our friend’s farewell, sipping lemon mint cooler at Grandmama’s Cafe and discussing about everyone’s travel plans for the year 2018. Suddenly someone shouted, “Guys, let us all go on a trip.” And everyone in split seconds replied, “Chalo, chalte hai!” Yes, that was quick. As Hampi was on my wish list, I quickly said let’s go to Hampi, and everyone agreed upon it. Though AK and Baba had doubts over this place. In fact, when I was explaining them about Hampi they started imagining of “black and white pictures of an ancient kingdom, some ruins, South Indian temples and a UNESCO world heritage tag” which wasn't appealing enough to them. That is when comes your convincing power. I just told them "Trust me over this place". They replied, “Ok, Sure” and then we ended up booking the tickets, the next day and rest is history. It is quite unusual for office colleagues and especially team mates to go on a trip together. But we have that strong bond amongst ourselves which keeps us together! This trip was a life changing experience for all of us and we are still in the memories of Hampi and want to head back there, again.
My friends keep asking me how many leaves do I get from work? How do you make so many trips? Let me clarify this again and give you a small tip. Make best friends with the long weekends and plan your vacations smartly. We made this trip over a Republic Day (26thJanuary) long weekend and did not take a single leave from work. Took a flight to Bangalore on 25th night (after office), booked Ola Outstation for 3 days and drove down to Hampi which was an overnight journey and came back on Monday morning directly to work. Flight till Bangalore and then Ola outstation turned out to be a bit expensive affair. I would rather suggest to take a luxury bus from Mumbai till Hospet which is again an overnight journey and takes around 14/15 hours which is quite manageable.
What is Hampi? (For those who are still wondering)
Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in the central part of the Indian state of Karnataka, a paradise nesting carefully in ruins, taking you back to a long forgotten time of the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th-century. Commenting on its magnificence, Abdul Razaq, a Muslim envoy who visited Hampi in its glorious past, wrote, “Vijayanagara is such that the pupil of the eye has never seen a place like it”. The name Hampi is the anglicized version of the Kannada name ‘Hampe’ which is mutilated form of the word Pampa. Pampa is another name of the Tungabhadra river (Where Hampi is situated) and Pampa Devi was the goddess of the river and the daughter of Lord Brahma.
A fabled lost city packed with a high pile of boulders, a world of ruins, a pilgrim’s delight, a historian’s riddle, a photographer’s perfect frame, a backpacker’s refuge, an artist’s muse, a foodie’s heaven and a writer's inspiration, Hampi can be a million things all at once. You just have to be there to feel it, to see it, to experience it and behold, this beautiful little town is so bewitching that it will make you want to visit it all over again. (You may Google to know more on the history of Hampi)
Two Different Lifestyles!
Hampi has two sides. Completely opposite to each other in nature. One is Temple side/Hampi side/Hampi Bazar and other is Hippie side also known as Hippie Island which is situated in small Virupapura Gadde village which lets you discover your hippie soul.
On Hampi Bazar side you will find many temples and beautiful ruins for which Hampi is known for whereas the other side is known for its laid-back lifestyle, lush green paddy fields, supercool cafes, bakeries and guest houses where you will find backpackers from across the world living like a nomad, listening to trance music and getting high on a lot of ‘Stuff’.
Getting there..
Going with Friends? Stay On the other side of the river i.e. Hippie Island.
Going with Family? Stay on the other side of the river. Yes, irrespective of the lifestyle on this side which our culturally restricted folks may not like, it’s an experience. Trust me!
Places to Stay
Shanti Guest House, Gothami Guest House, Bobby One Love, Murali Guest House, Mowgli Guest House, Sunny Guest House, Chill out Café and Guest House, Laughing Buddha, Goan Corer, Hema Guest House etc. Don’t look for the deals on hotel booking sites. Just call up the direct number (take it from Google) and book it directly. Yes, you can negotiate as well.
These are all very Hippie style guest houses with very basic facilities. You may get just one room, attached bathroom (depends upon package), hot water, one bed and mosquito net. Don’t expect any luxury here. Live like hippies and you would remember this experience for lifetime. Also restaurants are attached with almost all these guest houses.
We stayed at Bobby ‘One Love’ Guesthouse. You may contact Raghu: 8970076805 for bookings. The experience was really satisfying and this is how it looked: (Pictures below)
Places to eat
Hippie Island has pleasing variety of cuisines from all over the world right from authentic South Indian food to Spanish, Greek, Israeli, Italian, Singaporean, Indonesian, American & Mexican cuisine. Only this side serves non vegetarian food and cold beers (only form of alcohol you will find in Hampi).
Hema Café (German Bakery) preferably for breakfast (Multi Cuisine), Mango Tree restaurant for Lunch (They serve delicious Thali and their lemon mint cooler is to die for) and Laughing Buddha for Dinner.
All the guesthouses mentioned above has attached restaurants and serves really good food. Also you may try other places like Funky Monkey, Suresh restaurant, Gopi, Moonlight etc.
Tip: Don’t forget to try Nutella Banana Pan Cakes at one of these restaurants. Almost all these places serve it and they are mouthwatering. We had 20 pan cakes in two days.
Yes, so many cafe options to choose from. Would suggest to spend your evenings till late night at one of these places. Some of them have scenic river or paddy field facing view which will make your evenings really memorable.
What to Shop?
Shawls and cloths, traditional costumes, jewellery, stone figurines, antique coins, replica of Hampi ruins etc.
Best time to Visit?
October – March
How to reach Hampi!
1) Cost effective: Take a Volvo from Mumbai to Hospet (13 KM away from Hampi). It’s an overnight journey. VRL Travels, SRS Travels, Meenakshi Travels etc. operate daily bus services (AC/Sleeper/Volvo) to Hospet from Mumbai. Ticket prices are between Rs. 1,000 to 1,500.
2) By Air: Take a flight from Mumbai till Hubli and then commute by local transport to Hampi. Hubli to Hampi distance is approx. 150 KM which you can cover by local transport. Another option is to take flight from Mumbai to Bangalore and reach Hampi by local bus or private cab.
3) By Train: There are only two direct trains from Mumbai to Hospet. The Ajmer - Bangalore Garib Nawaz Express and Jodhpur Bangalore Express. Both are weekly trains. As both these trains are at odd hours and on odd days, another option is to get to Hubli from Mumbai. There are a few southbound trains from Mumbai that pass via Hubli. From Hubli to Hospet you can opt for a rail or bus. Hubli to Hospet is about 4 hours journey and Hospet Railway Station is the nearest from Hampi located about 12 km away.
Let’s get into the Itinerary...
Hampi is beautiful in its own way. Sometimes destructions create a masterpiece. Hampi is one of those. Hampi can be easily explored in 2/3 days and you do not need to take too many leaves from work.
Here's sharing my experience and end to end guide for the trip to Hampi!
So we reached Hampi on 26th January, 2018 at 11 am and checked in to the Bobby ‘One Love’ Guest house. There are a lot of places (70% are guest houses) to stay on other side of the river ie. Hippie Island. Shanti and Mowgli Guesthouse being the famous ones amongst all but they were sold out along with few other when we checked. But luckily got two huts at Bobby ‘One Love’ Guesthouse. We were bit skeptical about the stay at this place but it turned out to be a wonderful experience. Small huts with just one room, attached bathroom (optional), one bed and a mosquito net. That’s it. No luxury nothing. Trust me, these basic amenities are good enough for 3 days which helps you to disconnect from all the glorious lifestyle back home and gives you a big time reality check on how lucky we really are to get all the facilities. Surrounded by rice paddy fields, cool seating area outside the huts to have food or just to chill at night, hammocks and a small café with no network except BSNL (This is the case in most of the areas of Hampi). Completely disconnected from the world. Talk more with people in real than virtually over the internet. But yeah, sadly Wi-Fi was available to spoil our real connection thingy and do some quintessential social media check-ins. Nevertheless.
We took a rest for 3 hours, had food at the same café and headed out in the hunt of Scooty/Moped for a day to see around the place. There are many vendors who rent bikes at reasonable rates but as it was a long weekend, rates were at all-time high and Mopeds (which was our first preference) were not available. So we settled for a Scooty and a Navi. You can find these rented bikes near the river crossing area. Negotiate as much as you can.
You can ride for hours at this place. Just hit the road and get lost in the wonderland.
Monkey Temple (Anjaneya Hill) for Sunset
Take a blissful ride through Anegundi Village surrounded by paddy fields to reach the base of the Anjaneya Hill. This is considered to be the birth place of Lord Hanuman and houses a very beautiful Hanuman Temple on top of the hill, also known as Monkey Temple. To reach on the top, one has to climb 570 steps uphill. Worth the efforts as you end up getting the beautiful sunset view from the top overlooking the entire Hampi. The lush green patches of paddy fields, the palm trees, river Tungabhadra making its course through the boulders is a sight to behold. I love sunsets and I must say this was one of the best I have ever witnessed. There is so much peace and positivity in this place that it makes you forget all your worries. If you are looking for a place just to sit and have a moment with yourself then this is the right place for you. Right from where I browsed the landscape panoramically, Hampi felt magical.
We had a good time here and then headed back to the Hippie Island. Did some shopping in the market and had our dinner at Laughing Buddha Café. One of the bests in town. It was overcrowded as it was a long weekend but luckily got a place after a while. Dinner facing the paddy fields, with trippy music and chill vibes made it our best first night in the town.
Not so famous and less visited place in Hampi but it is so beautiful that you will fall in love with it at first sight. We left from our guest house at 8 AM in the morning on rented bikes. Situated at 10 Kms from Hippie Island, it’s a beautiful drive to reach the place. The lake is more like a backwater of Tungabhadra Dam and surrounded by boulders. The place is very peaceful as you can hardly find people here. Best getaway from the crowd to start your day with.
You can enjoy the coracle ride in calm waters with a serene view of the nature. The guys with the coracles also can help you with cliff jumping if you are interested. Many caution signs are put up saying there are crocodiles in the water. Don’t worry, it's safe. When asked, the coracle owner said that it was just an easy method to keep people away from cliff jumping.
Definitely this place is worth visiting. So do not miss it!
After spending good time here, we came back to Hippie Island and retuned our bikes. While wandering around, we saw a local guy on a bicycle selling Idlis and Dosas. Yes, authentic South Indian food. It’s different fun to have local home-made South Indian food in their own land.
Our next stop was another famous place here, Hema Café which serves all kinds of breakfast’s right from Indian, Spanish, and Italian to German. Yummy food and good place to chill. Try their Banana Nutella Pan Cake, Masala Tea and Expresso Coffee.
By the time we had explored enough on this side, it was time to go to the Temple side of Hampi. There are a lot of temples and ruins on the other side to explore so we divided it in two days as covering everything in one day will not do a justice to this extravagant architectural masterpiece.
Important note, you cannot take Moped or Scooty on the other side as all the Autowala’s business is dependent on the tourist sightseeing. Yes, it makes a lot of sense. Though you can take bicycle on this side but it gets quite hectic in intense heat so better avoid it.
As mentioned, you have to cross the river to go to the temple side. Earlier along with motor boat they had Coracles to cross which was an experience in itself but recently government has banned it and you have to take regular boat. A short 5 mins ride.
We all were dressed up in the Hippie Style just to get that vibe and feel like one of those foreign tourists.
There are lot of Monuments and temples at Hampi side so we had smartly divided those in two parts.
1) Monuments which are near to the river 2) ones which are a bit far. We hired 2 Autos for half day sightseeing and they charged us Rs. 400 per auto.
List of Monuments we covered on Day 2:
This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, known here as Virupaksha, as the consort of the local goddess Pampa who is associated with the Tungabhadra River. It is believed to be one of the oldest temples in India where people have been doing continuous worship to god for last 7th century till today. Don’t forget to take blessing from the temple elephant, Lakshmi.
A rocky hill especially famous for several temples situated on the top of it. This hilltop offers you a lovely scenic view of Hampi and gives a great opportunity to show your photography skills. A lot to explore, a lot to click, a lot to frame!
Ancient temple featuring a shrine & pedestal with a Hindu linga, surrounded by a pool of water.
A fantastic big statue of lord Narasimha (Nara - man and Simha - lion, a lord combined with man and lion’s figure) who was the 10th avatar of lord Vishnu. Biggest Statue in Hampi!
An enormous statue about 14 ft high of lord Ganesha. Some big slender stone pillars with many mythological themes carved decorated the front hall of this Statue.
Constructed by the Krishnadevaraya in 1513 honor to lord Krishna. This temple is one of the best attractions in Hampi. The temple ground is decorated with several stunning the Yalis designed pillars and impressive carvings of elephant balustrades. Also don’t forget to explore the ruins of Krishna bazaar which is right opposite to the temple.
From Krishna Temple head to the Underground Siva Temple. For some curious reasons, this temple dedicated for Lord Siva was built many meters below the ground level. For this reason, almost all the time the sanctum and the core parts of the temple are under water, restricting entry to the inner areas.
You can cover all these monuments in about 3 hours considering you will be taking a lot of pictures as Hampi is absolutely a heaven for the photography lovers.
Once you are done with this, rush quickly towards river side as last boat to cross the river is at 5.30 PM. If you miss this boat, you will have to take auto to reach other side and it takes almost about 1 hr and you end up spending whole lot of money. So better avoid.
Post 6 PM, you can visit multiple cafes in Hippie Island and chill with your friends or go for shopping in the lane. You get good and cheap stuff right from clothes to earrings to souvenirs. Later in the night, we had dinner at Gowthami restaurant.
Tip: Don’t miss a sunrise from Hill Top. So get up early on one day and go on for a lovely climb.
Later we had local authentic South Indian Breakfast on the ‘Thela’ near river crossing (Try Egg Maggie, Egg Dosa at this place). Travelling without getting to know the local delicacies and without interacting with the locals is not a good idea. By talking to the local people, you get to know more of their way of life, their food habits and trust me, you'll know more and better about the place from a casual chat with locals.
After our breakfast we immediately headed to the Hampi side. Crossed the river and booked two Autos to explore the ruins.
Monuments we covered on Day 3.
The Architectural Marvel: The Vittala Temple or Vitthala Temple in Hampi is an ancient monument that is well-known for its exceptional architecture and unmatched craftsmanship. It is considered to be one of the largest and the most famous structure in Hampi. The iconic temple has amazing stone structures such as the incomparable stone chariot and the fascinating musical pillars. This predominant monument of Hampi is a major attraction of the ruined town and is a must-see for visitors and tourists. Words fail to explain the elegance, grandeur and the splendor of the temple. The sprawling campus of the temple resembles a town featuring many halls, gateway towers, pillared pavilions and compound wall. Reserve at least good 2 hours to explore this place.
It is one of the important shrine in Hampi. This small but beautiful temple is located at the center of the royal area. The temple is dedicated to Lord Rama, a Hindu deity. It was once the private temple of the kings and the royal family of Vijayanagara. The temple is famous for the lovely bas relics and panels depicting the story of the epic Ramayana.
One of the fine architectural designed palaces that are uniquely identified by its lotus look like structure. Also known as Kamal Mahal or Chitragani Mahal is one of the only handful and a few astonishing building in Hampi that had not been damaged or destroyed amid the attack on the city.
During an excavation in 1984-85, officers of the Archaeological Survey of India laid bare a beautiful tank that was completely under the surface of the soil and was not at all visible from the outer surface. This is perhaps the most beautiful stepped tank at Hampi discovered so far. Also known as Pushkarani, is a sacred water tank that is attached to the temples. Most of the major temples in Hampi have a pushkarani built near them. The pushkaranis were a prominent feature of the ruined town.
One of the most impressive sites in Hampi, The Elephant Stables is a wonderful structure that provided shelter to the royal elephants of the grand Vijayanagara Empire. The intricate design and emphasis on little details indicate the importance that was attached to the royal elephants of the empire.
The Zenana Enclosure was a fortified and secluded area reserved for the royal ladies of the Vijayanagara Empire. The enclosure is a sprawling compound that had tall walls surrounding it on all sides and watch towers to keep guard against any trespassers
The luxurious bath which includes a big verandah with a rectangular pool surrounded by extended balconies and carved domes where Vijayanagara Kings and Queens used to take bath. Although called Queen’s bath, the pool was used by both Kings and Queens.
This temple is an example of Vijayanagara style temple architecture in its most advanced form than any other temples in Hampi.
The huge fortified area was once the centre of the Vijayanagara Empire. The Royal Enclosure, as the name indicates, was the place where the King of Vijayanagara Empire lived and ruled from. This area was secured by double walls. It had three entrances, two on the northern side and one on the western side.
Couple of things which we missed:
The Sunset Point. If you are staying on the Temple side, this is the best place to get a mesmerizing view of Sunset or Sunrise and a panoramic view of Hampi. It is a moderate hike up the hills for 45mins to 1 hour, depending on one's capability. But all the effort is worth giving for the sheer beauty one can witness from up there. If you plan to stay at Hippie Island, you will have to give it a miss as last boat to cross the river is at 5.30 PM and if you miss it, you will have to take an auto to go on other side which will cost you a bomb and also take almost 1 hour.
Located about 15km from Hampi, Dorji Sloth Bear Sanctuary was created exclusively for the preservation of the Indian Sloth Bear. Visit this between 2 PM – 5 PM as they slather the honey on the rocks to attract the bears so that tourist can get a good spotting.
We came back to Hippie Island by 6 PM, packed our bags, checked out from hotel and started our return Journey to Bangalore. Had food on the way at one highway dhaba and next day morning reached office at 9.30 and started the routine life. Oh and not to forget, Monday Blues!
Important Things to Note
1) Moped (Rs. 250/day), Scooty (300/day), Cycle (Rs. 100/day) are the best ways of transport on Hippie Island side to explore the place. But you cannot take Moped and Scooty on the Hampi Bazar side where the ruins are.
2) You have to cross Tungabhadra River to go from Hippie Island to Hampi Bazar side. It is a 5 minute boat ride. Starts at 7.30 AM and the last boat is at 5.30 PM. Post this, it becomes too expensive to get on other side of the river as the route is a bit far and auto charges around Rs. 500 per person.
3) Coracle rides are not available at Tungabhadra River and you can cross the river only by regular boats. But don’t get disheartened as you may do the coracle ride at Sanapur Lake (if you are lucky).
4) Mobile network is very weak except BSNL. Hotel/Guesthouse WiFi are your saviors, if need be.
5) Very famous Mango Tree restaurant has moved from Hampi Bazar to Kamalapur Village. Do not miss it. Your autowala will take you to this place during your monuments visit.
6) Do not stay in Hospet. It is about 10 Kms away from Hampi. Hippie Island has a lot of cheaper options for stay.
7) Start early morning to avoid the extreme heat in the afternoon. Most of the temple complexes open during the sunrise and close at sunset.
8) Carry glares and cap to avoid sun stroke as the place is mostly sunny round the year.
9) Hire a guide at if you want to know about history or significance of the place especially at Vijaya Vithalla Temple.
10) Carry enough cash as there are not many ATMs.
So pack your bags and go on to this adventure.
Wish you all a very Happy, Hippie, Hampi!
More of Hampi and Us from the archive!
On second day, we had planned to get up early and catch the sunrise from the nearest hill. But we missed the deadline for the sunrise (6.15 AM) and had to move it to the next day.
Day 3 was fully reserved to explore the remaining monuments. Yes, all of them are more or less similar but each one has a story behind it and are really unique in their own way which makes you curious to know more about them.
We started our day early as we had planned to go for a sunrise at nearest hill (right opposite to Bobby ‘One Love’ Guesthouse) but we were late again so just did a morning walk around the paddy fields and enjoyed the sunrise from there.
