Picturesque Hampi With Girls Gang

Tripoto
27th Sep 2018
Photo of Picturesque Hampi With Girls Gang by Namrata Thanekar
Day 1

Its bit difficult to manage dates to plan trip with group.

It was public holiday on Tuesday, so we got chance to plan long awaited trip to Hampi. We booked LLT Hubballi Express for Friday evening. It was comfortable overnight journey and we reached Hubballi at 11 next morning. There are also overnight buses for Hosapete from Mumbai.

Photo of Thane by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Thane by Namrata Thanekar

Hubballi is great place to shop sarees. We decided to stop back for shopping in the return journey. We had  already booked our connecting train for Hosapete which is nearest Railway station for Hampi.

We reached hosapete at 4pm. Our hotel was few mins walk from station. It was really comfortable 3 star property with awesome food.

As it was already 4pm, we got fresh and went to see nearby local Dam, there was musical fountain show but it was ok ok.

Photo of Hosapete by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Hosapete by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Hosapete by Namrata Thanekar

Hampi is 13km from Hosapete. There are multiple ways to reach Hampi, Bus, Auto, Cab. You can also rent Bikes and Bicycles. As it was hot due to October heat and we were 3, we preferred Auto. We got Auto for 1000 Rs per day from Railway station. Autowala Uncle also gave us Hampi Map and he covered most of places in two days
You should buy Map of Hampi, it is really useful.

Photo of Hampi by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Hampi by Namrata Thanekar

It was mesmerizing first view of Hampi when we reached. We couldn't resist ourselves from jumping into these tiny coracles. We took 1 hour Coracle ride which covers lot of spots. You have to get down and take short treks on graphite rocks to visit places during this tour.
Guide has given lot of information.

First view of Hampi

Photo of Hampi Coracle Ride by Namrata Thanekar

Coracle Ride: A unique thing to experience in this ancient town is to enjoy a coracle ride on the waters of the River Tungabhadra.

Photo of Hampi Coracle Ride by Namrata Thanekar

Spot 1

Photo of Hampi Coracle Ride by Namrata Thanekar

Spot 2

Photo of Hampi Coracle Ride by Namrata Thanekar

Spot 3

Photo of Hampi Coracle Ride by Namrata Thanekar

Spot 4

Photo of Hampi Coracle Ride by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Hampi Coracle Ride by Namrata Thanekar

Virupaksha temple is considered to be the oldest temple in Hampi. Its on walkable distance from River

Photo of Virupaksha Temple, Hampi by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Virupaksha Temple, Hampi by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Virupaksha Temple, Hampi by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Virupaksha Temple, Hampi by Namrata Thanekar

Kadalekalu Ganesha is a giant statue of Lord Ganesha. The speciality of the towering statue is that it was carved out of a single stone. This is also at walking distance.

Photo of Kadalekalu Ganesha by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Kadalekalu Ganesha by Namrata Thanekar

Sasivekalu Ganesha is a 8 feet high statue of Lord Ganesha that stands inside an open pavilion. The statue has a snake tied around its tummy. The statue dates back to the 16th century AD. It is one of the most frequented sites of Hampi.

Photo of Saasivekaalu Ganesha by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Elephant Stables by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Hampi Bazaar by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Underground Shiva Temple (Prasanna Virupaksha Temple) by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Underground Shiva Temple (Prasanna Virupaksha Temple) by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Underground Shiva Temple (Prasanna Virupaksha Temple) by Namrata Thanekar

It was our last point for the day. We had taken guide everywhere to understand all bits ans pieces of these historical monuments.

Photo of Pushkarani by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Pushkarani by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Pushkarani by Namrata Thanekar
Day 3

Next day we started our journey to visit another part of Hampi.
The most impressive structure in Hampi, the Vithala Temple dates back to the 16th century and is a truly splendid example of rich architecture. The famous stone chariot, which has become an iconic symbol of the architecture of Hampi, is located inside the premises of this temple. Beautiful carvings. Musical pillars. Amazing

Photo of Vitthala Temple by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Vitthala Temple by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Vitthala Temple by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Vitthala Temple by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Vitthala Temple by Namrata Thanekar

It is a sacred pond for Hindus in Hampi. The lake covered with lotus and temples around gives a bewildering view of the place. There are two temples facing the pond, one being the Temple of Goddess Lakshmi and the other of Lord Shiva. There is a Ganesh Shrine which stands under a mango tree.

Photo of Pampa Sarovar by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Pampa Sarovar by Namrata Thanekar

This temple features the biggest effigy in Hampi, of Narasimha sitting on SeshaNaag i.e. the seven headed snake acting as a shelter to him. The idol of Goddess Lakshmi is placed along with that of Narasimha.

Photo of Lakshmi Narasimha Temple by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Lotus Palace by Namrata Thanekar

We missed it as it was closed

Photo of Queens Bath by Namrata Thanekar

While most tourists stay to the south of Tungabhadra where most of the ruins are located, some prefer the north banks which have a vibrant hippie culture. Virapapur Gadde or Hippie Island is a small island situated across the Tungabhadra river. It takes 5 minutes to travel to the island via coracle or boat. The last boat for the island leaves at 5.30 pm. The backpacker's delight, Hippie Island (Virupapur Gadde) is an epitome of scenic beauty and is known for laidback ambient and lodges.

It has shacks and cafes which offers delicious food.

Photo of Hippie Island by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Hippie Island by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Hippie Island by Namrata Thanekar
Photo of Hippie Island by Namrata Thanekar
Day 4

It was awesome and memorable trip. With these pictures in our mind, we started our journey back to Mumbai