Ah, alas; it was a trip to Hampi where the ruins of the medieval kingdom of Vijayanagara lies in ruins .Why is it that I feel sad, is it because of seeing the wonderful kingdom of Vijayanagara now wearing a deserted look. No dummy, it is because it is probably my last picnic trip with my beloved friend and room mate, the one and only Ajay Joy. Is he gonna die??? Of course not, he has left me and the wonderful house and friends of, the Asha Nilaya our Bangalore abode for pursuing an IAS (yeah, the Indian Civil Services). I'm not unhappy at that thinking about the great benefits from an IAS friend. Of course all my support and goodwill go to him (and the rental advance he paid stays with me, ha ha ha).
It was as a sent-off tour he planned for a pilgrimage to the untapped wealth of the Southern states of India and to understand the greatness in them. So me being his room mate and friend, decided to jump in and pack my bag to Hampi, the first of his pilgrimage location. I being an employed young man couldn't get enough time to taunt him for the rest of his journey.
So we booked two tickets for the Hampi express (departing Bangalore Central at 10.30 pm and arriving at Hospet on 7.00am). Hospet?, yeah thats right. Indian railways does not run services directly to Hampi, Hospet is the nearest railway station. The train journey was as uneventful as any and we reached Hospet around 8.00am. As soon as we got out of the train, we were taken in by surprise by a fast Hindi (we both don't speak that good Hindi, in fact me none) speaking auto rickshaw guy. We were taken in by his marketing skills and lo, we agreed to a Rs.850 paid, full day tour of Hampi and its ruins (including the auto fare to Hampi). That was the biggest mistake in our entire trip. The best way to see around Hampi, is by motor bike or on bicycles
(if you have enough time). Hampi is not that a big city, 
just a small village whose entire length and breadth won't be more than 1km. The auto rickshaw driver turned out to be a very good guide, well versed in all the nuances of the ruins in and around Hampi (he ought to be, after all thats his livelihood). There were quite a few places on the way to Hampi (from Hospet, better get one of the many state run KSRTC bus to Hampi) which commanded attention like the water supply well and the tombs of Muslim invaders.
It was as a sent-off tour he planned for a pilgrimage to the untapped wealth of the Southern states of India and to understand the greatness in them. So me being his room mate and friend, decided to jump in and pack my bag to Hampi, the first of his pilgrimage location. I being an employed young man couldn't get enough time to taunt him for the rest of his journey.
So we booked two tickets for the Hampi express (departing Bangalore Central at 10.30 pm and arriving at Hospet on 7.00am). Hospet?, yeah thats right. Indian railways does not run services directly to Hampi, Hospet is the nearest railway station. The train journey was as uneventful as any and we reached Hospet around 8.00am. As soon as we got out of the train, we were taken in by surprise by a fast Hindi (we both don't speak that good Hindi, in fact me none) speaking auto rickshaw guy. We were taken in by his marketing skills and lo, we agreed to a Rs.850 paid, full day tour of Hampi and its ruins (including the auto fare to Hampi). That was the biggest mistake in our entire trip. The best way to see around Hampi, is by motor bike or on bicycles
(if you have enough time). Hampi is not that a big city, 
just a small village whose entire length and breadth won't be more than 1km. The auto rickshaw driver turned out to be a very good guide, well versed in all the nuances of the ruins in and around Hampi (he ought to be, after all thats his livelihood). There were quite a few places on the way to Hampi (from Hospet, better get one of the many state run KSRTC bus to Hampi) which commanded attention like the water supply well and the tombs of Muslim invaders.Hampi is around 14km from Hospet and we reached there within 1hour (counting the time spent at the above said locations). First thing, accommodation. There are a lot of make-shift hotels and small lodging places dotted in and around Hampi. If you are well versed in Kannada or at least Hindi and have got a little bargaining capacity go for it and a room will come for as low as Rs.200. We got the room for Rs.400 (i.e, we are very poor bargainers). It was not that great room, but there we had an incessant supply of water and the beds were provided with mosquito nets and the windows were covered with mosquito nets. After a shower and refreshments we started the tour. Speaking on refreshments, no alcoholic drinks are served in Hampi. The nearest place to get them is 4 km away at a KTDC run hotel (i forgot the place name, how can I).
As the first section of the tour started, we visited the great
Narasimha statue and the adjacent giant Shiva linga near by. The statue had a Lakshmi in its lap which is missing now, so is the sealing for the statue. The place looks very similar to my home state Kerala with its banana plantations, paddy fields and brook. It is said that the brook is perennial and it flows around the giant linga. The linga is close to two meters in height from its base. Both the linga and the Narasimha statue (close to 4 meters in height) were made from monolithic rocks.
After this we went to a temple location which was actually dug up
from the ground (yeah, it was 
eaten up by the earth). On the way there was a magnificent view where two huge rocks were kept in a slanting position on againt the other. IN fact the magnitude of these rocks cannot be perceived from this picture. You need to be there to understand this wonder. The dug up temple site is a wonderful location. Thanks to ASI, it is kept in a very good state with wonderful gardens and lawns. The only problem is that once it rains the temple location will be flooded. Even at that hot part of the season, there were 1 foot deep water puddles inside the temple. The stone works were marvelous. Some of the works on the stone seemed like those of Buddhist monks. We also found a nest of bats inside the least treaded paths in the temple.
From this place, we went to the site of Maharani's palace
(there is nothing much left of it, only the basement) and the nearby elephant lair (don't worry, there are no live elephants, only memories). Needless to say, it was also very beautifully kept and it is one sight to watch. There are also two museums at that location, one of statues and other one of daily use items like pottery, jewelery and such. Already exhausted by the hot climate (if you are used to Bangalore's climate, it is not that hot either. but we were on empty stomachs) and the sun 
(we plan to sue the sunscreen manufacturer; of course if you wanna keep your skin color, use sun screen lotions liberally) we took a short snap. There we also met with a Chinese professional photographer (guessed by his attire and costly gears) and illusioned how he could be a Chinese spy...
How tired we were? Thinking about that I am tired even now. Thats why I'm skipping some of the less important places that we went to. Let me wound up the first part here. The second leg of the remainder of our journey will come in the next post. Till then good bye...
As the first section of the tour started, we visited the great
Narasimha statue and the adjacent giant Shiva linga near by. The statue had a Lakshmi in its lap which is missing now, so is the sealing for the statue. The place looks very similar to my home state Kerala with its banana plantations, paddy fields and brook. It is said that the brook is perennial and it flows around the giant linga. The linga is close to two meters in height from its base. Both the linga and the Narasimha statue (close to 4 meters in height) were made from monolithic rocks.After this we went to a temple location which was actually dug up
from the ground (yeah, it was 
eaten up by the earth). On the way there was a magnificent view where two huge rocks were kept in a slanting position on againt the other. IN fact the magnitude of these rocks cannot be perceived from this picture. You need to be there to understand this wonder. The dug up temple site is a wonderful location. Thanks to ASI, it is kept in a very good state with wonderful gardens and lawns. The only problem is that once it rains the temple location will be flooded. Even at that hot part of the season, there were 1 foot deep water puddles inside the temple. The stone works were marvelous. Some of the works on the stone seemed like those of Buddhist monks. We also found a nest of bats inside the least treaded paths in the temple.From this place, we went to the site of Maharani's palace
(there is nothing much left of it, only the basement) and the nearby elephant lair (don't worry, there are no live elephants, only memories). Needless to say, it was also very beautifully kept and it is one sight to watch. There are also two museums at that location, one of statues and other one of daily use items like pottery, jewelery and such. Already exhausted by the hot climate (if you are used to Bangalore's climate, it is not that hot either. but we were on empty stomachs) and the sun 
(we plan to sue the sunscreen manufacturer; of course if you wanna keep your skin color, use sun screen lotions liberally) we took a short snap. There we also met with a Chinese professional photographer (guessed by his attire and costly gears) and illusioned how he could be a Chinese spy...How tired we were? Thinking about that I am tired even now. Thats why I'm skipping some of the less important places that we went to. Let me wound up the first part here. The second leg of the remainder of our journey will come in the next post. Till then good bye...
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