Photogenic Hampi

Route -: Bangalore - Tumkuru - Chitradurga - Hospet - Hampi

Time Of the Trip -: January 2016

Distance Covered -: 1000 Km in 2 days

Type of Trip -: Photographic Getaway

Road Quality -: 6/10 (8/10 till chitradurga but 5/10 after that till hampi)

The Road quality till chitradurga is good but after that the road is average with potholes on the side of the road and a lot of heavy vehicle traffic.

Since its a single lane you will have to take a lot of calls while overtaking.

Be careful since the trucks overtake each other unexpectedly and might just block your way.

Day 1:

Left Bangalore at 6:00 AM sharp.

Had breakfast on the way at Shree Vrindhavan. (decent food..not that great) 

Horrible Sambar

Road till chitradurga is good since its a national highway.

Road till Chitradurga

Really Great Sunflower Fields on the Way

Reached Hampi by 1:00PM

Stayed at Vijayshree Heritage Resort. Its was an epic find. Its an entire rajasthani style village near hampi.

It has a really warm feel to it. Me being from Rajasthan really felt at home. And don't think that this is just a bad attempt at depicting Rajasthan in South India. It authentic. All the people working here , from the servants to the owner are all from Rajasthan so you will be given a proper rajasthani welcome with a pooja thali and garlands as soon as you enter.

This place is spread in a huge area and everyday evening there are rajasthani folk shows including tight rope walker, Cart rides, Puppet Shows, Folk dances, the whole shabang.

The rooms here are all individual huts with all facilities provided.

After reaching there and settling in the room we went from there to explore around

Sight Seeing

Virupaksha Temple

View of Virupaksha Temple from the Top

 Virupaksha Temple is the main center of pilgrimage at Hampi and has been considered the most sacred sanctuary over the centuries. It is fully intact among the surrounding ruins and is still used in worship. The 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.

This temple is considered to be built somewhere around the 7th century and it initially started as a small shrine only to be later developed into a marvellous temple under the reign of the Vijaynagara rulers. Several evidences found in the temple indicate towards the fact that a lot of additions were done in the temple during the late Chalukya and Hoysala periods.

Although this amazing temple lost most of its wonderful decorative structures and creations during the 1565 war, worship here kept on persisting. This temple finally received a major overhaul and renovation at the beginning of the 19th century in order to keep it under working condition and to salvage its structure, artistic elements and aesthetics.

Triple Shivlinga

Reached the hotel back before sunset.

Rajasthani Thali

Had authentic Rajasthani thali at the resort for dinner. (Ghee Overload).Amazing daal baati and churma.

DAY 2:

Left the resort a bit late around 10:00AM and went for Sight Seeing.

Hampi Baazar

Hampi Bazaar is located in front of the Virupaksha Temple in Hampi. 
About a kilometre long, the bazaar is lined with a series of granite pavilions, some of them two storied. These structures were once part of a thriving market belonging to the Vijayanagara Empire.
All of these pavilions have been encroached upon and converted into shops, restaurants, and homes. Many guest houses can also be found in the Hampi bazaar area, mainly catering to backpackers. There are numerous shops that sell items like ethnic clothes, bags, and religious artefacts and this is also a good place to buy souvenirs. A photo gallery in the bazaar displays photos of the monuments in Hampi which were taken by Alexander Greenlaw in 1856.
Now the entire stretch in front of the temple has been razed to the ground, leaving hundreds of people with no means of livelihood.
The monolithic Nandi, Virupaksha Temple and the Hemakuta Hill are situated at a walking distance from Hampi Bazaar.
The bazaar is a perfect place for morning walks and also the ideal place where you can spend quality shopping time with your loved one. 

Krishna Temple

Balakrishna temple is a famous temple located in Hampi. Built by king Krishnadevaraya in 1513, this temple is a part of the Hampi ruins today. The main deity of the temple was Lord Krishna as an infant (Balakrishna). The original idol of the deity is now on display in the state museum at Chennai. 
One of the must see sites of Hampi, the Balakrishna temple, enthrals both the devotees and the tourists alike. The ruins tell the story of the grandeur of Indian Architecture of yore. A major attraction here is the carvings of epics on the temple walls. 
The best time to visit Hampi is during the months of October to March when the climate would be pleasant. 

Old Ruins on top of the Hill

Amazing Place to relax near Hampi Bazaar

Largest Monolithic Bull

Left Hampi for bangalore around 2:00PM

Reached Bangalore around 8:30 PM.

Traffic at Hampi

Advice - Do not go on any festival or else you will spend the majority of your time in traffic(like me). I went around sankranti and had to suffer the wrath of hampi's small jam packed roads.

Best way to cover Hampi is on Foot. Once you reach Virupaksha Temple , then everything around there can be covered on foot. Just have your running shoes on and a lot of water.Pack light and wisely.

Final Verdict

Its a great place to visit. Its a piece of history and for all the photographers out there , this is heaven.

There are so many vantage points from where you can click the entire landscape. The sunset and sunrise are epic here.

Also there are a lot of bicycle tours that happen here. I would recommend you do those as they are done early morning and they are not very expensive.

All in all a must visit place.