PLACES OF INTREST IN HAMPI Kings Palace This is the largest enclosure including two major platform structures, an underground

chamber which must have served as a treasury or private audience hall, several other platforms, double fortification walls and several interesting architecture elements.

Mahanavami Dibba Equally impressive is the massive Mahanavami Dibba, where the king once sat on gem-studded golden thrones and watched processions pass by. The platform sports densely carved bands of horses, soldiers and depiction of the various aspect of courtly life. Queens Bath This structure has a very plain exterior but the interiors are stunningly ornate with graceful arched corridors projecting balconies and lotus shaped fountains that used to spout perfumed water for ladies of the court. Lotus Mahal This visually appealing structure has two levels, with open pavilions at the bottom and balconies above. An elegant example of the fusion of the Hindu and Muslium style of architecture, the Mahal derives its name from the beautiful, geometrically-arranged cusped arches which resembles the petal of a flower opening to the sun. Elephant Stables Imposing edifices with an arched entrance and many domes that once housed the magnificent state elephant. Pushkarni The stepped water tanks, excavated in the mid-1980 was originally a part of the palace complex. Almost lyrical in its beauty, the tank is a tiered structure crafted from rectangular pieces of granite. Hazara Rama Temple This was a royal temple reserved for ceremonial use. The entire temple is embellished with basreliefs depicting the scenes from the epic Ramanayana. The walls of the enclosed are richly carved with friezes, depicting processions of horses, elephants dancing girls and soldiers attired in splendid weaponry. Inside four exquisitely sculpted granite pillars add to the beauty of ardha mantapa. Vijaya Vittala Temple The Vijaya Vittala Temple is Hampis crowning glory, with a magnificent stone chariot standing in the temple courtyard. Equally impressive is the large ranga mantapa with 56 musical pillars that resound with musical chimes when struck.

Virupaksha Temple Dedicated to Lord Shiva and his consort Padmadevi, this is the only temple that is still used for worship. Parts of the temple predate the Vijayanagar empire. The temple, with nine storied gopuram towers is the other structure at Hampi. The ceiling of the ranga mantapa is beautifully painted with scenes from the Puranas. Lakshminarsimha The awesome 6.7 m monolith depiciting the man-lion form of Vishnu is seated on a seven-hooded serpent. Badavilinga Located next to the Lakshminarasimha statue, it is a 3m high monolithic Linga and its base stands permanently in water that flows around it. Ganesha Images Two Ganesha images (Sasuvekalu and Kadalekalu ) can be seen on the slopes of Hemakuta Hill. One of them is enclosed in a temple with unusually tall pillars, while the other is in an open hall. Anegundi Just across the Tungabhadra River is the fortress town of Anegundi, predating Vijayanagara and the citys 14th century headquarters. More ancient than Hampi, Anegundi lies in the mythical kingdom of Kishkinda, ruled by the monkey-king Sugriva of Ramayana fame. Anjanadri Hill, near Anegundi, is believed to be the birthplace of the monkey-god Hanuman. Anegundi and its tranquil environs are dotted with forgotten temples and fortifications. The dilapidated Huchappayana Matha Temple, near the river, is worth a peek for its black stone lathe-turned pillars and fine panels of dancers. The other places of tourist interest are the sacred Pampa Sarovara, Aramane (a ruined palace) and the Ranganatha Temple. Anegundi has also been selected under the Rural Tourism Project of the Ministry of Tourism, India which aims for the socio-economic and cultural enhancement of the local people through heritage conservation of the place. This scheme is implemented by the Kishkinda Trust, a non-governmental organisation. It will help the local people earn their livelihood by promoting tourism in the region. Sanganakallu A historically rich area that has seen the rise and fall of many dynasties, the Deccan region of Karnataka is replete with monuments. Near Bellary, however, is a cluster of sites that take one back even further in time. The excavations at Sanganakallu-Kupgal have been dated to the Neolithic period, between 5,000 and 10,000 years ago and provide a glimpse into the lives of people who lived then. The Sanganakallu-Kupgal area is the location of one of the oldest village settlements to be discovered in Asia. The excavations are centered around four hills that have shown evidence of inhabitation during the Neolithic period. Archaeologists have discovered that the area was a large centre for the production of stone tools and implements as well as etched stone seals and inscriptions. The area also offers the opportunity to view Rock Art, ancient Burial Mounds and unique Ringing Stones.

HOW TO COVER HAMPI There are multiple touring options to reach the same spot. The one opted for walk may choose a different path than the one exploring the sites on a bicycle. However there are many typical and well-trodden tour circuits in Hampi. You need to decide on at least three things that influence your Hampi tour from where would you like to start and finish the days tour; how long is your stay in Hampi; and what is your nature of interests in Hampi? (For example photography) If the hundred or so spots marked on the map may look confusing when you look at it for the first time. Leave the finer details aside initially and try to understand the basic zones of Hampi. That is the right strategy to chalk out a broad Hampi tour plan. For example the area where most of the temples are concentrated is called the Sacred Centre. Similarly the citadel area where the courtly structures are scattered around is called the Royal Centre. Hampi in general is divided into a few such clusters ( in other words 3 to 5 tour zones). The zone map given here gives you some idea about these geographical circles and its relative locations. Keep in mind the basic zones of Hampi and their relative positions. This would help you immensely in taking spot decisions on your tour plan, as you keep moving. The itinerary map shown here connects the highlights of Hampi. Your Hampi tour essentially means moving along the principal paths with occasional deviations and a couple of side trips. Take your decision on how much of the sites you would like to tour. Have a look at the list of most important sites as a pointer. Some conventional tour routs are explained. It require at least 2 days minimum to tour Hampi in any reasonable way. However there are many tourists who would like to cover this in a day. The following explains a set of paths one can follow. Adjust your course a bit here and there to suit the situation. Start your tour from the Hampi bus stand area, where the local bus has dropped you. Visit the Kadalekalu and Sasivekalu Ganesha shrines. Trek to the Hemakuta hilltop. You can find the stepped path and the two-storied gateway to the hilltop just behind these shrines. Explore the Hemakuta hill shrines. Once completed, proceed towards the northern entrance tower (a towerless massive structure) of the hill, from where you can reach the Virupaksha Temple. If you dont prefer this mini trek, skip Hemakuta tour and reach Virupaksha temple through the Hampi Bazaar. After the Virupaksha temple tour, you may proceed towards the Vittala temple, located about 2 kilometers (1 * miles) east. First reach the Monolithic Bull at the east end of the Hampi Bazaar. Trek across the hillock, youll find yourself in front of the Achyuta Rayas Temple.

From here proceed towards Vittala Temple. Follow the same path back and reach Hampi Bazaar via Kodandarama Temple. On this way can also explore the the nearby attractions like the Varaha Temple, the Riverside ruins, Sugreevas Cave, Narasimha Temple. You may have your lunch at Hampi Bazaar and go towards the Royal Center. One of the sensible things to do is to hire a moped or bicycle for this part of the Hampi tour. Head towards the Zenena Enclosure, via the Underground Siva Temple. The main tourist attractions you can visit on the way are the Krishna Temple, Lakshmi Narasimha and the Danaiks Enclosure. After Zenena Enclosure tour, proceed towards the Queens Bath. On this tour you can visit the Hazara Rama Temple and the Royal Enclosure just ahead of it. If time and energy permits crossover to Kamalapura village for a tour of the Archeology Museum & the Pattabhi Rama Temple nearby. As I mentioned earlier doing Hampi in a day is hectic and you cant cover all the places in a reasonable pace. If you are hard pressed for time, hiring an auto-rickshaw for the days tour is also a realistic thing to do. You may miss many of the places & charm of Hampi. But the key monuments would be covered in such a one day Hampi tour. Hampi Tour By Walk: A large number of places can (only) be toured by walking and to some level of trekking. Some times its fun to walk to a site, sometimes its necessary as access paths are not motorable. A few of these walking trails are sort of semi trekking. The others are sort of climbing the rock (stepped) to see a place at the top of a few hills. If you are a hardcore trekking fan, go ahead, there are hills all around with heaps and heaps of boulders, which look like a lunatic surface. Carry water bottle, and a nice broad hat. Refreshment kiosks are not very widespread, though there are some small shops selling cool drinks, tea etc at some locations. Expect a fair amount of sunrays. So sun screen sorts of stuffs are not a bad idea. Tour by Bicycle: Bicycle: Many shops offer bicycle hire. Charge about 30rs a day (7 am to say 9 pm). Most of the bicycle rental places are located at the street in front of the main temple (Virupaksha Temple). The shop expects you to pledge something as a security to rent the bicycle. Usually they ask for something like a driving license or a similar identity proof. Also they may agree without any such thing if you can prove your credibility. For example, I did not want to give my driving license (though there is no big harm), instead I tried to offer a photocopy of it. They were a bit skeptical. Then I showed my companys ID card and gave my business card. They started agreeing with a half mind, and then I said I was staying at the nearby gust house. That was enough for them to believe me. Evening I dropped the bicycle back by 8pm.

Next day, I turned up to the shop. No questions, no ID card, nothingthe shop assistant just released a cycle for me without even consulting his boss who was sitting inside. So if you are hiring bicycle from the same shop for the second day, you are treated as a regular customer. Even your gust house assistant may help you to rent a bicycle. Remember Hampi roads have a couple of steep uphills. Hampi tour by Scooter/ Mopeds (tiny two wheeler): Scooter/ Mopeds (tiny two wheeler): For obvious reasons they would ask for some genuine documents as security. Again it depends on how you talk and what you offer as pledge. Passport (try to negotiate with a photo copy of it) or a driving license should be more than enough. Charges about 300 rs depending on the type of the vehicles. Fill petrol yourselves as the tank would be almost empty (may not be enough to reach a fuel station). Ideally a liter should be enough to cover say 30-40 kilometers. A reference from the guesthouse where you are staying is usually adequate to get a moped on rent. Hampi is not known for many fuel stations. The only fuel station is located at Kamalapura. However you can pay fuel charges to the rental shop and get it filled when you hire. Tour by Auto rickshaw: Auto rickshaw: There are two ways to go about this. Hire an exclusive Auto rickshaw driver cum tour guide for a day (about 300 to 450rs).(These are the second batch of touts who would approach, the first being the lodge touts ).This is the best way to tour Hampi if you are hard pressed for time and also wants some kind of exclusivity. The trouble is you cannot enjoy the wandering and lost in nowhere feel for which Hampi is ideal for. The second option is to hire auto rickshaws on a case-to-case basis. You may not find them everywhere, as these are not reachable to all locations. So, for example walk and complete the Sacred area tour, and then hire a rickshaw to get you dropped (Rs 25 to 40) at the Royal area to continue your tour of that area again by walking. Other Hampi tour options: Hire a car (Rs 1500+/ day) or tour by the organized (bus) operators as part of a larger package. There are a few travel agencies offering Hampi tour as a package. I prefer bicycle for many reasons. First of all its funny to ride and tour the ruins. Then, the most important, is the flexibility. For example Ive to reach from say point A to B to C to D. From A to B is somewhat far for walking, so scooter or rickshaw or bicycle are the OK options. Again B to C is a sort of semi trekking path. Scooter or rickshaw would not go any further. But you can walk with the bicycle ( carry the bicycle just across that boulder heap ) . Again when youve reached C, it may be far to reach D by walk and you may not be able to get a rickshaw waiting there. If you have the bicycle with you, you can happily continue the Hampi tour by further by riding.