What are the places in and around Hampi which are worth a Visit? Is it possible to cover the places in 3 days.

Question

Would like to travel from Bangalore to Hampi and see places around. Am interested in knowing all the places around Hampi

Answer 1

Where is Hampi?

Hampi is  located in Karnataka state , a southwestern province of India. It's about 350 kilometers (217 miles) north of Bangalore, the state capital.

How to reach Hampi?

The primary connectivity to Hampi is by road. Rail connection comes second and the air link is a third option.

Hospet, a small town located about 12 kilometers (8 miles) from Hampi is the nearest railway station. This is the main gateway to Hampi. Hospet is connected by rail to other important towns like Bangalore, Bijapur, Hubli , Guntakal ( a major rail junction) , Hyderabad and Vasco Da Gama (Goa). Train is a preferred mode

Hospet has a bus station too with frequent bus services to the above mentioned places. The local bus service to Hampi starts from here.

Hampi on Karnataka map

Hampi on Karnataka map

The nearest airport to Hampi is Bellary (60km/ 37miles). Other airports are Belgaum (190 km/188 miles) and Bangalore (350 km/ 217 miles). Flight connectivity varies depends on the destinations.

The typical access strategy to Hampi is simple (well, the standard Indian disclaimers apply!).

Reach the nearest major town or city close to Hampi. When I say close, it could be a place anywhere from 100 to 300 kilometers (about 60 to 200 miles) away from Hampi. These places are in general connected with the rest of the Indian cities by rail, air and road. A few examples are Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa and Hubli, that can be labeled as the near major cities to Hampi .

Travel onward to Hampi.

Hospet, the gateway town to Hampi, can be reached by bus, car or by train. Typically it's an overnight journey from Bangalore, Hyderabad or Goa.

From Hospet catch the local bus or hire a taxi/auto-rickshaw, in about 30 minutes you would be dropped at the centre of Hampi.

Follow the reverse path to get out of Hampi. Access to Hampi

What to see at Hampi?

Hampi is packed with countless number of monuments & other attractions.

Vittala Temple : This temple complex dedicated to Vittala, a form of the Hindu god Vishnu is an architectural highlight of Hampi.

This temple campus contains many halls and shrines. The halls are noted for its extraordinary pillars with the animated carvings on it. A set of pillars, known as ‘musical pillars,’ resonates when tapped. A huge stone chariot complete with wheels carved out of stone stands in front of the main temple. The environment of this temple is packed with numerous smaller but ornate temples and a wide chariot street of the temple.

Virupaksha Temple: This temple dedicated to the Hindu god of destruction is located at a riverbank. Virupaksha temple is believed to be one of the oldest active temples (from 7th century AD) in India. This is a place equally sought-after by the tourists and the pilgrims. The temple complex consists of the god’s sanctum, pillared halls and a series of giant entrance towers. This is one of the fine places to witness the Hindu religious functions in close proximity.

Royal Enclosure: The seat of the erstwhile kings, this is a fortified campus. Royal enclosure is a sprawling area with the ruins of many stately structures. For example the Mahanavami Platform from where the king used to watch the annual parade of imperial majesty and military might. The area is packed with numerous palace bases, underground temple, aquatic structures and the likes.

Riverside trek Path: This is the path that connects the ancient Hampi Bazaar to the Vittala temple. Numerous shrines, carved artifacts, ruins of ancient structures are scattered all around along this path. For example the 1008 and 1008 Siva lings carved in a matrix like pattern on a sheet of boulder at the river shore.

Hampi Hemakuta Hill Temples: This hill is basically an expanse of rocky sheets with interesting undulations. A large number of pre Vijayanagara (the empire) temples of note are located in this hilltop. The highlights are the sets of triple chambered temples with its pyramid like granite roofs. This is an important mythological site in the local folklore. That explains the density of such temples on this hill.

Kadalekalu Ganesha: This is a giant statue of the elephant headed Hindu god Ganesha. According to Hindu Mythology, Ganesha is the god who is responsible for removing obstructions! This 4.6 meters (14 feet) tall sculpture id carved in situ on the slops of the Hemakuta Hill. The tall slender granite pillars with many mythological themes carved decorated the front hall of this shrine. Kadalekalu means gram seed in local language. The shape of this statue was the reason for this witty name for a god’s statue.

Sasivekalu Ganesha: This again is a giant statue of Ganesha located inside an open pavilion. The potbelly of the god is in the shape of mustard seed and hence the name (Sasivekalu means of mustard seed in the local language). This four handed god is a fine example of the Vijayanagara’s artistic skills.

Krishna Temple: This temple is dedicated to lord Krishna, one of the ten incarnations of lord Vishnu. In Hindu mythology Krishna is known for his romantic encounters and political shrewdness! This temple was actually dedicated to the lord in his infant (crawling) form. The complex consists of the main shrine, shrines of the goddesses, the chariot/market street and the temple tank. The main hall spots a series of pillars carved with mythical rampant creatures

Lakshmi Narasimha : This giant monolithic statue of the man-lion god is the largest icon in Hampi. Narasimha which is one of the ten avatars (incarnation) of lord Vishnu is depicted in a cross-legged seated position. It’s believed that the original image contained his consort Lakshmi sitting on his lap. This image was destroyed during the enemy invasion. Currently only a hand of the goddess resting on his waist can be seen.

Queen’s bath: This structure belongs to the royal area of the capital. Probably used by the courtly ladies or the king himself, this looks like an indoor aquatic complex. A large veranda with protruding balconies all around faces the central pool. This is one of the typical example of the Indo-Islamic hybrid architecture.

Lotus Mahal:This ornate structure was probably used by the military chief as his office or the queens of the palace as a pleasure pavilion. The pavilion spots Islamic architecture style arches and the roofs and base typical of Hindu temples.

Hazara Rama Temple : This was a private temple of the king. The temple is special with its exceptionally carved outer walls, an unusual feature in other Vijayanagara temples. The story of Ramayana (the Hindu epic) is impressively carved on all around the shrine walls like a comics strips on stone. The inner shrine contains four polished pillars with detailed carvings of godly themes.

Elephant Stables: That was the shelter for the royal elephants. This long structure is made of a series of chambers with domical roofs. Each chamber is big enough to accommodate two elephants. The central hall with an elaborated tower probably was used by the ceremonial band troop.

Pattabhirama Temple:This is a sprawling temple campus dedicated to lord Rama. The pillared halls are of special note. Tall mythical beats carved in the shape of a series of pillars.

Achyuta Raya’s Temple

Matanga Hill

Anjaneya Hill & Temple

And many moreee........................

Where to stay in Hampi?

Visitors stay at Hampi for many days. This is a norm considering the time it requires to ‘explore’ the sites. There are three or four clusters of accommodation locations.

Hospet town is the place where one can get accommodation that is rated as luxurious in Hampi’s scale. Kamalapura, a village centre close to Hampi is the second option. This is the place where the state run hotel with fair level of staying comfort is located.

Hampi village, the epicenter of backpacker tourism, is the budget type accommodation scene. In fact every other house here is a guest house. They rent out rooms within or attached to their homes.

Virupapur Gadde across the river is the den for the hippy genre.This is a place where you can rent huts, mostly located close to the riverbank

In general, gatecrash is a reputed check in style in town. But advance booking is preferred during the peak season.

You can make a decent tour of the hampi ruins in 3 to 4 days. Though it's not uncommon to see tourists do a 1day crash tour of Hampi, it's not worth the effort.

How to tour Hampi?

On foot! , that’s if you want to comb all the major ruins. You can hire bicycle or mopeds to cover a wider area ,say spots located 5 kilometers(3 miles) apart. A smart combination of bicycle/moped and on foot explorations is the optimum strategy.And if you include an occasional coracle ferry crossing and a couple of hill climbs in the agenda, your route plan is deemed perfect.

The local three wheeled taxi (Autorickshaw) or car is available for hire at the site. The major ‘hotspots’ are connected by motorable road. But this doesn’t cover all the highlights of Hampi (the riverside ruins, for example).

You can hire a driver-guide as a package or hire ‘spot guides’ locally at each major attraction. If you need assistance to hire a trained guide for full-day / half-day, contact the tourist info center in Hampi Bazaar near the Virupaksha Temple. Some more details about the guide fees are mentioned in the Cost & Budget page.

Exploring Hampi independently has its special charm and pleasant surprises.

How much does it cost?

Let me put the last line first: Hampi won't burn a hole in your wallet.

An overnight bus ticket from Goa or Bangalore to Hampi can cost you about Rs300 to Rs400 (about USD 6 to 9); a budget type guesthouse room (double) can be rented for Rs200 to Rs300 (about USD 4 to 6);

For about Rs5 (10 US cents) per hour you can hire a bicycle for the sightseeing trips; or for

Answer 2

hampi is awesome. go eat at the banana tree place. yum.

you can stay in hampi and explore the surroundings on foot, there are many temples and ruins. be sure to see the temple of musical pillars and the stone chariot.

and here's a tip. stay at a guest house on the other side of the river in hampi. you have to take one of those little papadum boats to get there but it's worth it.

Answer 3

check out the source below it will give you some idea as to the surrounding areas and places you might want to check out

happy travels