One of my most memorable and magical experiences was in the temple town of Hampi, the former capital of the Vijayanagara empire, and situated on the placid banks of Tungabhadra river.
‘The city of ruins’ as its called, surprisingly unheard of by many people, at least my friends, who started deriving lewd connotations of the word itself. A long bus journey of around 16 to 17 hours was worth it, as on reaching the place you get absolute intrigued by the beauty and charm of this broken city. There are buses or rickshaws that leave regularly from Hospet, which is 20 minutes away from Hampi.
Being one of the world heritage centers, this place attracts different kinds of tourists from around the world – serious travellers, backpackers, junkies and so on. In fact we (5 people) were the only Indian tourists there. Though we went at a time when summer was setting in, the evenings can get very pleasant.
The accommodation available here is fairly cheap too, in guest houses in local homes, beginning from Rs 50 to Rs 250. A short boat ride worth Rs 5 for Indians and Rs 15 for foreigners (wonder why the disparity), takes you to a quieter and more peaceful side of Hampi, actually that’s where the raves take place, atop giant boulders and vegetation and a beautiful river flowing by makes it a raver’s paradise.
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