We have been to hill stations, backwaters, rivers, falls etc etc. but our trip to Hampi was the most mesmerizing to say the least . and given that it was quite hot and dry.! If you have an aptitude for archeology and ruins, ., Hampi is a love at first site(sight!), you would never ever recover from this:-)
The ruins of the empire is spread over the area of 26 sq km, we could not cover entire stretch in the 3 days that we had. You need an itinerary and a plan within Hampi
Hampi is divided into two parts: The Sacred Center and the Royal Center. These clusters are about 3 kilometers apart. As the name indicates the Scacred center has a large number of religious sites;and the palaces and associated royalty buildings are located at the Royal area
Our mode to explore the site was auto . he charged 500/- for a full day. I personally think if you have the stamina then walk or cycle is the better option . to just "get lost" in the silence of the bygone era
Must see places in Hampi:
Vitthala Temple
Elephant stables, Lotus mahal(Zanana enclosure)
Hemakuta Hill
Mathanga hill
Virupaksha Temple
Hampi Bazaar
Kadalekalu Ganesha
Sasivekalu Ganesha
Lakshmi Narasimha
Krishna Temple
Queen’s bath
Hazara Rama Temple
On the 2nd day we also visited the Daroji bear sanctuary - you need to be there after 2 PM. pay a "little" money to the keeper . he will lay fruits . and you can watch bears hungrily scrambling for food:-) The drive to park is very good . through sunflower plantations . very nice to click away
We also found some time to play in the Tungabhadra river .
Additionally don’t forget to visit Badami Caves, Aihole which are around 4 hours drive from Hospet
Accomodation: We were put up at Hotel Malligi in Hospet - excellent service and facilities . though food wasn’t up to mark
To reach Hampi: Overnite train from Bangalore(Hampi Express)