What – ticking off
my UNESCO bucket-list!
With every passing day, my love for visiting historic sites
and photographing good architecture keeps growing; my blog is an evidence of
this obsession! To add to that, last
year (2015), I was possessed with ticking off UNESCO Heritage sites in India. Hence, a weekend gateway to Northern
Karnataka [Hampi, Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole] provided a perfect remedy for
the love and obsession described above – Not only did I ticked off 2 UNESCO
sites [Hampi and Pattadakal group of monuments] in 3 action packed days, but
also did this on a modest budget!
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| Hampi <3 |
Hampi
Hampi (Bellary district) is at the heart of the Vijaynagar
Empire. While all the UNESCO monuments are located in and around Hampi bazaar area;
beyond the Tungabhadra river (Hampi is on its southern banks) lies Virupurgadda
(the backpacker district), Anegondi (birthplace of Hanuman), peaceful Lake
Sanapur and endless paddy fields surrounded by low lying mountains made of
heaps of rounded rocks (characteristic to this region). Hampi indeed is perfect
gateway to soak up history by exploring the monuments, introspect, dwell over
thoughts and sit back and chill out.
Pattadakal (and Aihole/ Badami)
Built in 7th and 8th century AD, Pattadakal
group of moments are a symbol of Chalukya architecture. Together with Badami and Aihole, they form a triangle of tourist attarctions to
vis
it in Northern Karnataka!
When – Long
weekend!
There is a perfect weather to visit every place. And then
there are the tempting long weekends. I am guilty of succumbing to travel-bug
during such extended/ long weekends, like Dussehra [early October in 2015].
Inspite of being warned about Hampi being too hot until November
[best weather is between November to March; other times the heat is brutal!], I
went along with the plan and when I look back now, I won’t change anything
about the trip timing because:
- Tourist season was just picking up and the historic sites were not very crowded; and
- I got to witness the glorious Dussehra festivities at Virupaksha temple in Hampi!
However, if you find the heat in Indian sub-continent unbearable,
stick to exploring Hampi between Dec to Feb.
How – Bus, car, hired active!
Mumbai to Hampi (via Hospet)
Air, rail or bus?
Hampi is in North Karnataka and getting here isn’t
easy. In fact, it is far from most big
cities, including Bangalore (overnight bus journey – takes about 6 hours). The most convenient way to get to Hampi is to
fly to Bangalore and hire a private car.
However, I wouldn’t recommend this for budget travelers.
Instead, opt for the trustworthy Indian railways or intra-state
bus services providers (like VRL travels).
Hampi itself doesn’t have a station or a big enough bus terminal (though
some buses do terminate or/ start from Hampi).
The closest railhead from Hampi is Hospet junction. Like me, if you are traveling from Mumbai,
you could take one of the four trains (some start at panvel) to Hospet – but I
found that the timing of the trains is quite odd and not suitable for those
pressed for time, though it is probably the cheapest way to get here from
Mumbai.
Alternatively, like me, you could opt to take a bus to
Hospet (though some travel operators go all the way to Hampi). We paid about INR 1,700 for an a/c sleeper
bus run by VRL travels. We boarded at 6
PM at Chembur (bus started at Andheri) and reached Hospet by 11:00 (2 ½ hours
behind schedule). However, the bus ride
was quite comfortable and there were adequate pee stops! Although, as a
caution, I’d recommend checking bus route before booking, apparently, our bus
took a longish route. Also, I generally
book buses on redbus(dot)com, but if you prefer enquiring before booking, then
the many agents at Dadar, Chembur, Andheri, etc will come to your rescue.
Hospet to Hampi
Hospet is about 13 kms from Hampi. There is a state transport bus every 15 mins
from Hospet bus depot to Hampi. One can
take a rickshaw for a more comfortable journey, but be sure to bargain as the
rickshaw drivers quote exhorbitant prices.
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| Hospet to Hampi: BarchitectHonestly, I found the bus very convenient and cheap. Also, the KSRTC drivers and conductors were very helpful. We arrived in Hampi in style (not quite!) |
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| Dragging a bag around Hampi isn't fun! Carry your backpacks! |
Traveling in and
around Hampi
Sites which form part of UNESCO group of monuments at Hampi
are spread over a large area. While the
major monuments are located along the banks of Tungabhadra river and easily
accessible from Hampi bazaar on foot, for others (like step-well, etc) [on the
road to Hampi] one needs to rent a cycle (if super fit!), take a rickshaw
(expensive option) or take the state bus/ tuk-tuk.
During your stay in Hampi, you will also be taking boats often (speed boat/ coracle boat etc!).
Exploring Hampi on foot
I lived at the vibrant and chilled out backpacker district
of Virapurgadda (across the river).
While there are options to rent bikes, activas, etc at Virapurgadda; you
are not allowed to take these to Hampi bazaar area as Virapurgadda and Hampi
are located in two different districts of Karnataka – sigh! Hence, the only workable option was to take a
boat across the river (boats run from 7 am to 5 pm) to Hampi bazaar and then
head out to explore the monuments.
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| Coracle boat ride at Lake Sanapur |
I must admit it’s a lot of fun to explore the monuments on
foot. The walk between monuments gives one time to reflect upon the
architecture and history of the previous monuments. However, it is quite tiring as well and
requires one to be well hydrated! Although it is time-consuming, I highly
recommend this if you’re fit as it’s a perfect chance to climb boulders, get
atop Matanga hills and watch Hampi in all its glory! Walking around the ruins also made me less
guilty about missing work-out routines (wink!)
Rickshaw+walking or cycle?
If walking isn't your favourite activity, you can hire a rickshaw to take your around the Hampi monuments. Though this option isn't free from walking as the rickshaws drop you to the parking lot from where some monuments are quite far.
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| Shuttle carts; beware - long queues! |
However, there are some shuttle carts connecting parking lot and the monument, say at Vijaya Vittala temple (which houses the famous stone Chariot).
Hiring an activa
Like I said before, my trip was action packed and hence an
activa was must! Activas are available at as low as INR 350-500 a day
(depending on the season).
We rented an activa
and a moped and drove around Virapurgadda.
The active/ moped especially came handy as we could drive to the base of
hanuman temple at 4:30 am, then climb up the hill to reach the temple at the
break of dawn. Such a humbling
experience!
Cycling?
Due to dearth of time, I didn't get to rent a cycle. But my friends seemed to have enjoyed cycling around Hampi!
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| Photo by Mathew |
Hampi to Bangalore vis
Hospet
While returning, we got fairly cheap flight from Bangalore
to Mumbai. Hence we booked an overnight KSRTC a/csleeper bus from Hospet to Hampi. Since the bus was at 11 pm, we rented a taxi
from Hampi to Hospet which cost us about INR 800 (after bargaining). The drive
was slightly scary as the roads are secluded; however we had a good
driver.
The onward bus journey from Hospet went by smoothly (however,
the sleeping arrangement wasn’t as comfortable as the VRL bus) and we arrived
in Bangalore at 6 am on a chilly morning, a lovely contrast to the burning
Hampi weather! Thereafter, I flew back to Mumbai from Bangalore, comfortably to
draw the curtains on a lovely extended weekend trip!
Day trip from Hampi to
Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole
Like me, if you also love to explore places that boast of
fantastic architecture, then I highly endorse spending 1.5 to 2 full days
exploring the triangle comprising of Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole. However, I was on a tight schedule and
decided to squeeze in a day trip to this triangle.
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| Hampi to Badami: Incredible views of sunflower fields on either side of the road (shot from taxi) |
I am not sure about bus frequency to these 3
places. To avoid the hassle, we booked
an a/c taxi for INR 4,500 (after negotiation). The
decision paid off as exploring all 3 places in one day in the October heat was
exchausting and cooling off in the car a/c was close to bliss!
Stay – coolest options?
Locals/ tourist from neighbouring towns usually visit Hampi
as a day trip. For tourists like me, there are a number of budget options and
airbnb rentals to choose from. While
staying at Hampi bazaar area eliminates the need to wait for the boat just to
visit the temples, I would any day prefer staying at Virapurgadda because it is
so laid back! There are many guesthouses
to choose from which provide bamboo hut accommodation, cool restaurant, hookah,
good music and chilled beers!
We stayed at Gopi guesthouse (booked through airbnb) and the
hosts were super friendly and made us feel at home. Cleanliness standards in Hampi at such places
are pretty average, but Gopi did have all the necessary amenities. The restaurant at Gopi servced amazing Thali,
surprisingly good hummus and pita and super chilled beers. We spent out
evenings just hanging out here, playing a game of jenga and enjoying the vibe. We even snoozed on the swings right outside
out huts – bliss!
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| Huts@ Gopi |
The stay cost us INR 1250-1300 a night for a hut with
attached bathroom. The food is
affordable as well. For this budget and the vibe, I highly recommend staying at
Gopi/ adjoining guesthouses offering similar accommodation at Virapurgadda.
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| Chilling afternoon scenes at Gopi! |
However, if you are looking for a quieter/ more traditional
stay option, there are some great heritage homes to choose from (Uramma cottages), though may not be very strategically located.
Note: All prices,
train/ bus information as of October 2015.
In case you have question about Hampi/ where to stay/ general pricing, feel free to leave a comment!
