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Hampi – The Land of Culture and Religion

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Hampi is located in the Karnataka state of India. It is situated on the banks of Tungabhadra River, and is around 74 km away from Bellary, another tourist attraction around Hampi. It is recognized as the World Heritage site by UNESCO.

Hampi used to be an important part of Vijayanagara city (1343 – 1565), which was later ruined but this beautiful place commonly referred as the temple town still exists. It always remained a priority for different rulers because of its geographical location. It is covered by impregnable hills on three sides and Tungabhadra River flows on the fourth side making this place secure and also magnificent from the scenic point of view.

Stone Chariot at Vittala Temple, Hampi

Stone Chariot at Vittala Temple, Hampi

Paradise for wanderlust folks

Hampi is a house to many temples which makes it an important religious center. This place is worth visiting since it holds great significance archeologically and also architecturally. Moreover, it is wonderfully enclosed with lofty mountains and smoothly flowing River which adds up even more to its already present attractiveness. According to statistics, this is the most searched place on Google in Karnataka.

Tourist attraction in and around Hampi

There are many more sightseeing options in and around Hampi and those who pay a visit here quite surely visit the surrounding places also.

Virupaksha Temple

This temple was built in the 7th century and it was a small shrine back then but was developed later into a beautiful one by the Vijayanagra rulers who dedicated this to their Lord Virupaksha. For people living nearby, it serves as a center for their religious believes.

Vittala Temple

This temple is a dedication to Lord Vittala who was believed to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It came into existence in the 15th century and serves as a major attraction to tourists. There is a large stone chariot that reflects the architectural skills back then.

Archaeological Museum

This Museum was established by the Archaeological Survey of India. When we talk about Hampi being a historical attraction, this Museum plays a vital role as it is a home to antiques and great sculptures. Most of the findings were carried on by British people and later in 1972, the antiques were shifted here.

Underground Temple

This is one of the oldest temples in Hampi dedicated to Lord Shiva. Most of the parts of this temple remain submerged in water because it was built several meters below the ground level.

Bellary

This city is known for the largest single rock mountain in the world. It is 60 km away from Hampi and the second fastest growing city in Karnataka. Bellary fort is also a tourist attraction.

Anegodi

Before Hampi, Anegodi was the capital of the region. It is situated on the opposite bank of the river and is a farming village. The places to visit here are Anegodi fort, Chandramouliswara Temple Pampa Sarovar, and Bukka‘s aqueduct.

Anjaneya Hill

It is located 4km away from the heritage site and is considered to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. There is a temple dedicated to him commonly called as the Monkey or the Hanuman temple.

Kamalpura

It is situated at the southern part of the ruins. It is also a small village and famous for Ganigitti temple, Bhima’s Gateway and museum. This village also holds importance in history.

vittala temple, anegondi, hampi

Image source Flickr

How to reach Hampi

Hampi can be easily reached by all the modes of transport thus, providing fine connectivity for the tourists.

By air

There are two airports, nearest is in Hubli which is around 143 km away from Hampi and another one is in Belgaum which is around 720 km away. Tourist can easily fly on any of the airports. Cabs and taxies are available outside the airport that drops you to your destination.

By rail

This is the recommended mode to travel since Hospet Junction which is the nearest railway station is only 13 km away. There are many overnight trains available. Some of them are direct to Hospet Junction  and there are other overnight trains available that will drop you to Hubli. Trains are cheaper and comfortable too. There are buses and rickshaw’s available outside the station to take you to Hampi.

By road

There are daily buses available from Bangalore, Mysore and Gokarna to Hospet. From Hospet you can easily get a bus or cab to reach to Hampi. There are many private buses available that drops you to the village overnight. For those who wish to travel by car, pathway till Chitradurga is in excellent condition but the path from Chitradurga to Hospet is in hostile condition and must be avoided.  For those who are traveling via Bangalore, the main highway from Bellary to Hiriyur is recommended.

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