Hampi - Crowded ruins on a long weekend

 

With a really long weekend around Dusshera, most places close to Bangalore seemed completely booked out. Hospet though had a few options. At about 7 km from Hampi, this is a great place to stay and travel around Hampi if you have your own set of wheels. The drive there was mostly pleasant except the last stretch which was still under construction and the multiple trucks as the border had just been opened from Tamil Nadu.

 

Daroji bear sanctuary is about 25 km from the towns and is open late afternoon till 6 in the evening. Bear sightings here are almost certain as they are fed in the evening. Quite a few of these bears were rescued from street performers and released in the sanctuary and may not have the abilities to survive on their own, but the sanctuary also has other truly wild fauna. We were able to spot a hare, a painted spurfowl, wild boars and a few boars

The town of Hampi itself has multiple ruins with the bazaar complex and the temple being at the heart of it. The ruins alone would take a couple of days to cover if someone spent time there as it spans over a few kilometers. The list of attractions includes a couple of baths, an underground Shiva temple, many ruins of the palace and shrines. There is an alternate route to the Achyutaraya temple from behind the Nandi statue which gives a good high view of the entire complex. The Vithala temple at a small distance from the town is another set of ruins with the famous stone chariot and musical pillars. The entire region is normally very hot even in October, and although crowds maybe much greater in December, the weather is worth it. Best place there for lunch is the Mango Tree restaurant, which is completely full during peak times.

Across the river is a different side of the town, with shacks and locales looking more like Goa. With signboards in Hebrew and Russian, and continental cuisines on the menu, this is more of the laid back part of town. The ruins as well as the river also have quite a bit of fauna. Other than the brightly colored millipedes, Ashy crowned sparrow larks, pipits and bee eaters can be seen quite easily. There are also coracle rides in the river to see some of the other ruins. Sanapur lake nearby is another scenic location for sunrise and sunsets. There is a mud road along the lake which takes you to the other side of the lake but during rains, there is a good chance that vehicles may get stuck. There are quite a few home-stays nearby and is another good place to stay far from the town's crowd.