A world of boulders!

This was the spontaneous trip me and my boyfriend took in November 2013. Hampi always attracted me because of its huge boulders. Whenever I watched ‘Rowdy Rathore’ I thought of going to Hampi. ;-)

It was an overnight journey from Banglore to Hospet. The private bus agency manages the fare from Hospet to Hampi. Frankly speaking, I was little disappointed during the first few kilometres of drive from Hospet. It was no different than any ordinary small village in India, the dirty roads and the smell was the same. Nevertheless, in few minutes we started crossing paddy fields, coconut trees, saw few sights of boulders placed in unbelievable fashion and I was happy. It was a little bumpy ride but was not that long. It was a 45 minutes auto rick drive to Hampi.

We were not totally clueless about the place, had an idea that the Tungabhadra River flows through Hampi , dividing it in two parts. A friend visited earlier had suggested us to stay on the other side of the river; Goan cottage was all we knew. Also, the auto rick driver explained us the map in fluent south Indian English accent, nicely stressing on “T” while pronouncing ‘to’,’tell’ ;-) Later, we came to know that the other side of the river is a village called as ‘Anegondi’

This was the first site of Tungabhadra. To the one side of Tungabhadra, there were many temples, ancient architectures, few ruins and to the other side, all we could see were boulders, real huge boulders.  The ancient terrain, the river was definitely not a tourist site for villagers. Like any other village, villagers were busy in the usual daily chores around the river bank. They did not mind using the boulders as washing boards or use river water for morning ablutions.

Tungabhadra river

Now, it was the time to cross the river.  Ferry ride would cost 20 bucks and coracle 50 bucks. We were not quite sure about the coracle considering the huge luggage we had, we chose the reliable ferry ride to reach the other side.

 (Though it was an unplanned trip, we sort of took everything we had. Just in case you know :-P )

To our surprise, we were the only Indians (apart from the driver) in the ferry with other 20 people being foreigners (I guessed Israelis). I was wondering why my friend would leave actual Hampi and stay somewhere you can see nothing but boulders. I think I had my answer. Foreigners would not settle for any ordinary thing so does my friend! ;-)

We would never have imagined that, amidst the paddy fields and rocky surroundings, we would be offered such private retreats. 3-4 dogs at the Goan Cottage welcomed us and this was it, the place I wanted to stay. Fluffy, Buddy and Buzzo all were friendly. The Goan Cottage was again, packed with the hippy junta. We came to know that people from around the world come to Hampi during August to December for bouldering. We could see the climbing gears and thought we were the only one here who came to enjoy a weekend where there was no place for any effort. :-P

He is Buddy <3 td="">

We had to wait to get the room.  The tariff was reasonable for two, 800 bucks for a night and the room provided all you need, hot water, bed and bonus – pier swing. The next thing which impressed us was the food. The most delicious breakfast I had in ages.

Click click while waiting for the room to get vacant

Abode for the next two days

We got ready and decided to see the temples and ancient ruins on the other side of the river.This time, we opted for the coracle and enjoyed the discomfort of the ride. After reaching to the other side, we hired an auto rick and “Hampa” was going to be our guide for the day. :-D .

Hampi was a former capital of Vijayanagar Empire and the extravagant structures in explained it all. The ruins silently narrated the story of grandeur splendor and fabulous wealth.We visited some beautiful temples, basements of palaces, ruins of ancient bazars, royal platforms, underground temples, treasury buildings and what not. It is a delight for a real history enthusiast.

The Shivling

The ancient bazar

Panaromic view

See the sculpture

Elephant house

Mesmerising view

While surfing on internet to try to understand the history behind the bizarre landscapes, I came across a fable in Ramayana. It goes like this: The place was a monkey kingdom. Two monkey brothers, Vali and Sugreeva, were at war over the throne of the kingdom. The boulders strewn all over are what they threw at each other during the battles.
 Hampi also had some amazing artefacts shops. There were so many things you can take home as souvenirs. The village is nothing but the labyrinth of shops. Shops showcased variety in gems, jewellery, cloths, bags, carved statues. While sightseeing, we found a local artisan carving soaps into idols with intricate design.  There is no way you can price such arts and hence decided to take the soap idol as souvenir at whatever price he said.

 We were back to the cottage by sunset. We were really tired because of the overnight journey and the day filled with exciting surprises.The ambience blended well with the culinary skills at the cottage. The menu card had all the cuisines a foodie can think of. We were just not tired of appreciating the chef!  We were fan of ‘Pancakes’ and didn’t mind having them during each meal. The evening was peaceful and relaxing.

Sun setting on Tungabhadra river

We had missed the sunset view from Hanuman temple on Anajana hill and hence decided to go to see the sunrise next day. Of course Sun did not wait for us when we woke up at 6:30 AM. By the time we reached the Anajana hill, our faces sparkled with the Sunshine. Anyways, we somehow stopped blaming each other for getting up late and headed towards the much talked about lake, Kamalapur Lake.
Oh I forgot to tell you, you can hire bikes/ scooters / bicycles to roam in and around Hampi. The bumpy roads of Hampi are surely a treat for the bikers :-D We hired a pulsar for around 300 bucks for a day.

The bridge we croseed while going to Hanuman temple

The bike ride in the morning was indeed refreshing and the surrounding was again dominated by the huge rocks. We were just crossing the villages and could not see any sign of the lake. Suddenly we ascended a road and saw the huge lake surrounded by rocks. The sight was amazing. Every nook of Hampi was a surprise.  We stayed there for a while and tried to sync in the feeling. Sometimes you cannot always put the feeling in the words. The morning breeze, early sunshine, the site of huge lake, bizarre landscapes and the seclusion, I could not ask for anything more that morning.

The lake!

We were told at the cottage that the paddy fields just ahead of the lake are also worth seeing.  The morning encouraged us to go a little further. When we finally came across the fields and rocky surroundings, they kept us pushing forward. Now when I watch Imtiaz Ali’s Highway, I feel he could have used this patch of road too ;-)

Paddy fields

Boulders placed in impossible formations

The feeling of hunger was sinking in and we made our way back to the cottage. We had to catch the bus in the evening so decided to relax for a while. We enjoyed watching little kids play around in the lawns, a guitarist happily playing guitar in the porch, the couple owner arguing with each other over petty things. There was not a single thing we wanted to change during the stay.

Sometimes we try something new with zero expectations and then experience the magic. Hampi came to us as one of those things. It welcomed us with warmth, satiated us with food and amazed us with the incredible landscapes.

Hampi was the pilgrimage for the devotees, bouldering paradise for the adventurists, and bliss for the historians. For us it was nothing but a weekend gateway which you seek for peace J

P.S: The photos are clicked with mobile camera and we regret not taking the actual camera till today :(