Journey Date : 25 Oct, 2023 to 29th Oct, 2023
Day Three
On day three 28th October, 2023 we woke up immediately when the first alarm rang, we got ready as early as possible and reached at Hosapete bus stand, with the help of a commuter we identified the correct bus for Kamlapur. We boarded the bus at around 8:00 a.m. This time we already made arrangements for change. We took a ticket of 51 Rupees, 17 Rupees per person and got down at Kamlapur at around 8:30 a.m. where auto driver Lucky was waiting for us. We had not done breakfast, so requseted Lucky to take us at a nearby good restaurant. We had a idili, medu vada, chana vada and tea. After refueling our tummy, the auto driver called Guide Suresh and asked him to come directly to Malyawant Hill.
Sout Hampi Explored Places.
- Malyavant Hill
- Anjanadri Hill
- Pampa Sarovar and Shabri cave
- Durgadevi Temple and Vali cave
- Rakshas cave
- Ranganath Temple and Gagan Mahal
- Anegundi, House of Krishnadevaraya
- Kamlapur Museum
- Laxmi Narsimha
- Badavi Linga
- Krishna Temple
- Krishna Bazar
- Tirumala donation pot
- Kadalekalu Ganesh
- Harihar Temple and Gate
- Virupaksh Temple
- Coracle Ride
- Hemakutta Hill sunset
- Sasivekalu Ganesh
Malyavant Hill
We reached Malyavant Hill at around 9:35 a.m. There are several temples on top of the hill, we visited three temples. First on Malyavant Raghunath swami temple, This temple is dedicated to Lord Shree Ram. The uniqueness of the Shree Ram idol is that the statue is in a sitting position without a Bow or any other weapon in hand, normally Lord Ram statue in India is in a standing position while holding a Bow in his hand. Sadhus (Priest) is reading Tulsi Ramayan 24x7 in the temple in shift-wise. According to history, it is here lord Rama and his brother Laxmana waited till the monsoon season gets over; and then they marched towards Lanka with Hanuman’s monkey army to rescue Sita.
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| Raghunatswami temple entrance |
After exploring Raghunath swami temple, moved back side of the temple where one more temple named Prasanna Virupaksh temple, was dedicated to Lord Shiv. The sanctum is carved inside a big granite rock. ASI had constructed a wall from the outside to give to those rocks. On the immediate left after coming out of the temple, you will see a group of Shiv Lingas in two parallel lines and in between there is a gap that is filled with water. As per the ancient history, at the time of stay, there was no provision of water on top of the hill. so Lord Laximan brother of Lord Ram hit an arrow on the rock to produce water, this area is also known as Laxman Tirtha. This site is also famous as a sunset point, you can see the entire Hampi city from the top.
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| Prasanna Virupaksh Temple at Malywant Hill |
We took some photos and came back to Raghunath swami temple. Besides Raghunath swami temple, Goddess Laxmi temp is there. We explored the temple, took blessings and headed towards Auto for our next destination. Though a bit isolated, reaching Malyavanta Hill is not a great struggle. It is located somewhat on the way to Vittala Temple from Kamalapura town. It’s not a bad idea to tweak it a bit to include Malyavanta Hill as a side trip. 👉 Go to Top of the Page
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| Laxman Tirth at Malyavant Hill |
Anjanadri / Kishkinda Hill
Guide Suresh had made changes in the plan, due to Saturday there is a rush of Devotees at Anjanadri. To avoid rushing, he informed the Auto driver to take us to Anjanadri. Around 10:30 a.m. we reached the base of Anjanadri. We started climbing the hill, and after we reached halfway we stuck, due to the narrow path at the top and a high number of devotees, the path got blocked as both ways people got clashed.
Around after 40 minutes of climb, we reached the Lord Hanuman temple, where we were slightly disappointed, The staff and police were pushing the devotees, not even giving them a minute to stand. We came out of the temple, took some photos and decided to return to the base. We observed the way we come from has been closed and made one way. All are local people on top and they know only Kannada language, due to which we wasted 10-15 minutes to find another way to get down. While descending observed several stalls selling chopped fruits, we had a sugarcane juice and continued to descend. At around 12:30 p.m., we reached the base and gave a call to Auto driver Lucky, he came to the gate to pick up. 👉 Go to Top of the Page
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| Anjanadri Temple |
Pampa Sarovar and Shabri Cave
Pampa Sarovar (Lake) is 2 to 3 km away from Anjanadri. Pampa is the Sanskrit name of Goddess Parvathi. Not much to see over there, The Goddess Laxmi temple is there, which was recently renovated. Beside the temple, there is a cave named Shabri cave. This place has its importance as it is connected to Ramayana. After exploring Shabri cave, we went upside using metal stairs. View point provision made for visitors to take photos. We spent around 30 minutes and at 1:00 p.m. boarded the Auto for the next destination. 👉 Go to Top of the Page
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| Pampa Sarovar |
Durgadevi Temple and Vali Cave
The temple is on the way to Pampa Sarovar, while returning we visited the temple. As we entered the premises saw a beautiful view, as some festival celebration was going on. We bowed down in front of Goddess Durga and spent some time watching a musician playing a traditional instrument called Shehnai.
We came outside the temple premises and started searching for Vali caves, We asked some local people, but due to the language barrier, they were unable to understand. We gave a call to the Auto driver, he guided us to the path to Vali caves. Vali cave's path is inside the temple premises. When we stepped down from the temple we had to take a left which we missed earlier, A way passed from the temple kitchen, and then we took a right and reached at the gate, looking at the gate one can guess that the construction is older about 700 - 800 years. The door is between two bastions. We moved inside the gate on the right side there is a big well. We went straight around 500 to 700 meters and reached at caves, but not sure whether we reached at correct location or if we had to move ahead. We decided to enter the cave, and with the help of a cell phone torch we explored the cave, we saw a bulb, which was installed to light up the cave but the bulb was not working. We went outside the cave and moved ahead and found the board of Vali cave. This was the actual entrance of Vali cave we entered the cave and reached the same bulb that we saw earlier and came outside the cave at the other end, which was the same entrance we used earlier. To visit the temple and explore the cave takes around 40 to 45 minutes. Around 1:45 p.m. we moved ahead for Anegundi village to see Ranganath temple and the house of King Krishnadevaraya. 👉 Go to Top of the Page
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| Durga Mata Temple |
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| Vali Cave |
Rakshas Cave
Ranganath Temple and Gagan Mahal
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| Ranganath Temple |
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| Gagan Mahal |
Anegundi House of Krishnadevraya
Since the palace was closed and were not allowed to go inside, we decided to see it from outside, we did not get down from the auto. The house was beautifully made of teak wood and a beautiful rangoli was drawn in front of the gate. The royal family comes and stays here during festivals and special occasions. |
| House of Royal Family |
Kamlapur Museum
After lunch, at around 3:30 p.m. we visited the museum, which is near the Kamplapur bus stand. Guide Suresh arranged a ticket for us, he didn't take any charge of that. We display the tickets at the gate and enter into the museum premises. Initially, we explored the outer part, where broken idols were kept which was discovered during excavation.
We were not aware that an important part of the museum was inside the building. Guide Suresh approached us and took us inside the museum. At the entrance of the museum, there is a statue of King Krishnadevaraya and his two wives Queen Tirumala Devi and Queen Chinna Devi.
We moved inside and were stunned by seeing idols of various gods, the idols kept inside the museum were almost in good condition. I cannot put the list of things we saw, some of the important things are dumbell, gun barrels, ancient gold coins, ancient books and scripts etc. One of the important things is a miniature model or map of Hampi is constructed.
Note: The ticket purchased at Vijay Vitthal Temple is also valid at Kamalapur Museum, but this ticket is valid for only one day. The day we went to Vijay Vitthal Temple was Friday and the Kamlapur Museum is closed on Fridays. So, the guide, Suresh, bought us new tickets at his own expense.
We have not spent much time in the museum, as a lot of places are pending to see and I had asked Suresh to enquire about Virupaksh temple timing, usually, The timing is from 6:00 a.m to 9:00 p.m. but on 27th October Lunar eclipse was there, as per Hindu culture temples door closes five hours before eclipse till the eclipse get over. Guide enquired and informed us that temple doors will close early at 6:00 p.m. so we have to make hurry. At around 4:00 p.m., we headed toward Virupaksh temple. 👉 Go to Top of the Page
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| Ancient Gun barrel |
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| Ancient dumbbells |
Laxmi Narsimha
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| Laxmi Narsimh statue |
Badavi Linga
A small temple located next to Laxmi Narsimha, in local language Badavi / Badava means poor. The Shiv Ling placed inside the temple and commissioned by Poor women, hence the temple named as Badavi Linga. The Shiv Ling carved in single stone, Largest monolithic Shiv Ling in India.
Late K N Krishna Bhat the chief priest of Badavilinga temple in Hampi for nearly four decades, known famously for climbing the 3-metre Shivlingam for performing priestly duties. His duties are now being carried out by his son, Raghava. Krishna Bhat was born in 1935 and grew up in Kasaravalli. He went on to receive vaidik education at Sringeri’s Sharada Peetha. While he pursued priesthood, he also simultaneously ran a grocery shop. 👉 Go to Top of the Page
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| Badavi Linga |
Krishna Temple
Krishna Temple is 5 minutes away from Badavi Linga by auto, we reached at around 4:30 p.m. The Krishna Temple in Hampi, Karnataka is a notable one with unique architecture. This temple is dedicated to Lord Balakrishna, the form of Lord Krishna when he was an infant. The main idol of the temple is that of Lord Balakrishna which is now on display in the State Museum at Chennai. The temple campus is adorned with pillared halls and many small shrines. This is one of the rare temples which have epics inscribed on the tower walls. The main tower at the east is an impressive sight with numerous carvings on it (now the tower is under restoration work). You can see the carvings of the 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu in this temple.
We spent around 20 minutes to explore the temple, we want to spent more time to explore but due to time constraint we move ahead for Virupaksh Temple. When we came out of the Krishna Temple, we saw a structure similar to bazar, guide told us it is know as Krishna bazar. 👉 Go to Top of the Page
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| Entrance of Krishna Temple |
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| Back side of the Entrance of Krishna Temple |
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| 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu Carved on the gate |
Krishna Bazar (Marketplace)
As you enter from the Krishna Temple side, you can see long rows of pavilions along the bazaar street. A little ahead along the bazaar is the sacred tank. We have not entered into the bazar, We saw it while standing on the side of the road and moved on. 👉 Go to Top of the Page
Note : All these places are on the way or nearby towards Virupasksh temple
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| Krishna Bazar - Marketplace |
Tirumala donation pot
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| Donation Pot |
Kadalekalu Ganesh
We reached at Ganesh temple by walking within 5 minutes at around 4:55 p.m. The statue of Ganesh is the biggest monolithic statue in India. Beautiful statue was destroyed by Islamic invaders. We entered into the temple and take round inside and observed, event back side of the statue fine work was done. The belly of Ganesha has been chiselled in such a manner that it resembles a Bengal gram (known as Kadalekalu in the local language). Hence, the statue has been given the name of Kadalekalu Ganesha. It is one of the largest statues that exist in Hampi. After spending a 10 minutes at around 05:05 p.m we moved ahead towards Harihar temple. 👉 Go to Top of the Page
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| Kadalekalu Ganesh |
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| Back side of Kadalekalu Ganesh statue |
Harihar Temple and Gate
We reached Harihar temple by walking, as Harihara Temple is located on the Hemkuta hill behide Kadalekalu Ganesh, this ancient temple is an important cultural heritage. The Harihara temple is a small, east - facing edifice, consisting of only a sanctum and a pillared - hall. Though there is no enclosure wall around this structure, the approach to it is marked by a small gateway. The latter highlights the importance of this otherwise rather insignificant monument. At present a new Shiv ling is enshrined in the sanctum. Since Harihara is worshiped both in the iconic and other forms. The local people consider it as a Harihara shrine. Harihara, or Sankaranarayana, is a composite deity, half Lord Shiva and half Lord Vishnu.
Greater significance is the presence of the 'vahanas' and attendant animals of the two deities on the walls of the 'mandapa'. On the south wall, near the entrance, is carved Lord Hanuman in heroic pose and seated Nandi. Opposite these, on the north wall is Garuda and a large coiled snake.
We spent hardly 10 minutes and at around 5:15 p.m we moved towards Virupaksha temple by Auto. 👉 Go to Top of the Page
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| Harihar Temple Gate |
Virupaksh Temple
Within 5 minutes we reached Virupaksh temple. Lucky dropped us at Hampi bazar which is 500 meters away from the gate, to protect the temple building from vibration vehicles are not allowed near the temple gate. Removed shoes outside the gate and entered inside, on the left-hand side we saw a unique three-head Nandi status, earlier it was located in the center of the temple, but it got damaged while performing rituals by local peoples. ASI replaced it with single-head Nandi.
We moved ahead towards the second gate, where the guide asked us to take a ticket of 25 Rupees each. We saw some of the people were going without taking a ticket, so why guide ask us to purchase a ticket? we were unaware of it and we didn't ask about it and later we got the answer to this. We went through the gate, entered into the sabha mandap and stood in a queue for Lord Shiv darshan. We bowed our heads took blessings and moved ahead, suddenly guide stopped us, and he displayed the ticket to the priest. The priest opened the gate and allowed us to enter into the outer part of the sanctum, this is the reason the guide asked us to purchase tickets. Shiv Ling was covered with a silver crown, the priest removed that for some reason and we are lucky to see actual Shiv Ling.
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| Main Gate of Virupaksh Temple |
We came out of the mandap, guide told us to visit Mata Parvati and Mata Bhuvneshwari temple which in the same premises. The Statue of both Mata Parvati and Mata Bhuvneshwari is beautiful, suddenly the pillars of the temples grabbed our focus, Pillars made up of black limestone and carved very fine and perfect. We can say it is one of the masterpieces.
Note: Mata Bhuvneshwari is the Kuldevi of Harihar and Bukka, founder of Vijaynagar empire.
Stunned to see a big bowl that was used to keep tirth, which was served to devotees, also a big Saan (stone plate) used to rub sandal sticks on it to produce sandal cream. Guide took us into the dark room where the technology of pinhole camera is there, the inverse shadow of the temple gate is visible, the same technique is used in today's camera. Pinhole technology was developed 1000 years ago, How smart and innovative our ancestors!
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| Ancient Bowl to serve tirth (holy water) |
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| Ancient stone plate to produce cream of Sandal wood |
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| Inverse shadow of main gate using pin hole technique |
Besides Virupaksh mandap, a house and math of Sri Vidyaranya Bharti Swami, the guide showed us the same pinhole technique inside the house, where the entire area of Virupaksh temple is visible in inverse form. Later we moved inside the math and took a blessing from Sri Vdyaranya Swami, who is a follower of Sri Adi Shankaracharya.
We came out of the house and went towards Pushkarni - the water tank. The excavation of Pushkarni was done recently around 2018. During excavation, they found the golden crown of Lord Virupaksh, The Temple authority used this crown during festivals and on special occasions. We came out of the temple premises, and while walking observed a structure of pillars similar to Krishna Bazar, known as Hampi Bazar (Marketplace). A few years back locals used these as shops, though they are ancient shops but when it used for day-to-day life they will get damaged. After the intervention of UNESCO, ASI prohibited the use of it. We sat in the auto and moved towards Tungabhadra river for Coracle ride, at around 5:40 p.m which is opposite of Virupaksh temple. 👉 Go to Top of the Page
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| Pushkarni |
Coracle Ride
One of the important activities in the itinerary of Hampi. At the bank of the Tungabhadra River, there are several rides available, with costs as below.
- Single person or private group 2000 Rupees for 30 minutes
- Single person or combined group with others 500 for 30 minutes
- Single person or private group 3600 Rupees for 60 minutes
- Single person or combined group with others 800 Rupees for 60 minutes
We hired a boat as a private group for 2000 Rupees, else we had to wait until all the seats were full. One boat has 12 to 15 seats, which means we have to wait for 12 to 13 people. So decided to go separate as a private group. A unique experience, enjoyed it a lot. During the ride, you can see several temples at the river bank. While returning to the bank see a beautiful sunset, with this sunset we realize the end of the day as well as the Hampi exploration.
Note: In Hampi most of the sites were closed at 6:00 pm, except Virupaksh temple, etc.
We got down from the coracle boat, at around 6:15 p.m.We paid the charges and moved ahead to Hemakutta Hill to see sunset. Due to time, we have missed the Kodanda Ram temple and the monolithic Nandi. 👉 Go to Top of the Page
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| Coracle Ride and sunset |
Hemakutta Hill sunset
We got out of the Auto and saw the Sasivekalu Ganesh statue, but the guide told us to go for sunset first. So we ran to the top of the hill and took out a selfi stand to capture the sunset on camera. The sunset view was awesome, but in the end, we were disappointed due to the cloudy weather, sunset happens above the earth line in the clouds. 👉 Go to Top of the Page
Sasivekalu Ganesh
After the sunset, we came down to Sasivekalu Ganesh. In dimmed light, we explore the statue. The second biggest statue of Lord Ganesh in the Hampi. Sasivekalu means Mustard seeds. A trader from Chandragiri (in present-day Andhra Pradesh)in 1506 AD gained a huge profit by selling mustard, in memory of one of the Vijayanagara kings – Narasimha II (1491-1505 AD) he built the statue.
To see the uniqueness of this statue, for that, you have to backside. On the back side of the Ganesh statue, the carving of a lady's backside with hair pony. The lady resembles the Goddess Parvati, the Mother of Lord Ganesh. The statue is carved in a manner that it resembles Ganesh sitting on the lap of Mother Parvati and due huge body size of Ganesh, Parviti hides completely. The end of Hampi exploration with beautiful and unique Ganesh statue. 👉 Go to Top of the Page
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| Sasivekalu Ganesh front side |
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| Sasivekalu Ganesh back side |
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| From left to right, Auto driver Lucky, Friend Vinayak, Guide Suresh, Myself and Friend Kaushal |
Auto driver Lucky informed us that shops in Hampi were re-opened a few days back, so if you want to go shopping then go, I will wait. We went shopping saying would be back in 20 minutes, but we spent almost 40-45 minutes and we remembered that Lucky was waiting for us and he also wanted to go home. So we ran towards the auto, he saw us running and asked us to calm down and said no problem you take your time.
We sat in the auto he told us that he would drop us at the Hampi bus stop, but he saw there was no bus in the bus stand and the crowd was waiting for the bus. So he decided to drop us off at Kamlapur as there were more options available to go to Hosapete, even though it was too late to go home, he came to Kamplapur to drop us off, we paid his charges and got off the auto at Kamplapur. 👉 Go to Top of the Page
A person with a beautiful heart! actually following the rule Atithi Devo Bhava!
At the Kamlapur bus stand at around 7:30 p.m., we waited for almost 30 minutes for the Hosapete bus, the bus arrived at 8:00 p.m. We boarded the bus and got off at Hosapete. We went to the Hotel room got refreshed and started the calculation of third day spending.
At around 9:00 p.m. we went for Dinner, this time we decided to have dinner at Shanbaug restaurant, but when we entered observed they served only Dosa, idili, etc breakfast items, so we went to Udupi restaurant. We gave orders and started the discussion of the next day's plan. We called Mr. Parshurama Auto driver, whom we met on the first day, and enquired about the day charge to go to Koppal Fort. He is charging 1800 Rupees which was in the budget. So decided to explore Koppal Fort, our return train was on 30th October at 1:30 a.m. so we had a full day. We again called Parshurama and fixed the plan and asked to arrived next day at 9:00 a.m at Hotel gate.
Note: You can explore Badami cave, but for that, you have to keep one and a half days, We have only one day and also due to budget constraints we cancelled the Badami plan.
Here the end of Day Three and Second day of Hampi exploration.
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