Visiting the ancient ruins of Hampi

Posted by Paul on 29. April 2015

I am in to this profession since the dawn of my childhood, a passionate writer but now I get some buck too.. I welcome all the beginners and the old hands to come and join us..

Hampi is a village in Karnataka and is known for being the most searched historic place from Karnataka to be searched on google. Its famous ancient ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage site and it has also been listed historically as Vijayanagara as well as Virupakshapura. You can also find a lot of suitable budget hotels in Hampi near the major points of attraction.

Hampi is known for its rich history and its first historic settlements date back to 1 CE. This ancient village lies on the banks of river Tungabhadra and if you have even a little bit of interest in history and architecture, this place is a gold mine. It attracts more than a million visitors annually and is like a whole other world carved entirely out of stone. This beautiful village is reported to be home to more than 500 monuments, all of which are worth visiting. Further the entire village has an interconnection of irrigation canals.

Hampi is an important village in hindu mythology as it is widely believed that Lord Rama and his younger brother visited here in search of Goddess Sita and received help from two monkey brothers by the names Sugriv and Vail who ruled here back then. Another feather in its crown is that Vijayanagara main coin mint was located in Hampi, and the coinage was astounding. It was made in bronze, silver and gold and had carvings of Gods and Goddesses as well as birds and animals. If you are visiting Hampi, you should definitely strike a conversation with the locals here to know more about the less known tales of the region.

The Hazari Rama temple of Hampi is specially popular in Hampi. It used to serve the royal family for a long time before it became open for public and is famous for the numerous carvings covering its walls, mostly related to Ramayana. The temple also has a beautiful lawn in its north. Another interesting temple in Hampi is Virupaksha temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is a part of the Group of Monuments at Hampi and is considered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The annual chariot festival is also celebrated here in the month of February. The history of this temple dates back to the seventh century and it is still the site for betrothal and marriage activities in Hampi.

There is an annual festival celebrated in Hampi called as Hampi Utsav or Vijaya Utsav, which falls in November. this festival is a three-day extravaganza and includes cultural performances, puppet shows, fireworks, and music and this festival attracts a lot of visitors annually. It is organised by the Government of Karnataka on a large scale and it mainly aims to attract tourism in Hampi. As far as shopping is concerned, you will have a great time here due to relative proximity of the shops. You can go to Hampi Bazaar to buy from a vast range of items such as wooden statues of Gods and Goddesses, dresses, jewellery, paintings, handicrafts and a lot more. There are a lot of craft shops as well.

If you are interested in architecture and/or history, you should definitely make it a point to visit Hampi soon for the experience of a lifetime. You can seek accommodation in various Hampi hotels as well to make your stay comfortable and memorable so visit the best hotels at Hampi .