Come Fly to India

When you hear of Karnatanaka, you would say that the name is familiar. That is because IT or computers made Bangalore famous, and Bangalore (now Bengaluru) is in Karnataka. But there are also a lot of places to visit in karnataka, like Hampi, Badami, Pattadakal, Bidar Bijapur, Srirangapatna, Mysore.

The topic of our discussion today, Hampi is not quite far from Bangalore. The nearest town, Hospet, is about 350 KMs by road from Bangalore and is connected by rail from Bijapur, Hubli and Guntukul besides Bangalore. You can take a flight to Bangalore and from there take a train and soak the beauty of Rural Northen Karnataka along the way. If you want to see India, you need to travel by train.

Hampi was once the proud capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, and it was ravaged by the Bahmani Armies centuries back. The ruins have stood the tests of time and today remains proud as ever, beautiful and majestic. The Vijayanagara Kingdom prospered between 1336 and 1565 AD in the Southern part of India.

The Vittala temple complex remains tall, and is a major tourist destination, and so does the Royal marketplace where once was traded stuff that the western explorers dream of, a few centuries later, Spices, Silver, Gold, Jewellery.

Four Dynasties ruled this once rocky terrain and transformed into the beauty that we still talk about today. Hampi entered its golden era during the rule of Krishnadeva Raya (1509-1539), when Art and Architecture flourished under this Warrior Poet.

Hampi is today a UNESCO world heritage site, and the end of the Hampi happed when the bahmani Kingdoms of Bijapur, Bidar, Ahmednagar and Golconda defeated the Vijayanaga Empire in the battle if Talikota in 1565 AD. It is believed that the conquering army plundered the kingdom for 6 months leaving it to ruins for fear that the beauty of the kingdom might attract other Kings of that time to attack it.

We can still see the ruins of Temples, palaces, monuments and a criss cross of Aqueducts built during this era. There are also Swimming pools inside the palace campus, which indicates the quality of living the kings had..
Some of the legacy that you will get to experience:

Lotus Mahal:This was a summer palace for the queen shaped like a lotus flower from top, this is a two-story palace with beautiful arcways. It was air-cooled using advance ventilation technology.
Elephant Stables: A huge elephant stable, that housed 11 elephants.
Pushkarini Tank: These is where pilgrims took bath before entering the temples.
Mahanavami Dibba: A wooden structure/platform from which the royalty viewed Hampi.
Mustard Ganesh: A single stone statue of the lord Ganesha, also known as Sasivikalu Ganesha.

Noblemen’s Palace: A recent excavation which was used for aristocrats and high-ranking officials.

This is a must visit if you are in Bangalore, or for that matter India.
For more information visit the official karnataka tourism site.

Here is the Hampi Map.