Bangalore to Hampi & back on a Meteor 350: A monochromatic photologue

3 days, 830km and an old pending itch scratched.

BHPian tasty911 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

My first travelogue here. Hope it meets the high standard.

Hampi has been on my list of a bike ride since ages. Other than being a short ride away, I wanted to photograph the monuments in the backdrop of storm clouds. However, every time I had an inkling of a plan some other priorities came up. Fortunately last month, the plan actually materialized. The timing was perfect. Late in the monsoon season means good chances of clouds but not heavy rain and sparse tourists.

I also have been shooting a lot of monochromatic pictures recently. So decided to stay mono while taking the pictures as well as this blog. BTW, the pictures were taken in raw, so I do have a color version also.
map

First, the route I followed. As always, preferred to go by one route and return by another. So took the Bangalore – Tumkur – Chitradurga – Hospete – Hampi route while going and Hampi – Bellari – Anantpur – Bangalore on the way back. the second route takes a little longer because of single lane and truck traffic on the road till Anantpur.

Tumkur road had been mostly offlimits to me because of the need to cross the city’s traffic. Since the STRR opened up, things are different. From eastern Bangalore, STRR is just a little bit of traffic away. I don’t mind the extra 30odd Km just to beat the the traffic.

Day 1 – Aug 27th, 2024

So heading out around 0700, STRR was the route I took. My luggage was on a duffel with loops specifically sewn in to prevent left/right shifting of the bag. This was something I had done myself after thinking through carefully. Happy to say, it worked perfectly.

First meaningful break was between Sira and Hiriyur for a cup of coffee. There was no one else at the shop. Just sat there resting my bum and enjoying the late morning breeze.

As I got nearer to Chtradurga, sunflower fields started showing up. The plants are still young and few are flowering.

Then the windmills showed up. I have always been fascinated by them. Took a side trail to an open field to have a panoramic view of them. The sun was still not hot, and I lounged around in field. I realized that I had not packed any snacks. Would have been great to have a picnic.

At Chtradurga, turned towards Hosapete. Not having eaten anything since morning, I was starting to feel hungry. The heat was also a bit bothering. So stopped at a roadside milk booth. Drank a couple of badam milk bottles and ate a packet of biscuit and a packet of chips.

Next I stopped at the Tungabhadra Reservoir viewpoint to watch the waves over the water. From there I called a few guesthouses in Hampi to check for availability. They were in abundance. So did not bother to book.

Weaving through Hosapete traffic, I was soon on the way to Hampi.

At Hampi, found a guest house in the lanes just next to the Virupaksha Temple. It was 1440 when I dumped my gear in the room. The place was next to the river. From both my room and adjoining restaurant, the river was visible with the ferry crossing nearby. Had lunch of dosa and omelet, overlooking the river.

Resting a while, I left the room around 1600. Plan was to hang around the Hemakuta Hill till sunset. Out in a distance, across the river, there was a downpour. The late afternoon was shaping up just the way I wanted.

I decided to take a circuitous route to the top of the hill. Walked up to Kadalekalu Ganesha and then the adjoining 32 Pillar Mandapam. There were a couple of tourists and this local lady sitting in the shade of the mandapam.

Behind the mandapam was another small structure framing the Virupaksha Temple.

Going around the rocks, I found a flight of stairs going up to the Sivarama Mutt. A monkey was blocking the steps. I stared at him and he stared back, unwilling to give way. Eventually I had to edge past him up the stairs. From inside the mutt there is a way to reach the top of the hill by ducking under a natural arch made by huge boulders.

As I came out on the other side and climbed up a small rise, the perfect view – Sri Prasanna Anjaneya Gudi with an old tree. Behind it the clouds played hide and seek with the sun.

First I walked around the temple, just taking the view in. On one side was this small pond filled with rain water. There was a breeze blowing which made sure the reflections weren’t still.

After taking a round, I explored other parts of the hill. On the South, below the hill is the Saasivekaalu Ganesha temple. I walked down to it and found the temple fenced. One could only see it from a little distance away.

Waking back up the hill, I explored a double story structure which probably was the entrance to the temple complex.

Back at the temple and I sat down on a grass knoll to enjoy the breeze. Rain was about to reach me. Suddenly from between the grass, this dog stood up and looked at me. Probably annoyed at his nap being disturbed.

He walked up to me and I patted him on the head. Unfortunately, I did not have anything to eat, which I could share with him.

The rain clouds were still active, though not on top of me. Far off a heavy downpour make the sky dramatic. This was the view I had ridden from Bangalore for. For a few moments I clicked away gleefully.

Similar view on the other side.

And then the rain moved in. I took shelter inside one of the temples, while the sun and the rain jostled for control.

It continued raining for a while. I waited at one temple and then moved to another one on the south. As the rain slowed down, the light started fading fast. A guard came around encouraging everyone to leave.

The clouds negated any sunset opportunity. I gingerly walked down the rocky slope. The rain has made the rocks extremely slippery. A few times, I almost slipped and lost balance.

Down at Virupksha temple, I headed towards the entrance where there are a few shops. I was looking for a tea shop which made fresh tea, rather than server one out of a thermos. Took a while to find one. Sat on a stone bench outside the shop and gulped two cups with a packet of biscuit.

Then I returned to my room. It was almost 1900. At 2030, I walked down to a nearby restaurant for dinner.

Day 2 – Aug 28th, 2024

Next day morning, I was up at 0500 and out on the street by 0530. While I wasn’t sure of the sunrise timings, I did not wanted to miss it.

First I climbed up to the Hemakuta Hill. In the dark the structures with their pillars looked eerie. There was no one else. The view on the east wasn’t great and the clouds did not let the rising sun’s glow lit the terrain.

The temple ruins did sparkle in the muted light. The water was somewhat still, making great reflections.

I hung around for an hour, enjoying the solitude and then walked down.

First, i thought of going back to the room and changing. Then decided to walk besides the river to the Vijaya Vitthala Temple. I was looking forward to an empty temple all to myself.

This path along the river is one the best walks in Hampi, especially when there are not many tourists. The path is a walk in history, dotted with ancient temples and other structures.

Near one of the temples, a priest encouraged me to offer prayer. I politely declined and then watched him go for a dip in the river.

The trail winds though rocks and brush, all flanked by monuments of history. Other than temples, there is a lamp stand, King’s balance, a cave and a few other structure.

At the Vijaya Vitthala Temple, as expected, there was no one other than the guards outside. I had the whole place to myself. The sun was mostly free of clouds and shining brightly.

The hall of musical pillars was closed for entry. So I took a parikrama of the shrine.

Few parrots gave me company, making my visit lively by their raucous screeches.

Leaving the temple, I walked down to the river. A shop on the banks was just opening. I asked for tea, and while that was being made walked around.

Across the river was the ancient stone bridge. Story is that this bridge lasted for hundreds of years while a new one collapsed in 2009 even before it was completed.

After tea, I walked back along another trail which took me to Seeta Pond and Sugriva’s cave.
From multiple places along the river, one can see the towering gopuram of Virupksha temple dominating the landscape.

Took a small diversion to visit the Achyutaraaya Swamy Temple. This temple was hardly maintained with grass growing all over.

On the way back, I rested under another old and gnarled peepal tree. The shade was sleep inducing.

Out on the banks of the river, a warning was painted on the rocks to warn any potential swimmers. This was also the place for coracle rides.

Back at the hotel, I had an omelet for breakfast. Then I picked up some chips, biscuits and water. This would be quite useful later in the day.

After a short nap and shower, I headed out to see the rest of the nearby places. First stop was the monolith statue of Lakshmi Narasimha. This is an impressive sculpture.

Then the underground Shiva temple. As the name says, this was filled with water. One could just peep in from the outside.

Next the Queen’s bath house. The place was quite crowded and I did not hang around much. Then the Pushkarani Kola. All these places are nearby, connected by mud tracks. Hazara Raama Temple.

Outside the Hazara Raama Temple, I found these benches under shady peepal. So after visiting the temple, I parked myself on these and had a lunch of biscuits, chips and water. Then I took a short nap. The gentle breeze and the rustling of leaves took me to another world for a brief period.

Waking up I continued with other monuments: Watch Tower, The majestic Lotus Mahal, Elephant stables and a gecko outside elephant stables.
Stopped at a few more places before getting back on the main road to Kamlapur.

I realized that the air in my rear tyre was less. The bike was wobbling a bit. Had a quick check. There did not seem to be a puncture. So at Kamlapur, got air filled. It was down to 24psi from 36psi.

Next I rode to the Anegundi bridge. Its about 12Km from Kamlapur, via a single lane road. The river is quite wide, but was somewhat a disappointment. There was nothing to see.

On the way back, saw a narrow lane climbing up on the right. Took that and reached the Malyavanta Raghunatha Temple. The place was overrun with monkeys. So did not stay around much.

Nearby I stopped for a photoshoot with the bike amidst the rocks of Hampi.

At Kamlapur, stopped for tea. Then made a quick stop at Krishna Swamy temple.

Back in the room, took a quick nap. Ventured out for dinner and then walked till the entrance of Virupksha temple just taking in the vibe of devotees.

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