It all happened in the 15th century. Muslim sultans became united to capture the capital of Vijayanagara Empire and destroy the historical Kishkindha, the Vanara (monkey) kingdom which finds mention in the Ramayana. The city is now in ruins due to invading Islamic aggressions that treat idol worship as blasphemy.
We, a group of seven, decided to visit Hampi over a weekend from Bangalore, so booked Hampi Express, an overnight train to Hospet. We took an auto-rickshaw from the railway station to Hampi.
If you reach Hampi without any plan, like we did, believe me, you will enjoy it more. Yes, we went to the big hotels, including the KSTDC one, did not like much and followed the suggestion of the rickshaw driver and landed in Hampi Bazaar. We arranged a hotel on the bank of the river Tungabhadra, in the ruins. The rickshaw driver took hundred bucks and we got a hotel with very basic amenities in rupees three hundred per day. The great ambience was free of cost. We were happy!
The hotels have restaurants at the terrace, we went for breakfast. They don’t serve drinks, hard ones; and it’s a no-non-vegetarian place; - a sacred place for the Hindus. We were sad; - no party in this trip!
Our hotel had a great view of the river at one side, and at the opposite, the famous Virupaksha Temple.
It was a hot day; we took bath and came out of the hotel; saw a shop renting bicycles and scooters for the tourists; - we rented four in rupees 125 per scooter per day. We visited the KSTDC office in Hampi Bazaar and collected the tourist guide with a map in it and started.
We had two days in hand, so we planned to visit the places on the same bank of the river where we stayed on the first day and next day to cross the river and see the places there. We loved the old structures, almost destroyed; we loved the stone pillars, big stones lying beside the road, we loved the stone gates and temples and palaces; but what we liked the most is riding through the vast ruins, the unusual combination of green land and brown stones, the smell of mystery on our every step.
On the way, we heard of a restaurant named ‘mango Tree’ on the bank. In the afternoon we went there to see the sun set and have dinner. Yellow lanterns, the moon light and the darkness; - it was a nice experience. After dinner we started riding the same roads again, to feel the night fall on the ruins. Late night; - we were sitting on the bank of the river, watching the silvery stones telling the old stories to the river, which is carrying the same to the unknown lands. ‘Nandi’ sat in the middle of the river and admired the beauty with us.
Next morning we crossed the river with the scooters with us in a small round boat. Again in the ruins, on the roads little less traveled. We came back to hotel in the afternoon, had lunch and packed our bags; - it was time to board the return train to Bangalore. That is how we ended our trip, but still now, after one year, I day dream about Hampi.
Chalo Lets Go !!!
A journey is not about seeing different landscapes, but viewing them with different perspectives...here's one from me.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Friday, October 24, 2008
Coonoor - The Emerald of Nilgiris
“Love to travel, But hate to arrive” - Albert Einstein spelt it out so aptly, although I am quite certain that he was not visiting Coonoor when he wrote this. They say that the grass is always green on the farther side of the field, but if the Nilgiris are anything to go by, the entire hills are green.I had been to Ooty earlier, but the mid-October visit to Ooty-Coonoor was a revelation to me. I had clearly underestimated the beauty of the Nilgiris in that part of the hills and I now have grown to become an ardent fan of this hill station.
And better it was. Oh, what a lovely sight! I had my eyes barely open when I saw the clouds playing hide and seek with the sun, and we didn't know what we wanted to see then- the sun or the clouds. The balcony of the guest house, followed by a small lawn with well-mowed grass sprinkled with the dew drops, followed by the almost endless stretch of green tea leaves, followed by a small bunglow far off, possibly the estate manager's house in a neighbouring estate, followed by a green hill peeping its head out of the clouds occasionally...is probably the dream of every eyes as the ideal place to sip their morning tea! Still not fully awake from the breathtaking beauty of the hills, we started our day's tour in the same Qualis with a visit to the
We chose the road less traveled to Red Hills instead of the usual attractions. The driver was reluctant to take us to Red Hills, preferring the popular spots like
Fact Finder:
Travel: Bangalore-Ooty: 297Kms via Mysore-Bandipur-Mudumalai-Gundulpet (9hrs by bus)
Ooty-Coonoor: 19Km from Ooty towards Kottagiri.
Taxis available at Ooty Bus stand(Fare : Rs 550-650), public Buses also available.
Ooty-Coonor Sightseeing: Cabs available. Standard rates of Rs.2300-2500 for the usual sights in a Qualis (We paid Rs. 2900 because of Red Hills). Indica is also available at a cheaper rate.
Accomodation: No dearth of Hotels/Resorts/homestays in and around Coonor/Ooty.
Places to see:
Popular Spots:
My Recommendations:
Must-See: Red Hills(28Kms from Ooty) is a hill surrounded by 8 lakes by the names of Avalanche, Emerald, Bhavani, etc. Its the ultimate beauty of nature thats inexplicible in words. Its not possible to wash this experience off one's memory. A lifetime view!!! For those who are interested, there's a British Bunglow, just that one on top of the hill at an altitude of 7000ft-Red Hills Nature Resort. Although slightly expensive, its worth the deal!!
Road to follow for Red Hills: We took the
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