Musafir

The first impression that you get when you get inside Hampi is that you have come to a not a village, not a town kind of place. The place is busy since early morning with sunrise gazers going for a walk to the nearby hills or the local eateries preparing breakfast. But the one thing everybody notices is the inflow of tourists.

It was around 7.00 AM when i arrived in Hampi. The place where the buses stop is swarmed with locals offering assistance in finding an accommodation.  I found a guy who took me to 3-4 places, some costly for it being a tourism season. Finally, i got a decent place which was charged Rs. 250 per day including provision of hot water for bath.

I moved in to my accommodation, got fresh and started my tour of Hampi. The place where i stayed is just in the street beside the main temple of Hampi. Once i came on to the main road, i saw tourists swarming around the temple and some hiring bicycles. You can see local vendors selling turmeric and Kumkum for the offering to the deity. Its a very busy atmosphere. There are shops who sell various articles made of brass which are replicas of the various important monuments of Hampi. 

As i move along the road, i see a very big wooden chariot covered in tin sheets. And there is a road which is uphill and i had to strain myself walking on it. The road is fenced on either side and there are some small Mantapas on either side. Passing along the road, we will reach a turning where again we see some small shrines of Vishnu and Shiva. We see an empty pedestal which once held a Shivalinga.

From here, i move to the first major monument, the Kadlekalu Ganesha.

To be continued…