Hampi/Chitradurga/Badami/Aihole/Pattadkal from Bangalore in 3days

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
Drive 4 hours from Bangalore to Chitradurga. Visit & have lunch. Drive to Hampi & visit Royal Enclosure. O/n at Hospet.
4 stops
1
One of the finest fortifications in South India which is impregnable, photogenic, historic, legendary, mighty, formidable, etc., all at the same time. Chitradurga Fort is locally known as Elusuttina Kote (meaning the fort of seven circles) and is one of the country’s strongest hill forts. The fort originally had 19 gateways, 38 postern-gates, 35 secret entrances and 4 ‘invisible’ entrances.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket included
2
As the name suggests, there are 100s of Ramayana stories exquisitely carved on the walls of the temple.
20 minutes • Admission ticket included
3
This is part of the King's enclosure which is in total ruins. It is here that the world famous Dasara procession has its origin.
45 minutes • Admission ticket free
4
This structure looks somewhat simple from outside but you have to see the interiors to see the contrast! One gets an idea of how women folk were taken care of by the Kings of Hampi when we see this beautiful bath built for them.
15 minutes • Admission ticket included
Day 2
Drive from Hospet & visit Badami, Aihole & Pattadakal on a round trip. Return to Hospet and overnight at the same hotel.
3 stops
5
Aihole
Aihole was the first capital of Badami Chalukyas who ruled between the 6th & the 9th CE in this part of the country. During the 5th and 6th CE, while Hinduism was going through a renaissance started by the Guptas of North India, the Hindus restarted Temple construction but now with stones rather than other material. Not knowing how to built temples in stones, they experimented with the plan of the temple, its exterior shape, its towers & toranas, its sanctum-sanctorum, its circumabulatory path, etc. Therefore, this site has come to be known as the the Cradle of Temple Architecture. No student of Architecture can miss visiting Badami, Aihole & Pattadakal unless they want to miss understanding the evolution of Hindu temple architecture which started in the 5th CE.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
6
Group of Monuments in Pattadakal
Pattadakal is a World Heritage monument aptly listed due to its stunning array of abandoned & living Shiva temples elaborating the history of evolution of temple architecture in its advanced stage. Here, we clearly distinguish the Rekahnagara and the Dravida styles of temple towers which were evolved here and subsequently adopted by all successive architects. Kadasiddeshwara, Jambulinga, Galaganatha, Sangameshwara, Kashi Vishweshwara dn the Virupatksha temples, stand testimony to the artists of the 7th and 8th CE during when these temples were built. Do not miss watching the inner walls of the Mallikarjuna temple where you see futuristic designs of headgear and hair locks imagined 1200 years ago!
1 hour • Admission ticket included
7
Badami Cave Temples
The Badami Cave temples, carved out of 200 million year old sandstone, showcase extraordinary artistic & engineering skills of Indians some 1300 years ago. Ajanta, Ellora, Elephanta, Mahabalipuram are some equivalent comparisons of the stellar Badami caves. There are four caves among which the first 3 are Hindu in character while the last one is Jain. While the first three were carved in the 6th CE the last one was created during the 9th CE. A flight of 200 steps needs to be climbed in order to see all the cave temples. From the 2nd and the 4th caves, one can see the stunning view of the Vatapi lake & the various temples that dot the edge of the lake. The rock-cut statues of various Hindu Gods such as Narasimha, Mahavishnu, Trivikrama, Varaha, etc, are awe-inspiring, to say the least. While visiting the cave temples, one should understand the fact that the artists did not have the luxury of committing mistakes in making these statues since once damaged they were irreplaceable.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
Day 3
Visit Hampi - temples of Vitthala, Virupaksha, Narasimha, Lotus Mahal, Elephants Stable, Zenana etc. Drive to Bangalore.
6 stops
8
Vithala temple is the crowning glory of Hampi. The image of the Stone Chariot standing majestically in the center of the temple alone must have brought millions to visit Hampi. The very approach to this temple watching the broken tower, startles you with the thought of what this temple must have gone through at the hands of the invaders. The unmissable highlights of this temple are; the iconic Stone Chariot which was the temple for Garuda the mount of Lord Vithala to whom this temple is dedicated; the front porch of the main temple with its musical pillars & intricate stone carvings; the Kalyana mantapa with its majestic pillars & mythological stories; the verdant environs of the temple with Anjanadri hill at a distance; the calm but powerful currents of the Tungabhadra river flowing nearby; the ancient Vithala Bazar which may have sold precious & semi-precious stones on the sidewalks some 500 years ago; When in Hampi, the ruins & the rumblings of the past hound you all the time!
1 hour • Admission ticket included
9
Virupaksha temple is the most visited temple in Hampi because of it active status. It is situated with Hemakuta hill on one side & Tungabhadra river on the other side. Almost all other major temples, except this, are abandoned since they were desecrated during the battle in 1565 CE. This temple is one of the oldest in Hampi. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva & is called Virupaksha or Pampapathi. Large courtyards, the remains of an old Temple Kitchen, 500 year-old paintings on the ceilings of the front porch of the temple, a number of secondary shrines dedicated to various Hindu Gods, a large stepped water tank next to the temple wall, tall entrance gopuras, an evocative & powerful Shiva linga in the sanctum-sanctorum, an inverted image of the temple tower falling on the rear wall of the temple, an elephant blessing the devotees in exchange for a few rupees, etc. characterize this temple. Please note that dresses should cover legs & shoulders to visit this temple.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
10
Lakshmi Narasimha Statue is a jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring work in Hampi. See it to believe it! According to the stone inscription near by, a certain sculptor Arya Krishna Bhatta requested the King to allow him to work alone on a huge boulder which was present at this site. The King agreed and let the artist work on the stone. But since there was no news of him for several months, the King sent his guards who found him dead at the feet of Lord Narasimha which he had finished. The beauty, the scale, the ferocity of the lion god, the curling serpent on which he sits, the elegance of the goddess Lakshmi who once sat on his thigh, etc. all have mesmerized people watching this work. Right next to it is one of the biggest statues of Shiva Linga housed in a shrine inundated with water. This is called Badavi Linga and is among the top 10 Shiva Lingas of the country.
20 minutes • Admission ticket included
11
The Zenana complex is one of the most well-known cluster of monuments in Hampi. The beautiful, elegant and artistic Lotus Mahal and the imposing and unbelievable stables built for the Royal Elephants take your breath away. And luckily these two structures escaped the axe of the marauding muslims since they was built in the Islamic style! And we thank them for this gesture! The lotus mahal used to be the day-time abode of the two queens, Tirumaladevi & Channadevi, of the King Krishnadevaraya. There are pipes which run along the celling which sprinkled cool and perfumed water on the queens whey the day got very hot. Such was the love & affection for the queens! There are also watch towers and largely destroyed palaces of the erstwhile queens that we find in the Zenana.
30 minutes • Admission ticket included
12
We climb the hill that is next to the Virupaksha hill to view stunning landscapes of Hampi. The boulders, abandoned temples, ruins as far as you can see, watch towers on every hill, etc. will mesmerize you.
30 minutes • Admission ticket included
13
An imposing statue of Lord Ganesh stands at the foot of the Hemakuta hill and at the entrance to Virupaksha temple.
15 minutes • Admission ticket included

Additional info

• Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Not recommended for pregnant travelers
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
• Not advisable for children below 5 Years

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