“India 🇮🇳 Hampi ~Ancient Empire Ruins of Vijayanagar in Hospet, and Hippie Island”
After we were done with our stay in Goa, we made our way to Hampi, which is inland, before heading south to Karela.
Hampi is off-the-beaten path, but it is a UNESCO World Heritage site, so it does get its share of visitors, throughout the year. One thing is certain. We loved Hampi and the surrounding area. We had a great visit!
I love this photo from Hampi. This moment in time had me thinking about us “Eating” our way through Italy 🇮🇹 We had been to India 🇮🇳, where “Praying” is heavily practiced, and we had been to Bali, in Indonesia 🇮🇩 where it is all about “Love.” So we got it covered in these three country visits of: “Eat~Pray~Love”
Figuring out what to see in Hampi can be daunting, as the list is long. We just picked as many places as we could, in the amount of time we had. We spent five days, but could have spent a month and not run out of things to see. But whatever you choose to see, you will not be disappointed in Hampi. We decided to just go with the flow and sort of get lost and see what we could see. All of Hampi is timeless and very memorable. It all felt very un-touched and natural, thus makes a visit just that much more authentic. The people were nice, but shy, unless they had something to sell. 
One of the sites we just had to see was the ruins of the ancient Vijayanagar Empire, which was once the richest in India. These ruins are found in the city of Hospet 
Hampi has three main ruins: the sacred ruins that are the main temples (Virupaksha, Vitthala, Achutharaya, and more) spread around the river, the urban ruins that are mostly from the Vijayanagar empire and cover a big complex: the lotus mahal, elephant stable, and the queen’s bath all are part of it, and the third is the riverside Hampi ruins that are scattered around the river in small sculptures, on boulders, and in hidden carvings. 
Vijayanagar Empire History
When Muhammad Tughlaq was losing his power in Deccan, the two Hindu princes; Harihar and Bukka, founded an independent Kingdom in the region between the river Krishna and Tungabhadra in 1336.
They soon established their sway over the entire territory between the rivers Krishna in the north and Cauveri in the south. The rising powers of the Vijayanagar Empire brought it into clash with many powers and they frequently fought wars against the Bahmani Kingdom.
The most famous king of the Vijaynagara Empire was Krishnadeva Raya. The Vijayanagar Kingdom reached the pinnacle of its glory during his reign. He was successful in all the wars he waged. He defeated the king of Odisha and annexed Vijaywada and Rajmahendri.
Krishnadeva Raya encouraged trade with the western countries. He had a cordial relationship with the Portuguese who had at that time, established trade centers on the west coast of India. He was not only a great warrior, but was also a playwright and a great patron of learning. Telegu literature flourished under him. Painting, sculpture, dance and music were greatly encouraged by him and his successors. He endeared himself to the people by his personal charm, kindness, and an ideal administration.
The decline of the Vijayanagar Kingdom, however, began with the death of Krishnadeva Raya in 1529. The Kingdom came to an end in 1565, when Ramrai was defeated at Talikota by the joint efforts of Adilshahi, Nizamshahi, Qutubshahi and Baridshahi. After this, the Kingdom broke into small states.
Click the link below to see all the photos of our time in Hampi at the ruins of Vijayanagar Empire:
********
Aside from self-touring the ancient ruins, Hospet is a city to people watch in. Watching the everyday life of the locals, as they go about their busy day. 
Final stop for us, was making a visit to “Hippie Island.” We would not have wanted to miss this place. It was very unique. We had a very busy couple of days, abs were full up on all things Hampi, before we left.
About Hippie Island
Hippie Island of Hampi is a spot often talked about by the backpackers, campers, adventure enthusiasts, climbers and the laid back travelers. This spot is visited by those who have come to Hampi for more than just the Monuments of Hampi, Temples and the history!
The Hippie Island in Hampi or the settlement of Virupapura Gaddi, is a river island tucked between boulders, hills and river streams flowing around it. It falls on the opposite riverbank of Hampi, just on the other side of the River Tungabhadra, near the village of Anegundi. 
The region came to be known as “Hippie Island,” because of the atmosphere and vibe. We hired a Tuk Tuk driver after crossing the river on a little boat, to drive us around and it is quite the backpackers dream spot. Unfortunately, it had rained so much there was mud everywhere. (hence, the reason to ride instead of walk). Even though it is said this Hippie place is closed down by the government some years back, it must have made a come back, as we saw multiple shacks for rent, offering views of the river, rice paddies, rooms at economic rates for backpackers, camping grounds by the riverbank, little shops with macramé, paintings, and pottery for sale. There were also some food stalls and drink stands, but this was the kind of place, which we did not indulge in foodie items, though the surroundings looked clean, near the undisturbed hills with beautiful sunsets and huge boulders hiding the place from any outside disturbances! 
Click on the link below, to see all the photos of Hospet and Hippie Island:
https://picsbypen.smugmug.com/Places/AsiaLife/IndiaRajasthan/Karnataka/Hampi
Archive Blog Posts of Our Country Visits
About Us
About Us
Hello and Welcome to our Travel Blog Website, We enjoy writing about our experiences and taking photos of our adventuring along the way. Our names are: Daryl and Pen, but Daryl calls me “Bunny.” We met, quite randomly, whilst both… Read More