By road
~350 km from Bangalore
South India · Karnataka
Hampi, Karnataka
Ancient ruins across a boulder landscape · ~350 km from Bangalore
Getting there
By rail
Hospet Junction (HPT), ~13 km
By air
Vidyanagar (Jindal Vijaynagar) Airport, ~35-40 km, has limited flights; Hubli Airport (~150-160 km) has more options
Best time to visit
November to February — the boulders bake by March
Don't miss
Virupaksha Temple
Vittala Temple's stone chariot
Matanga Hill sunrise
Things to do
Bouldering
Coracle rides
Cycling the ruins at dawn
Where to eat
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia, Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0
What to pack
Sun hat, plenty of water, scarf for temples, grippy shoes
A quieter corner
Sanapur Lake and the coracle crossing on the 'hippie island' side
Before you go
A UNESCO ruin-field that is also a living pilgrimage: Virupaksha still holds daily worship, and Anjanadri hill across the river is revered as Hanuman's birthplace.
Questions travellers ask
When should I visit Hampi?
November to February. By March the boulders bake and walking the ruins stops being pleasant.
How do I reach Hampi?
Hospet Jn is 13 km away and is the usual arrival. Vidyanagar is 35-40 km out but has limited flights. From Bangalore it is 350 km, often done as an overnight bus.
What should I carry?
A sun hat, more water than you think, a scarf for the temples and shoes with grip.
What is across the river?
Sanapur Lake and the coracle crossing. Anjanadri hill on that side is revered as Hanuman's birthplace.
Is Hampi only ruins?
No — Virupaksha has held daily worship since the 7th century, so you are walking through a living temple as well as a ruin-field.
About Hampi
- Riverside
Where it is
Hampi lies on the south bank of the Tungabhadra River in the Vijayanagara district of central Karnataka, near the city of Hosapete, amid a landscape of granite boulders, rocky hills and banana groves.
History
Hampi was the heart of Vijayanagara, capital of the empire founded in 1336 that ruled much of South India, and by around 1500 it was among the largest cities in the world and probably the richest in India. After the empire's defeat at the Battle of Talikota in 1565 the city was looted for months and abandoned, and its ruins became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.
People
Kannada is the language of Hampi's villages, where families grow rice, bananas and sugarcane in fields watered by the Tungabhadra. Boatmen still ferry people across the river in round woven coracles, and each spring a chariot procession celebrates the marriage of Virupaksha and Pampa.
Known for
- The Virupaksha Temple, still in worship
- The stone chariot of the Vittala Temple
- Boulder landscapes and bouldering
- Coracle rides on the Tungabhadra
- The Hampi Utsav festival
Did you know?
The stone pillars of the Vittala Temple's great hall ring with musical notes when struck, which has earned them the name of musical pillars.
Shrines and sites
- Virupaksha Temple
- Vittala Temple and stone chariot
- Hemakuta hill temples
- Anjaneya hill
Traditions
- Hindu
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.