Hampi is a historical site scattered with ruins and excavations a strange landscape suffused by silence and austerity. As the capital of the Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagara, which reached its zenith under the rule of Krishnadeva Raya between 1509 and 1529, Hampi was a beautiful city in its prime. It was vanquished in a war with five rival kingdoms in 1565, when the city was ransacked and destroyed completely.

Entering the vicinity of Hampi, one sees massive boulders in the largely rocky landscape, balanced on or against others in seemingly precarious positions. The scale of things here from the size of the mammoth boulders to the vastness of architectural space, with scarcely any relief in the form of trees or water bodies only adds to the aura of Hampi. This land is not just empty, it is desolate. And probably the worst thing you can do is visit it for only a day. This place needs at least a weekend, so that its silence can settle into your soul and you can begin to feel its vibrations.

This is the only ruined city of any significance to be seen in India. Its 33-km area is large, and the surviving structures are sufficient to give a feel of what the city would have been like in its prime. More important, however, is the fact that Hampi challenges every notion of beauty you could have held about a place. One can find places of great natural beauty in mountains, seasides, plains and deserts; compared to Hampi these are clichd. This is land so barren, it is stone. But not your average, run-of-the-mill stone. Here you are surrounded with boulders larger than the largest trees, all balanced on a rocky and undulating terrain. They haven?t been chiselled into brick except for the ruined structures; they just lie around the place pretending to be nothing but themselves.

Unlike Jaisalmer, for instance, which uses sandstone to create a lovely city that glows in the sunlight, Hampis granite is uncompromisingly itself brown and grey and streaked with black. This is a place that easily could have inspired Tagores The Hungry Stones and is worthy of a visit simply to experience how a completely different terrain transforms the self. All the rest is a bonus.

Location:
350 km North from Bangalore

By Road: Hampi is a comfortable drive on two well-serviced national highways. En route halt Kamat Upchar Restaurant (Tel: 08135-277632) in Sira Bus: Super deluxe KSRTC bus from Majestic leaves at 10 pm to reach Hospet at 6 am.
Journey Time: 7 hrs from Bangalore

By Train: Hospet (13 km/ 1/2 hr) Best option TO Hampi Express (dep: Bangalore City 10.15 pm; arr: Hospet 7.50 am) Best option FROM Hampi Express (dep: Hospet 8.10 pm; arr: Bangalore City 6.30 am). Taxi to Hampi costs Rs 250-300
Journey Time: 9 1/2 hrs + 1/2 hr by road

See the ruins?
...by guided bus tour, car, auto, motorbike, cycle or on foot, depending on your level of fitness. Route maps are available at the KSTDC office, but in the event that the boss is out, be warned that he takes the keys with him ? you won?t get a map, pamphlet or book out of that office for love or money. In this case, head straight for Aspiration Stores near the Virupaksha Temple entrance, buy one of the badly produced guidebooks and make the best of it. If you happen to rent a vehicle, the driver won?t double up as guide. At most, he?ll know some of the names of places he is driving you to. So be sure to hire a guide. The sites are plenty. Absolutely not to be missed: the Virupaksha Temple, Vittala Temple, Queen?s Bath, Lotus Mahal, Elephant Stable, Underground Well, Mint and the Watch Tower, Hampi Bazaar, Sule Bazaar, Tungabhadra Dam, Hanuman Temple across the river at Anegundi.

Visit the museum
Check out the photo exhibition at the Museum situated at the bottom of Matangi Hill. It consists of 60 enlarged pictures of Hampi taken in 1853 by a British photographer and a matching set (from the same angles) taken 130 years later by an Australian. Interesting as a chronicle of stasis and change, as well as the amount of work the Directorate of Archaeology has put into the restoration of the ruins.

Take a coracle ride
While other places boast boat rides across placid lakes and rubber-dinghy rides on fiery rapids, Hampi allows you to cross the nicely moving Tungabhadra River in what looks like half a large coconut shell. This coracle not only depends entirely on the skills of the boatman to move it along and prevent it from capsizing, it also requires you to squat on the sloped edges before it can move. That the boat makes progress is a feat in itself! Not for the stiff limbed.

Climb Matangi Hill
If you?re the adventurous sort, climb the Matangi Hill, avoiding the stairs and going across the rocks. For most people, the stairs will be sufficiently taxing.