Hampi, India has no equal in all the world and is truly a one of a kind place. I have been going to India for years and one of my favorite places is Hampi. It is located in the Indian state of Karnataka, 7-10 hours east of Vasco da Gama, Goa either by train or bus and I always recommend going by train as it goes up into the mountains before descending down to the city of Hospet which is the hopping off point for Hampi.
As a travel writer I will make certain recommendations to travelers and this is on my list of must see places if a traveler was going to India. It is a unique location, not found any where else on the planet and nothing compares to Hampi.
Hampi was declared an UNESCO World Heritage site 1986 and the area is comprised of 4,187 Hectares or 10,346 Acres or 42 Sq. Kilometers with an even larger buffer zone. It is a large area especially considering the buffer zone.
The city of Hampi is considered a Holy City and is a major location for the Indian population to come during certain times of the year for pilgrimage and they arrive by the thousands. No alcohol is allowed within the city or within a certain distance from the city center, however, there is a river, the Tungabhadra, where the pilgrims go for washing and a short boat ride across this river was a location consisting of guest houses, hostels, restaurants and of course the ability to purchase alcohol. This area was very popular with the backpackers who would stream into the area to experience the temple complexes of Hampi.
In early 2011 during a visit I had heard a "rumor" told to me by locals which I discounted as all talk, but the rumor stated that the Indian government had plans on a scale which I would never have believed would actually take place.
Traveling the main road from Hospet to Hampi there is not much but once inside Hampi itself and down its main road (Hampi Bazaar Street) which leads to the Temple complex of Virupaksha Temple and then continues down River road to the river, the streets were lined on both sides with buildings consisting of shops, small restaurants, vendor booths, tour operator companies, internet cafe's, guest houses, hostels and much more. It was congested, densely populated but very interesting and fun all at the same time. The buildings were also off the main road as deep as one can imagine.
The other side of the river was a smaller version of this and was not considered a Holy place for the pilgrims.
Back to the government plan, which basically put, the entire city of Hampi was to be cleared of all buildings that had been constructed and were not a part of the original ancient ruins. The population was upset due to the fact that this would force them to leave what they had worked so hard to build. For the governments part, they offered each person with property a parcel of land but no compensation for the buildings that these locals owned and were destined for demolition.
The overall objective was to clear the entire area of Hampi under the UNESCO site map and restore it back to its original state before all the buildings were constructed. This plan was also endorsed by others working with the Indian government, one such organization was the Global Heritage Fund which I found out later.
However, not knowing that this "rumor" was anything more than that, I brushed if off as just another "grand scheme" like some I have heard about concerning other locations such as Luxor in Egypt and given my knowledge of how the Indian government worked, I could not believe that it would amount to anything more than just "talk".
I arrived with a tourist in November of 2013, telling him of the wonders of Hampi, why we had this on his itinerary, the facts about the temples and of course the city itself. As we rode our Rickshaw from Hospet into Hampi we came from a different direction without going down the main motorway connecting the two cities.
Everything seemd as it should, the temples were there but at that time of year very few tourists had arrived so that part was a blessing, no crowded areas. However, when we were headed into the city of Hampi and I as am explaining to the tourist what he should expect to see, I was stunned to find absolutely nothing of what I had just described to the tourist.
The buildings, shops, guesthouses, internet cafe's, souvenir shops and everything else were all nothing more than rock or brick rubble lying on the ground, the remains of a once busy and thriving city. I was stunned, shocked, and with no landmarks to orient myself I had to pause, then I asked the driver where we were and that is when I discovered the "rumor" had in fact become a "reality".
I instructed the driver to take us around the city and he pointed out one very smallish area which still existed where the government had allowed the locals to relocate some of their business operations but this was such a compact area if you blinked your eyes, you would pass through it without knowing it existed.
Upon further questioning of the driver I was told that even these remaining buildings would be gone within the year and as for the location across the river, it too was destined to be turned into rubble. So I asked, if it was all being demolished, where were the locals going to open their guest houses, shops, restaurants and other business operations and the driver told me the government had set aside land some 8 kilometers from the city called "New Hampi" and it was this location where the locals would be allowed to rebuild what was demolished.
If you have ever been to Hampi prior to 2011 then you will have a memory of a totally different place than what exists there now. After the buildings were demolished along the main motorway going from the temple to the outskirts of the city, you can now see where the original structures of the Hampi complex have been exposed because the locals had used these as part of their constructions.
If you have been there and are telling a friend to go and experience Hampi of the age before 2011 and are describing what you saw, it is no longer there nor is it the backpacker haven it was in past years. There will still be tourists from other areas coming but the dynamics of Hampi with its laid back atmosphere in the city and especially across the river has forever changed.
What I saw saddened me to a degree because prior to this "master plan", the city of Hampi held a certain charm which is now gone and lost to the ages and remains as only a memory to those who were fortunate enough to experience it. I saw a process between the start and finish of the "master plan" and there still remained a lot of clearing up of rubble to accomplish before everything is completed and the only thing remaining will be the natural state of the area before the locals began their constructions.
In summary, I write this as an observer of how tourism has an impact on our world and has the tendency to destroy places which should be kept in their original form, not altered. In a sense I applaud the Indian government for their bold actions to reclaim this one of a kind place to its original state. On the other hand, I miss what Hampi was prior to the implementation of this "master plan". It has forever changed the overall experience of Hampi.
Even though this has happened, I still recommend to all who visit India, they should go to see Hampi as it is truly unique in the world. The only difference between now and prior to 2011 is the dynamics of the city itself have drastically changed and it is now in my opinion a less fun place to visit compared to the past.
Do not misunderstand me, the area which is Hampi, has some of the best temple architecture to be found in India. Nearly all of the temples are constructed out of the large solid granite boulders which were split, moved, hand carved and constructed into some of the most elaborate temples one can witness in any one location, especially India, much less the world. It is definitely worthy of visiting this marvelous and unique location. Just contemplating the construction in manpower requirements overwhelms the mind when it comes to the many temple complexes, large and small which took untold man hours to make.
In conclusion, I am not posting any images of Hampi, just Google search for these, however, I might post one image in the photos section of this blog under the heading of Ancient Places but any image I would post will be of the outlying temples and none of the city which no longer exists.
Travel Safe, Travel Happy
In conclusion, I am not posting any images of Hampi, just Google search for these, however, I might post one image in the photos section of this blog under the heading of Ancient Places but any image I would post will be of the outlying temples and none of the city which no longer exists.
Travel Safe, Travel Happy