I do believe in saying, "Things happen at the right
time". Two years back on Christmas while I was returning to Pune from
Dandeli, I had planned for Hampi, but couldn't make it, as we were running out
of time. Finally, In 2019 I got a call from the land of boulders. I was eager
to tick off one of the travel destinations from my bucket list.
As you enter in Hampi, you will be amazed by nature’s
beauty. It is blessed with n number of attractions which makes it the most
celebrated place in India. One should not miss the sunrise and sunsets in
Hampi. There seem to be a number of ‘sunrise hills’ and ‘sunset points’ in
Hampi depending on who you talk to. We took it to be Matanga Hill.
We woke up early morning and reached near the Virupaksha temple around 4.30 A.M. It was too dark, but the early morning vibes around the temple area were so beautiful and energetic that it was blending so well with
the spiritual songs which were played in the temple.
We walked up from the Hampi bazaar side. This was a
fantastic walk with great views and some interesting, original steps and
slightly scary boulders to walk over. It was still dark when we started walking
up the steps of the hill. Almost everyone's mobile torch was on. The climb to
the top is short but steep, but it is all worth it, even if it does mean moving
in the dark.
The steps get very crooked as you go up. You have to go
through bushes, jump over rocks, and squeeze through boulders. And then you
reach a very precarious position where the rocks seem to be very loosely held.
But if you are brave enough to climb on, over very roughly cut steps, and then
ignoring the steep fall below (no bushes to hold, just a smooth rapid fall
down) you will reach a temple.
After about 30 to 40 minutes of walking, we reached the top
of the hill. Few people were calmly waiting for the sun to rise. I found myself
a nice spot to sit at the edge of the rock. You can see the ruins of Hampi for 360 degrees. The astonishing view of the surroundings from the top made
this place more beautiful. Hill ranges along with abundant huge boulders, the
architectural temples, paddy fields alongside tiny villages, a huge river;
everything put together represents a hidden gem of the country.
I was delighted to see a big temple on the other side down
the hill. As I would find out a little later, it was the Achyutaraya Temple.
One of the big temples around Hampi. Three of the bigger temples of Hampi are
visible from there, the Virupaksha, the Achyutaraya, and the Krishna temples.
The Tungabhadra river can be seen snaking its way through the rocky valley.
Unfortunately, we could not witness the sunrise that morning
as just a day before it was a lunar eclipse. As the sky was turning lighter
slowly people started making their way down. I still hung around soaking in the
views! The Virupaksha Temple, it’s bazaar street and the river behind it were
visible. Even the Krishna temple and its bazaar street were visible. But now,
it’s bazaar street seems to have a dead end.
The best view of the world's second-largest heritage as per
The New York times... Vijayanagar Empire..can be seen only from the Matanga Hills.
Standing there at the edge got me thinking, what a great
kingdom it must have been...
