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Sign board near the Hampi Bazaar
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The trek rout is approximately 2 kilometer from the Hampi Bazaar. It’s more of a walk along a rocky, boulder-strewn terrain than any big trekking sort of thing that involves climbing.
On an average you can walk this trail in about 45 minutes (with no major side trips). The beauty of this trek is that you can do a number of feasible side trips in this tour. Though it’s not recommended to take a scooter or a moped in this trail, you can manage to carry a bicycle. You can’t ride the bicycle at some stretch of this part. You may have to carry it/ pull along with you. But it’s worth as you would be able to cover the rest of it with your bicycle.
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Tourists on Kampa Bhupa's Path, near Vittala Temple
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From Virupaksha temples go towards the Monolithic bull statue on the eastern end of the Hampi bazaar. Almost before you reach the statue, you can see a mud road at your left. You may be able to spot a signboard at the junction where this path starts. Take this road, and a few meters ahead at the corner you would find a small open-air restaurant.
A few meter further ahead the boulder strewn path starts. The trail sometimes gets lost into the boulder heap. But still you can make out the path. The trail almost runs parallel to the riverbank. Somewhere in this area the trail runs under through some huge rock formation.
This is the small stretch in this trail where you would find a bit difficulty when carrying your bicycle. A few minutes later you would end in an open expanse – a coracle ferry point, a bathing ghat, a long stepped hall facing the river – adjacent to the Kodanda Rama Temple. This is a point where you can do a number of side trips and explore a bit of the random ruins sites and the shrines. Just after the temple you can see a tree & a tiny snake shrine, meant for snake worship. Cross the Kodanda Rama Temple, you would again land at a mud track but somewhat manageable on a bicycle. On the left you can find a few temples. Further ahead, you would again land at an open expanse, this time a sandy terrain with shrubs scattered all around.
Towards the right if you look, you can see the Achyut Raya’s Temple. Also you can see the Courtesans Street (marked by ruined structures of ancient market structures) leading to the Achyuta Raya’s Temple.
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The most photographed man (probably) in Hampi!. He sits under the cave like boulders
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At this point you can in fact make a side trip to the Achyuta Raya’s Temple or a couple of other medium sized temples located nearby.
Father you go along the path toward the left (somewhat parallel to the river), you would reach the spot where the Varaha Temple is located. Further to your left the river. This is the point from where you can go for a side trip for the 1008 Lingas and 108 Lingas carved on the flat rock surface. This location is popularly called the Riverside ruins.
Park the bicycle here and trek towards the riverbank to locate this (a bit difficult to spot from a distance). Ask someone at this spot for the tentative direction. If you have not lost the directions grossly, in about 20 minutes you would be able to spot this (mind you, it’s a pleasant surprise, and one of my favorite ‘findings’ in the ‘explorations’).
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Kampa Bhupa's Path near the Kodanda Rama Temple
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Also you may ask oncoming tourists for the direction towards the Vittala temple, as the tracks are a bit confusing in this area. Again you would be passing through a rocky terrain with somewhat flat and stepped surfaces. On the left somewhere down, you can spot the Sugreeva cave. It’s believed that the monkey king Sugreeva lived here. And it’s the spot where Sita dropped her jewels as a mark when Ravana of Lanka abducted her. A rock here has the ‘design’ that the local people believe is similar to that of Sitas’ sari (cloth) .
Opposite to it up on the hill is the Narasimha Temple. The long series of steps leading to its porch, the pyramid like roofs and the lamppost nearby is a landmark.
Further on the left side you can spot a green patch of paddy fields with a row of coconut palms. Going still ahead, the track runs through a giant gateway-like structure, the so-called Two Storied Gateway. From here you can see the track running through the Kings’ Balance and eventually ends near the Vittala temple.
