31.01.20-> 03/02/20 : MUMBAI - G0A

31/01/20 -> 1/02 : Travelled on the way to Goa by bus in the evening. Frankie wanted seat while I wanted sleeper berth and I was happy with the comfortable bed to sit as well as sleep overnight. It was a pleasant journey and reached Mapusa in the morning. We went to the Mapusa market and went marketing for Goa bags and Chorisa(sausages). Then went out and took a rickshaw to Calungute. Philo and Dieter were waiting for us. She had cooked for us lovely lunch. We had nice evening, talking and talking.

2/02 : Goa : Being Sunday, got up early and went to Church for mass. We got to attend English service. Frankie wanted his sambar and hence went and had puri and aloo baji with sambar. Then went to market to bring home mutton, which Frankie cooked in green masala. Evening went walking to the beach, window shopping all the way. We visited a small bar where all foreigners were sitting n nursing their drinks and watching football match. Frankie had a nice beer watching the crowd passing by and I enjoyed Baccardi Breezer in melon favour which was great. We walked back to have nice dinner cooked by Philo.

03/02/20 -> 04/02/20 : Goa - Hampi

3/02 : Goa -> Hampi : Got up late and had nice breakfast. Repacked our bags, in the evening to travel to Hampi. We took overnight bus to Hampi. We booked our bus from Calungute to Panjim. From there we changed another bus to take us to Margoa. Again in this bus, I had sleeping berth, while Frankie opted for seat. I enjoyed away sleeping to reach Hampi next morning.

4/02 : Hampi : Arrived Hampi town at 8’o clock, where we had rickshaw to take us to our homestay hotel, known as Kushi Cottage. It was functional non a/c small hotel built from Bamboo sticks, just a room with double bed and clean bathroom/toilet.





The rickshaw driver suggested a half day trip to visit places across the Tungabadra river. We took up his offer to take us across. After breakfast of aloo puri and idli sambar, we left in the rick at 11.30, went across the bridge and drove to Anjaneya Hill. We had to climb 575 steps to reach the top hill, where temple in honour of Hanuman was built. It was a big effort to climb up the steps but it was worth the sight to view down the River Tungabadra and the boulders and ruins around.

This hill in Hampi believed to be the birthplace of Hanuman , is located in the center of Anegondi area. You can see this hill from the Hampi side of the river as you trek along the Kampa Bhups’s Path.

At the top of the hill is the temple dedicated for Hanuman, the monkey warrior god. According to Hindu mythology he was born to Anjana. Thus Hanuman is also known as Anjaneya and his birthplace as Anjaneyadri (Anjaneya’s hill). You can easily spot this hill from a distance, as the temple at the hilltop is whitewashed and a white trail of steps zigzagging all the way to the top.The icon of Hanuman is carved on the rock. Also is the small shrine for Rama and his consort Sita inside the temple.

The climb down from the hill was great. The view from the hilltop is marvelous. Patches of paddy fields looks like unsolved jigsaw puzzle, coconut tree plantations and the whole of the ruins sites is visible stretching into the horizon.

From here we drove to Pampasarowara Hill, where we climbed up to Durga Temple. Aadishakti temple in Anegundi with religious signifinace. During Dasara festival, there are cultural activities and procession of Elephant is also conducted. You must climb a bit to reach Durga temple. This temple was where the great Bali worshipped Ma Durga, later this was built into a temple and now it has more considerable construction. The vibes of the temple is extermely powerful, people go to seek blessings from Ma.

From here we drove To Ranganath Swamy Temple in Anegundi, dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Ranganatha Temple is a must-see temple of Hampi. It is also called Vishnu Temple. Vishnu, the preserver of the universe, can be seen here resting on the serpent Ananta. The shrine was built in rectangular shape with a porch outside it. The sanctum-sanctorum is dimly lit. It is better to visit the temple during the day time so that you can easily see the images inside it.. Housed inside the main shrine are the beautiful images of Lord Vishnu, his consorts and Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma, the creator of the Universe is seated on a lotus, which rises from the naval of Lord Vishnu.




Outside the temple there was a huge wooden chariot, which was used during the festival to cart the idols around in procession.

From here we drove down and went to Sanapur lake. It was beautiful sight to watch. One side we got to watch people jumping and swimming in the lake and on the other side, we were taken where the bamboo boat (coracle) with boat man was available for boating around. He was charging Rs. 500/- for half ride across the river. Expensive but worth the experience and we enjoyed the coracle ride. We returned back at 4pm, tired but enjoyed the day.



Rick driver had advised us to watch out for sunset from hilltop of Matanga or Hemakuta. So around 6pm, we climbed up the Hemakuta Hill (Trimukta Hill). This hill was adventurous and full of ruined temples (beautifully sculptured) around. All the idols have been taken away, hence no worship taking place and so we could explore around. It was strenous but worth the climb, to sit on the boulder on top of the hill. Many tourists had come there to wait and watch the sunset. From here we could watch the city of Hampi and Virupaksha temple complex and also, we had the monkeys around, trying to grab eatables, especially bananas. The sight of the sunset was worth the climb. It was so serene and beautiful to watch the red-hot big ball (Sun) going down across the horizon.





We climbed down the hill and landed at the temple complex of Virupaksha. We entered through a big beautifully carved arch (Gopuram) and there you got to meet a big Elephant (Laxmi), who gives blessings if fruits and money is offered. We walked around this big complex consisting of many small temples around. The main temple is dedicated to Shiva and Pampa Devi (Parvati). Around beautiful carvings on pyramidal towers and you have a big Nandi (bull) sitting. There is a big hall connected to community kitchen. This is used for many ceremonies, including marriage. This remains an active Hindu worship site and hence you can’t enter casually here. You have to cover your self and head.




Virupaksha temple's history is uninterrupted from about the 7th century. The Virupaksha-Pampa sanctuary existed well before the Vijayanagara capital was located here. Inscriptions referring to Shiva date back to the 9th and 10th centuries. What started as a small shrine grew into a large complex under the Vijayanagara rulers. Evidence indicates there were additions made to the temple in the late Chalukyan and Hoysala periods, though most of the temple buildings are attributed to the Vijayanagar period. The huge temple building was built by Lakkana Dandesha, a chieftain under the ruler Deva Raya II of the Vijayanagara Empire.

Under the Vijayanagara rulers, in the middle of the 14th century, there began a flowering of native art and culture. When the rulers were defeated by Muslim invaders in the 16th century, most of the wonderful decorative structures and creations were systematically destroyed.

The religious sect of Virupaksha-Pampa did not end with the destruction of the city in 1565. Worship there has persisted throughout the years. At the beginning of the 19th century there were major renovations and additions, which included ceiling paintings and the towers of the north and east gopura.



At present, the main temple consists of a sanctum, three ante chambers, a pillared hall and an open pillared hall. It is decorated with delicately carved pillars. A pillared cloister, entrance gateways, courtyards, smaller shrines and other structures surround the temple. A narrow channel of the Tungabhadra River flows along the temple's terrace and then descends to the temple-kitchen and out through the outer court.

Krishnadevaraya, one of the famous kings of the Vijayanagara Empire was a major patron of this temple. The most ornate of all structures in the temple, the central pillared hall is believed to be his addition to this temple. So is the gateway tower giving access to the inner courtyard of the temple. Inscriptions on a stone plaque installed next to the pillared hall explain his contribution to the temple. It is recorded that Krishna Devaraya commissioned this hall in 1510 AD to mark his accession. He also built the eastern gopuram. These additions meant that the central shrine came to occupy a relatively small part of the complex. The halls in the temple were used for a variety of purposes. Some were spaces in which the images of gods were placed to witness special programmes of music, dance, drama, etc. Others were used to celebrate the marriages of deities.

It turned dark and we returned back from the Temple. Went and refreshed our self and relaxed sitting outside our Bamboo hut and watching people passing by. We had veg dinner at small restaurant. Hampi is a temple town and so you get only veg meals and no alcohol. We were tired and had a good night sleep.

05/02/20 - Hampi

05/02/20 - Hampi

5/02 : Hampi : We got up and had a nice breakfast of idli and aloo puri. We began the day badly. We booked our trip for the day through Trip Advisor, who cheated us totally. They charged Rs. 6350/- person and so we paid Rs.13750/-, since we were senior citizen, we wanted comfortable trip. We expected to be taken around in car or mini bus with other tourists. We were supposed to be picked up from our hotel and taken for the ride. Rickshaw came with the driver who doubled up as our guide. We blasted both the driver and the coordinator, after 3 halts the guide turned up in his bike and took us around but he was explaining in Hindi only.

Kadalekalu Ganesha : We visited the slope of Hemakuta hill, where saw Kadalekalu Ganesha which is one of the largest statues of Lord Ganesha that exists in the southern part of India. The shrine housing the statue of Kadalekalu Ganesha is situated on the slope of the Hemakuta Hill in Hampi. It is a remarkable monolithic statue. The towering statue of Kadalekalu Ganesha has a height of 4.6 metres (15 feet). The giant statue was carved out of a single huge boulder. The belly of Ganesha has been chiselled in such a manner that it resembles a Bengal gram (known as Kadalekalu in the local language). Hence, the statue has been given the name of Kadalekalu Ganesha






We moved on to visit Sasivealu Ganesha Temple, a huge big rock monument on the hills of Hemakutha.

Sasiveklu Ganesha Temple : The temple is devoted to Lord Ganesha's form Sasivekalu. A huge statue of the God has been installed in the temple, which is about 2.4 mtrs high. The irony is that Sasivekalu in Kannada means mustard. The statue is shown seated on an open mantap with square pillars all around. The statue is holding an Ankush (broken tusk) in the right hand and looped pasa (noose) in the left. Like all other monuments, statues and temples in Hampi, the Sasivekalu temple has also faced a lot of trouble. The statue is carved out of a single huge piece of rock and measures about 8 feet in height. According to the Hindu mythology, Lord Ganesha is quite famous for his quirky habits, including his love for food. A story goes, when he had too much to such an extent that his stomach almost bursted. To stop this, he found a snake and tied it across his belly; the same is depicted in the statue.

Sasivekalu Ganesha, named after mustard seed shaped belly, is carved with his mother Parvati, whose lap he sits. She is only visible from the back of the statue. The monument is housed inside an opened-pillared mandapa, the left hand and tusk has been damaged.




From here we moved on to visit the most important site of Hampi – the Vittala Temple. The Vittala Temple in Hampi is an ancient monument that is well-known for its exceptional architecture and unmatched craftsmanship. It is considered to be one of the largest and the most famous structure in Hampi. The temple is located in the north eastern part of Hampi, near the banks of the Tungabhadra River.



The iconic temple has amazing stone structures such as the incomparable stone chariot and the fascinating musical pillars. This predominant monuments of Hampi is a major attraction of the ruined town and is a must-see for visitors and tourists.



The renowned Vittala Temple dates back to the 15th century. It was built during the reign of King Devaraya II (1422 – 1446 A.D.), one of the rulers of the Vijayanagara Empire. Several portions of the temple were expanded and enhanced during the reign of Krishnadevaraya (1509 – 1529 A.D.), the most famous ruler of the Vijayanagara dynasty. He played a significant role in giving the monument its present look.

The Vittala Temple is also known as Shri Vijaya Vitthala Temple. It is dedicated to Lord Vitthala, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. An idol of Vitthala-Vishnu was enshrined in the temple. Legend has it that the temple was built as an abode for Lord Vishnu in his Vitthala form. However, the Lord had found the temple to be too grand for his use and had returned to live in his own humble home.

History of Vittala Temple, Hampi : The renowned Vittala Temple dates back to the 15th century. It was built during the reign of King Devaraya II (1422 – 1446 A.D.), one of the rulers of the Vijayanagara Empire. Several portions of the temple were expanded and enhanced during the reign of Krishnadevaraya (1509 – 1529 A.D.), the most famous ruler of the Vijayanagara dynasty. He played a significant role in giving the monument its present look.

The Vittala Temple is also known as Shri Vijaya Vitthala Temple. It is dedicated to Lord Vitthala, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. An idol of Vitthala-Vishnu was enshrined in the temple. Legend has it that the temple was built as an abode for Lord Vishnu in his Vitthala form. However, the Lord had found the temple to be too grand for his use and had returned to live in his own humble home.

Splendid Architecture of Vittala Temple, Hampi : The Vittala Temple is presumed to be the grandest of all temples and monuments in Hampi. The temple exemplifies the immense creativity and architectural excellence possessed by the sculptors and artisans of the Vijayanagara era.The Vittala temple is built in the Dravidian style of architecture. It has traits and features that are characteristic of typical south Indian temple architecture. It’s elaborate and artistic carvings and magnificent architecture is unmatched by any other structure found in Hampi. The temple complex is a sprawling area that is surrounded by high compound walls and three towering gateways. The temple complex has many halls, shrines and pavilions located inside it. Each of these structures is made of stone and each structure is a beauty in itself.

Notable among these structures are the shrine of the Goddess (also known as Devi shrine), Maha Mantapa or main hall (also known as Sabha Mantapa or congregation hall), Ranga Mantapa, Kalyana Mantapa (marriage hall), Utsava Mantapa (festival hall), and the famous Stone Chariot.

Main Attractions of Vittala Temple, Hampi

The Vittala Temple is regarded as the most ornate of the Vijayanagara temples. The temple comprises of several attractions that makes it a must-visit structure for tourists. In fact it is the most visited monument in Hampi and as such, it is also the most photographed monument in Hampi. Among the main attractions of the Vittala Temple are:

Maha Mantapa: The Maha Mantapa or main hall of the Vittala Temple is situated in the inner courtyard of the temple complex. It is a structure of immense beauty and is situated on a highly ornate base. The base is decorated with carvings of warriors, horses, swans and several other ornamental designs. The Maha Mantapa comprises of four smaller halls. The steps on the eastern side of the Maha Mantapa are decorated with elephant balustrade. There are forty pillars lining the facade of the temple. Each of these pillars has a height of 10 feet. The central part of the Maha Mantapa has sixteen intricately decorated pillars having beautiful sculptures of Narasimha and Yali. These set of sixteen pillars forms a rectangular court. The ceiling of the Maha Mantapa is a richly designed structure. The beautifully sculpted ornate pillars of the Maha Mantapa exemplify the splendour of this magnificent temple.

Stone Chariot: The Vittala Temple Complex has the richly sculpted Stone Chariot, which is considered to be the most stunning architecture of the Vijayanagara kingdom. The Stone Chariot or Ratha stands in the courtyard of temple. It is one of the three famous stone chariots in India.

The Musical Pillars of the Ranga Mantapa: The Ranga Mantapa is one of the main attractions of the Vittala Temple. The large mantapa is renowned for its 56 musical pillars. These musical pillars are also known as SAREGAMA pillars, indicating the musical notes emitted by them. The musical notes emanated when the pillars are tapped gently.

The Vittala Temple is in a partially ruined. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple once contained an idol of Lord Vittala.

The Musical pillars was the main attraction for me to see and feel the music, but this temple was under close down and repairs. The Guard over there touch the pillars with stick and let us hear the musical sound from the pillars. This was the hall where the two famous dancers, later they were the queens who danced for the King and the hence this hall was enclosed when they were dancing.

From here we went to Zenena Enclosures, built by Krishnadevraya which included Harem for bathing of the Queens and royal ladies with sandalwood and flowers.



Bathing Room of Queens & Royal Ladies/Mahanavami Dibba

Just 2 metres away from the Zenena enclosures which had 2 separate palaces for the 2 queens and their royal ladies. These palaces had water moat around it. The Enclosures has 3 watchtowers by the Eunuchs soldiers protecting the Queens and the harem ladies. Both the palaces are in ruin, just the base has remained, the palace has disappeared.



Elephant's Stable / Lotus Mahal / Watch Tower

Opposite these ruined palaces was the Kamal Mahal (Lotus Mahal), where the King use to reside. It was built by mortars and it would be cool even in hot summer. Perhaps there was arrangement for water to flow through here. From here you can walk across to the Elephant stable, (11 stables) meant for royal elephants.



King's Balance/ carving on floor showing people bowing before King

King's Balance is located southwest of Vittala Temple, at the end of the Kampa Bhupa's Path in Hampi. It is also called as Tula Bhara or Tula Purushadana. This is located near Vittala Temple.

King's balance is regarded as one of the unique monuments of Hampi. It consists of two lofty carved granite pillars about 15 feet high supporting a stone beam about 12 feet in length. It has three hoops on the underside from which the balances or scales are hung. One of the pillars has a bas-relief depicting a king and two queens, possibly Krishna Deva Raya and his consorts. The structure appears like an archway.

According to the legend, the balance was used by the king to weigh himself with gold, gems, silver and precious stones and distributed to the temple priests on certain occasions like Solar or Lunar eclipse, New Year's Day, Coronation day etc.t craftsmanship of Vijayanagara’s sculptors.

Enclosure : Zenana enclosure was a secluded area reserved for the royal women. This walled harem houses many interesting highlights. The major attraction is the Lotus Mahal located at the southeast corner.

As the name suggests, you would enter a sprawling compound with a mud road running through the middle of the compound. Probably the only thing your eyes catch soon when you are inside is the pastel colored Lotus Mahal at the far right corner. It’s a two-storied arched pavilion.

The whole area was the private enclosure for the royal women folks. The Queen’s Palace (visible only the basement) is located at the middle of this area, on the left side of your path. Measuring about 46 x 29 meters, this has been the largest palace base excavated in the Hampi ruins so far. Also the three-tired elaborate base structure speaks of its importance as a palace. The super structure was made of wooden or less durable materials compared to the stone base. Along with the other royal structures, a fire during the rival incursion could have destroyed the palace. A rectangular deep tank (now empty) just at east of this probably used as a water source to the palace.

Opposite to the palace base, across the central path, at the east lie the remains of a water pavilion. This is basically a decorated platform at the center of a shallow pool. This low laying spot is the first you would visit once inside the enclosure.

Three watchtowers can be seen at the corners of the enclosed area. You can spot these two storied towers close to the southeast, northeast and northwest corners. These again were built in the hybrid Indo-Islamic architecture style. Being the ladies quarters, it has been said that eunuch soldiers guarded the area. It’s possible to climb to the top floor of one of these towers (if very crowded, the guards may not allow this). It’s a vantage position to survey this area and the Elephant stables behind the Zenana Enclosure.

It’s Interesting the royal Treasury building too was located in this enclosure. At the northwest corner you can spot an otherwise featureless rectangular building. Some believes that it was the quarters of the eunuch guards who protected this area. The structure has a simple entry at the east. A corridor runs all around inside with arches at regular intervals. The absence of windows and light inside makes it believe that this was at the best a kind of store rather than a living space.

The whole Zenana enclosure is encircled with a tall and broad walls made out of cut stones arranged in interesting patterns. The construction style of the wall is noteworthy. The enclosure had been strategically designed for the women folks to watch the royal ceremonial functions or the march past in privacy.

The path to the other locations like the Elephant Stable, Guard’s Quarters and a few other temples’ runs through the center of this area. The whole area is now made into a sort of open garden with sprawling lawns. You can see people take nap under the trees in the noontime. A good site map too is located in this area, if you need to (you will need to!) reassure your location and the next direction.

We moved to the Royal Enclosures : which had lot of individual items. The major ones being Mahanavami Dibba, Stepped well, and Sri Krishnadevaraya audience hall.



Bathing Room of Queens / Step Well

Mahanavami Dibba / Dasara Dibba : At a distance of 3.5 km from Hampi Bus Stand, Mahanavami Dibba or The House of Victory is a beautiful stone platform situated inside the Royal Enclosure of Hampi. It is also known as Dasara Dibba and is one of the most impressive structures in Hampi. It was built by King Krishnadevaraya in 1513 AD after his conquest over the kingdom of Udayagiri, present day Orissa. The grand platform was used as a stage by the kings to watch the army march-past, the war games and the royal procession that were held during the Mahanavami festival, also known as the Dasara festival, hence the name Mahanavami Dibba.

Dasara Dibba represents the typical Vijayanagara style of architecture. The stone platform is about 12 m height. The huge structure is a square platform with three layers that are richly decorated with beautiful carvings. The carvings at the lower portion of the Dasara Dibba are the most fascinating. The sides of the platform are also engraved with elaborate carvings of merchants, royal processions, musicians, elephants and animals. Some of the carvings in the Dibba depict foreign traders.

The platform has two stairways to reach the top - one situated at the front and the other at the back of the structure. The front stairway is decorated with ornate carvings of elephants, horses, soldiers and processions. The top of the platform provides a splendid view of the surrounding.

Also, there is one item which cannot be seen until you go near it. the underground meeting room. This is supposed to be a secret underground chamber used by the king to meet his ministers and spies



Way to Secret Rooms

Adjacent to the palace, is the Hajara Rama Temple, which means a thousand Rama, which refers to multitude of relics depicting the reigning deity of the temple. The walls of the temple depicts the story of Ramayana. Inner temple has Pillars made of black marble.



History of Hazara Rama Temple, Hampi : Hazara Rama Temple was built in the early part of the 15th century by the then king of Vijayanagara, Devaraya II. It was originally built as a simple structure. It consisted of only a sanctum, a pillared hall and an ardha mantapa. Later the temple structure was renovated to add an open porch and beautiful pillars.

The uniqueness of Hazara Rama Temple : The Hazara Rama Temple is a unique temple in many aspects. The first thing that draws attention about the temple is its name. The term ‘Hazara Rama’ literally means a thousand Rama and refers to the multitude of relics depicting the reigning deity of the temple. The walls of the temple carry the story of Ramayana carved on stone. The outer walls of the temple are decorated with bas-relics of Rama and Krishna.

The relics also portray processions of horses, elephants, attendants, soldiers and dancing women taking part in the Dasara festival rally at that time. The relics are among the most extensive ones to be found anywhere in India.Hazara Rama Temple Outer Wall, Hampi.

The beautiful structure of Hazara Rama Temple : The temple has a sprawling lawn on its northern side. There are two huge gateways that give access to the temple compound. The interior of the temple has ornately sculpted columns. An empty pedestal with three holes signifies that the temple once had idols of Rama, Lakshmana and Sita. There is a smaller shrine inside the temple complex with similar epic wall carvings.

The only addition is that there are depictions of Lord Vishnu also on the walls of this shrine. The temple stands as an example of the excellence.

From here, we went to Lakshima Narasimha Temple. Here you get to see 22 feet high statue of Narasimha sitting on the coil of 7 headed Snake. He is sitting in a cross legged Yoga position. This statues had been damaged in the raids. It had Lakshmi sitting on his lap earlier. The statues has Lion face and hence called Narasimha




Narasimha / Badavi Linga

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple : This is the largest statue in Hampi. Narasimha is sitting on the coil of a giant seven-headed snake called Sesha. The heads of the snake acts as the hood above his head. The god sits in a cross-legged Yoga position with a belt supporting the knees.

Sometimes this is referred as Ugra Narasimha (i.e. Narasimha in its terrifying form). The protruding eyes and the facial expression are the basis for this name.Narasimha (means half-man’half-lion in local the languages) is on of the ten incarnations (avatar) of Lord Vishnu.

The original statue contained the image of goddess Lakshmi, consort of the god, sitting on his lap. But this statue has been damaged seriously during the raid leading to the fall of Vijayanagara. Even the damaged portion of such a large statue of Lakshmi carved on his lap is missing. Probably it may be laying around in tiny pieces. But the goddess’s hand is visible resting on his back in embracing posture. If you get a chance to go inside this enclosure, it is possible to see the hand of the goddess. Even the nails & the rings on her fingers are so perfectly executed.

From the Narasimha Temple, we move towards Linga, called Badavi Linga, which is immersed in water around it, since a canal passes through this temple. This is the biggest of all Lingas in Hampi, made of black stone, nearly 12 feet in height. Its inner sanctum has no ceiling.

We returned back tired to our hotel but day spent well in this beautiful ruins. I got fulfillment of my bucket wish by visiting this city. It is real crime that we are not taking care of our heritage and letting it to deteriorate. After refreshing ourselves, we had dinner in small restaurant, which served only veg meals (Indian/Chinese/Italian etc)

06/02/20 : 07/02/20 : Hampi -> Hospet -> Goa

06/02/20 : Hampi -> Hospet -> Goa

06/02/20 : Hampi

Got up and started packing our bags. We were checking out in the afternoon. Went n had breakfast of masala dosa and masala chai. We walked up to Virupaksha Temple, we were staying just behind it. There we took a rickshaw to Kodandarama temple. He dropped us on the banks of Tungabhadra River. We then walked to the temple which has a dipa stambha (lighting pillar) under a Pipal tree, and inside is sanctum dedicated to Rama, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman, but we were not allowed to take picture of it. We walked back to the banks of the river, it was so beautiful where you had boats and bamboo boat (coracle) with boat man, was available for boating around.

We walked back to the old ruined market place which was in front of the Virupaksha Temple. Between the colonnaded stone shop ruins is a broad road in the olden times, that allowed chariots to transport goods to and from the market and hosted ceremonial functions and festive celebrations, which are now in ruins.

 


At opposite end of the market, you got to see Nandi sitting, watching over the market. It was made of huge black granite rock and covered with roof, and luckily it is still intact. Seeing Nandi, we searched and climbed up the steps behind and there we got to see the big Shiva temple, which was in ruin, Shiva sitting in mudra, with arms and legs broken. Such a beautiful temple complex, in ruin. No worship taking place. It looked so forlorn and we felt so devastated seeing such beautiful temple complexes around, all in ruins and not cared for.

In the market place, there were many small stalls selling trinkets and we brought some.

Wherever you travel, you get to see bananas and tender coconut shops, and these are delicious cooler, and you’re hunger is satisfied with bananas and coconut to eat. We returned back to our base, had small lunch at a shop run by Nepalis who are selling baked puffs and cakes, which we carried for our journey. We went to our hotel, collected our luggage and took a rickshaw to Hospet, to catch our bus back to Goa.

Hampi -> Hospet : The drive back to Hospet was lovely, to watch the ruins as you went bye, and the fields of bananas around. It took nearly 45 minutes to reach Hospet, which is a small town. We went and confirmed our bus and parked our luggage there and there was 2 hours before it left. So we went to explore the town which was having siesta and all shops closed and as we walked around, slowly it was opening. Went around window shopping, not much to see, since we had little time to spent there. We returned back after having our dinner at a restaurant, which catered to different types of snacks like dosa/idlis, chola/ bature, pastas/noodles etc, self service, but vegetarian. We enjoyed our meals there. Returned back to our bus stop. Travelled to Goa by sleeper bus in the evening. Frankie wanted seat while I wanted sleeper berth and I was happy with the comfortable bed to sit as well as sleep overnight.

07/02/20 : Goa

It was a pleasant journey and reached Panjim in the morning. Here the Goa taxi/rickshaw was quoting fantastic price and so we walked to Panjim Bus stand and there we washed our self and had breakfast and took bus to Calangute, which dropped us right in front of our house. There Philo and Dieter, was waiting for us. We had lovely time talking away our experience in Hampi. Dieter is an experience traveller, who reads voraciously, before travelling. They have been to Hampi 3 – 4 times.

As I had lost my Cousin sister’s husband, the day I was leaving for Hampi, I couldn’t go and so I planned instead of returning to Mumbai from Goa, I would go to Mangalore from Goa. So with Dieter’s help I could get and book train ticket from Margao to Mumbai, but not from Thivim, which we usually do.

We had short time in Goa. All plans for dinner outside was cancelled and we had a lovely lunch cooked by Philo with wine. Had short nap and had nice chai with cake, then took bus from Calungute via Panjim to Margao railway station. Here the train was delayed by two hours, and spent the night on the railway platform, but the platform was clean and bright. At last our train came, we got our sleepers to sleep, luckily our waitlisted ticket got confirmed, but far apart, which we exchanged and came near to each other.

08/02/20 / 09/02/20 : Mangalore

Train caught up and tried to make up for 2 hours delay but still we reached Kankanady station late. We took the train directly to the Kulshekar church but we were late and missed the 7 days mass but was in time for prayers service for my brother in law, Jerome Braggs. At the prayers, all his friends and neighbours gave homily and spoke about Jerry Bauji, being quiet simple and family man and always willing to help others. After the prayer service, there was small tea party and we got to meet all my cousins, relatives and friends and their children. I am meeting them nearly after 6-7 years.

From here, we shifted to my cousin, Benna’s place where immediate family were all gathered around. It was pleasant talking to all of them and exchanging notes and playing with Prasanth’s kids, Ethan & Nicole and Pramila’s sons, Sean and Sam.

We were two days in Mangalore, and spent the days with my niece Pramila and her family, i.e only at night, since we were going around visiting all relations and friends along with Willy my cousin, who took us around in his car. Previously, every time I met her only at her mother's place and promised her I would come to her place and this time I made it. Both Pramila and her husband Roystan took care of us.

10/02/20 : Mangalore -> Mumbai :

After heavy breakfast, we packed our baggage and ready to return. Pramila and her son left for School. While Royston took us to visit his mother first, who is staying nearby and then he took us to the Kankanady station to catch our train back to Mumbai. We had our reservation berth and so our journey back was pleasant. Early next morning we got down at Borivali station and there we took rickshaw directly to our home.