Come, wear your shoes, take a skip and hop to Hampi. Get a map, read some history and you're good to go. Hampi is a magnificent ruin - from the Vijayanagar Empire. The nearest place to stay is Kamalapura. There are a lot of options to find roofs and one of it is the Mayura, a government undertaking. You can rent cycles out on hourly basis and cycle into Hampi and wander around. It has its usual pitfalls – the touts, the “travel-guides” and its wise to exercise caution. A Hampi ground survey can take you 3 days, easily. There are important things to see, the “inverted” mantapa, the akka-thangi rocks (although, this one is more story-gas than most others), the lotus mahal, the pushkarani (you'll see that many movies have been filmed there). Its wise to go to Hampi when its not summer. There is also the “purandara mantapa” across the river. Try the Vittale temple for some breath-catching architectural splendour (including the "musical pillars") There are cute little stores near the Virupaksha temple which are “lonely-planet-recommended”. Lots of old coin sellers and “photographers” around that area, along with stone carvers and general things-that-are-foreigner-centric. Try and “imagine” a little and Hampi rises from its tombs and looks like a palacial, wonderful ruin – something really that befits Royalty.
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