When visiting Hampi, we chose to stay at a quaint village across the Tungabhadra, called Anegundi. The village, also called Kishkinda, itself is older than the Hampi monuments. You need at least two days to see this village.
Lots of people stay at Hippy Island in Hampi, but frankly we didn’t like the place. It’s dirty and lacks any local culture and flavour. You have to visit Hippy Island via a small Coracle Ride across the river.
A little about Anegundi in Hampi:
Anegundi was previously known as Kishkinda. It is older than Hampi and is located on the North Bank of the Tungabhadra River. You cross the river to go to Hampi, so for your visit to Hampi, Anegundi is a good choice to stay. Amongst its old monuments, the Huchappayana Matha Temple, the Ranganatha Temple, the old ruins of Aramane Palace etc are worth visiting. Interestingly Anegundi is also one of the oldest Plateaus on Earth, at an estimated 3000 million years of age. There are remains of ancient Neolithic civilisations nearby.
But all this aside, this beautiful and simple village was reason enough for us to visit it.
An old chariot in Anegundi village square used in religious and festival proceedings of Lord Ranganath.An old Monument in Anegundi, the Gagan Mahal, under repair works by the INTACH team. It is believed to have been constructed in the 16th century by kings of the Vijayanagar Empire. It is also known as the ‘Old Palace’.This lovely factor in Anegundi makes handicrafts from Banana and Water Hyacinth fibre.Sine Anegundi is an old village, expect to see some gorgeous old trees like this one.A beautiful old house in Anegundi We were put off by the filth on Hippy Island. And the constant smell of pot.Most places in Hippy Island Hampi are like typical Goan shacks and serve an eclectic menu of pidgin continental. Do not expect to find local food here.
Since we drove to Hampi, and Anegundi is across the river from the monuments, we had to cross this beautiful bridge twice everyday. A classic thali meal at a village home made our day. Such delicious food, home made with love.We stayed at the lovely Uramma Heritage Home Cottages in Anegundi. Very tastefully done, and fantastic food.The Kishkinda Trust runs many programs to benefit the local people, including factories for handicraft.A typical house in Anegundi. Love these old style houses with a little verandah to help cool the air before it enters the rooms. Hampi can get very hot in the summers.
6 thoughts on “Anegundi Village : Visiting Hampi”
I remember when my friend and I were in Hampi, to get to the other side of the river we had to take a boat. I didn’t know that there’s a bridge — but I should’ve expected that actually since transportation between both sides of the river would have been a lot harder without the bridge. Hampi itself is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places I’ve ever been to, but that much amount of trash on Hippy Island should be a major concern for the local authority.
I remember when my friend and I were in Hampi, to get to the other side of the river we had to take a boat. I didn’t know that there’s a bridge — but I should’ve expected that actually since transportation between both sides of the river would have been a lot harder without the bridge. Hampi itself is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places I’ve ever been to, but that much amount of trash on Hippy Island should be a major concern for the local authority.
Hi Bama! True, Hippie Island did let me down. Thankfully we didn’t stay there…
Anegundi has such amazing vibes! I have been here and I loved it. I think I also took a picture of that old house and the blue door. Love Hampi!
Thanks Renuka! Isn’t Hampi just awesome?
Very nice blog post you have shared here thank you very much for posting such kind of blog post.
Such a beautiful description. I have spent my childhood and after spending almost a decade in the national capital, I literally crave for the village.