Navabrindavana

On the way back we also went to Navabrindavana, which is a small island located on the Tungabhadra River. . To reach the temple we had to cross the river on small rafts which are called "teppa" in Kannada.

Devotees of Sri Raghavendra Swamy can`t afford to miss this one. This place is famous for the nine Brindavanas (tombs), of the nine famous Madhva saints (belonging to the kith and kin of Madhwacharya, the founder of the Dwaita or dualism tenets).

Hanuman Temple, Kishkinda

I happened to be in Hospet, Karnataka, for an official visit sometime in 2008, when I first heard about this Hanuman Temple, supposedly located in absolute scenic splendour. The seed was sown and I made up my mind right then to check it out at the first available opportunity. It seemed like a splendid place to take a few good photos. This time around when I got another opportunity to visit Hospet, plans were made with some of my local friends and we daringly decided to cycle up the mountain road to the temple, our average age of 45 notwithstanding!

The route to the temple itself was pretty interesting. We motored down to the nearby Tungabhadra river which we then negotiated in a quaint little coracle to the other side, where various foreigners had set up a sort of commune. Local establishments had also grown there over a period of time to cater to their peculiar needs.

Hospet has a vibrant tourist presence on account of the magnificent ruins of the old city of Hampi, the medieval capital of the Hindu empire Vijayanagara (the City of Victory). Hampi, located in the State of Karnataka, India, is listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

HAMPI - The lost city

In 2009 I had the good fortune to visit Hampi, one off the perks of being in a job which entails a lot of wandering. It so happened that I was supposed to leave for Raichur on a Sunday morning and my colleague decided that it wouldn’t do to leave without seeing the

ruined city.

Hampi is a city in the Southern state of Karnataka in India . It is about 15 km from Hospet. In the epic, Ramayana, Hampi was traditionally known as Pampa kshetra, Pampa is the ancient name of the river Tungabhadra. The word Hampi or Hampi is generally held to be Kannada derivative of the term Pampa.

The ancient Kishkindha of the Ramayana is believed to have been situated close to present day Hampi. Kishkindha was ruled by the monkey kings, Vali and Sugriva.