Most people visiting Hampi give a miss to its neighbour, Anegundi. Hampi itself has a lot of places of attraction, and people do not find time for anything else!! But Anegundi has a history older than Hampi, and it is considered the mother kingdom of the Vijaynagar Empire. Geologists say that the area is four billion years old, though I do not fully understand it. It was known as Kishkinda, the monkey kingdom during Ramayana.
Where is Anegundi?
Anegundi is a village near Hampi, separated by the Tungabhadra river. While a 5-minute coracle ride from Hampi brings you to Anegundi, it takes about 30 minutes of drive on the road.
Our visit to Anegundi
We were staying in Kamalapur during our recent trip to Hampi. We visited Anegundi before heading to the ruins of Hampi. Here are some of the places that we visited.
Sanapur lake
Sanapur lake was the first place we visited in Anegundi. We crossed Anegundi and drove further to take the deviation to the lake. After reaching the lake bund, we parked the car and walked. The view of the lake was mesmerising. Surrounded by rocky hills, the lake looked beautiful in the morning sun. There were hardly any visitors during that time, and we could hear the sound of the water splashing against rocks.
We walked for a km enjoying the beauty of the place. I thought that the water in the lake was still, but I was surprised to see it flowing. The reason is that the lake is part of the left canal of Tungabhadra. The place looked ideal for water activities. We saw coracles in the water.
Pampa Sarovar
Our next place of visit was Pampa Sarovar. Pampa Sarovar is a small pond, but it has a lot of history. It is known as one of the five sacred lakes for Hindus (The other four being Manasa Sarovar, Bindu Sarovar, Pushkar Sarovar and Narayan Sarovar). Kings of Vijayanagar prayed here before heading for wars.
Many temples were surrounding the pond. It was the place where Shabhari waited for Sri Rama in the epic of Ramayana.
Anegundi village
Anegundi village has many old temples and buildings. Some prominent ones are Ranganathaswamy temple, Chintamani temple, Hachappa Mantapa, Talwar Gatta, Anjaneya & Ganesh temple. The old palace Gagan mahal looked impressive, but it was under renovation. We drove till Talwar Gatta, a ferry point in the Tungabhadra river. There was no ferry service at that time as the water levels were high.
Anjanadri hill
The hill is considered the birthplace of Hanuman. It offers great views during sunrise and sunset. Climbing this hill in the mid-day did not look enticing. I got up early on one of the days and reached the base of the hill before 6 AM. It was still dark when I started the climb. Neatly constructed steps helped me to climb without much difficulty. There were a total of 575 steps.
The view of the top was astounding. As the sun rose from the horizon, the Tungabhadra river and its surroundings looked stunning by the golden rays.
Stay and food
There are few resorts and homestays in the Anegundi area. It looks like this place is more popular with foreigners. Youngsters also prefer staying in the Anegundi area than in Hampi/Kamalapur/Hosapete. “Hippie Island” is a popular place!!
If you have your vehicle, it does not matter whether you stay at Hampi or Anegundi as it takes 30 minutes of drive. Else, you can use a coracle to cross the river and take an autorickshaw. Add 30 more minutes if you are staying in Hosapete.
For food, there are a few small eateries in Anegundi.
milanos renfrew
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