It was a 30-minute travel in the bus from Hospet to reach the city of Hampi. The ancient ruins of Hampi started to fascinate me as the bus reached halfway to the main centre. The stone carved structures of Vijayanagara kingdom, dating back hundreds of years stood there with all the elegance. The bus brought me to a different world. Since I had no plan about what to do there, walked just through the busy streets of Hampi. Before starting, one of my friends told about the Hippie village on the other side of the river.
The Virupaksha temple stood tall, capturing all the attraction. It was magnificent with its complex and unique architecture. Decided to find a good place to stay before exploring the city of Hampi. Finding the way to the so-called Hippie village was not difficult. A small road went to the Tungabhadra river bank through the side of the temple.
Boat services are available to cross the river. There were few people waiting, most of them were foreigners with dreadlocked hair and big worn-out backpacks. Only very few tourists mainly the Israelis who are nowadays following the old hippies trails in India comes to visit the Virupapur Gadde village aka the hippie village.
A 5-minute boat ride will take you to the other side- the hippie village. Since the beginning of hippie culture in the 1960s and 70s, this village was the favourite destination in India for travellers around the world. The elements of hippie culture can be still seen here. Upon climbing the step from the bank, entered into a world completely different from the Hampi where I came.
The Hippie Street
This road is the most active place in the village. Often crowded with travellers. We can see tourists on motorbikes and people carrying bed on their back walking towards the hills for bouldering. Bohemian ladies walking the streets with charming smiles. Cafes serving Israeli and Russian cuisines were filled with laughter and chat. Shops selling dream catchers and musical instruments lined both sides of the street. I met Gali Durgappa in one of the shops, playing the didgeridoo. He is a great artist and a prominent personality in Hampi, have a music shop and teaches music to whoever coming to his shop. There will be music sessions in his shop most of the time.
Cosy shacks
Plenty of huts and shacks are available in the village. They are beautifully set up and maintained. The best place to stay lazy and chill, on a limited budget. Most of the guesthouses also have amazing cafes along with it.
Most days in Hampi are hot and sunny. So it is better to be under the shade during the daytime. Morning and evening are the best time to explore the place
Unforgettable sunsets
Sunsets in Hampi are the most beautiful. There is a viewpoint within a walkable distance from the main street. It will get crowded with people during the evening. Watching the ancient city of Hampi in the golden gleam of the sun is magical. The sunset point is on the top of a hill with big boulders all around. Don’t miss the sunsets from here.
Monkey temple
On a fine morning on my second day in Hampi, decided for a ride through the village. I picked a random direction. Few kilometres I went towards the direction of Anegundi village, on the way saw a temple on the top of a hill. There were steps leading to the top. A little later, on the way to the temple, I was surrounded by monkeys shortly. The steps went up twisted and twisted. Climbed around 575 steps to reach the top. The view from there was amazing in every direction.
Roam around as you wish
The best thing to do here is to take a bike for rent, fill some petrol and just ride through the villages. Many interesting things are waiting for you. There are many ancient structures and temples scattered all around the villages. There won’t be any tourists here compared to the other busy side. You can find your solitude in any of the hills, spend as much time you want. You should visit the village of Anegundi, which has a fort and the ruins similar to that of Hampi.
Some people find the hippie village less interesting as there is nothing specific here. I have seen many crossing the river out of curiosity but going back immediately.
So cross the river with an open mind, get involved in the village life. Take your time, climb the hills, watch the sunsets, enjoy the food, talk to people, listen to your favourite music, relax on the hammocks and definitely you are going to have a good time in “Hippie village”.
Few things to know before going to hippie village;
- The boat service stops by around 5.30 PM every day, so it is better to make sure the timing before going to the village. Ticket rate is Rs.10 for one side
- Motorbikes are available for rent, it will be very useful for your travel in the village. The rent depends on the type of bike you are taking
- Motorbikes rented from the Hampi side is difficult to take to the other side, so take it from the village itself
- No ATMs are functional here, always carry enough money
- The villagers can show you some good places there, so ask them
You can also visit Badami, Aihole and Pattadkal, the ancient Chalukya dynasty cities.
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Good read. Keep up the good work mate. :).
Thanks Bipin
Just got to know about the Hippie village. It’s actually a place to be. Thanks for the awesome post.
Yeah..it is defintely a place to be. Must visit on your trip to India.
[…] crossed river Tungabhadra to the “hippie village”, a laid down destination in contrast to the busy side where we came from. The village was a […]
Such an awesomely written post about the Hippie village. I’ll visit sometime.
Thanks Noah.Glad that you liked the post. Do share your experience once you visit Hampi.
This place looks so beautiful.
Yes Megha, this village is very beautiful ande the vibe is extraordinary.
I really didn’t know about this Hippie village. A great read! Keep it up, Jathin 🙂
Thanks Madhurima. It is a place worth exploring.
Never really heard of hippie village but i think its indeed a nice place to visit. thanks for sharing though
Thanks Pospi. Glad that you liked it.
Interesting blog post. This place seems like such a great place to visit. I’m down for hippie culture, this seems like a place I could visit and stay for awhile. Keep up the good work. I’ll certainly be coming back for more.
Hi Kellyn,
Glad that you liked the post. The hippie culture of Hampi is one thing that attracts me to this place all the time. The ancient ruins here are magnificent. Do visit Hampi on your trip to India.
I am so willing to visit Hampi after reading your blog now. Thanks for all the amazing tips!
Hampi is an amazing place. It will be definitely a different experience. Am glad that you liked my post.
I wouldn’t guess there’s a hippie village in India but it looks amazing and the sunset is just beautiful! Discovering Hampi on a motorbike sounds like a very good idea too!
Hippie village? Now that’s something. But don’t you think it would be more interesting if you stayed at least for a night there?
Hi Umiko. The hippie village in Hampi is the best place to stay. The nights are more happening here. I have stayed here for two nights and that was an awesome experience.
This has brought back great memories for me, I visited Hampi for a week back in 1993 a loooong time ago! The hippie village was there then. Id love to visit it again to see how much it’s changed.
India is one of the countries I want to visit one day. I haven’t really heard of the Hippie Village and it looks like an interesting area to explore. You got me at sunsets, and I will definitely put Hampi in my India itinerary.
I’ve never been to India and would have never guessed there is a hippie village. It really made me think about what other places there might be around the world that were popular 40/50 years ago that are worth visiting. This sounds like a great place to come to and see the villages and ruins. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Elisa
I can’t believe I’d never heard of this little gem. Thanks for kindly bringing it to my attention!
You are welcome
Nice, this is very informative… Looking forward for your next blog.
Hi,
Is the hippie village on the same side as Anegundi?
Yes Isha. The hippie village is on the same side as Anegudi.
Hi, jithin, good to read infos on your site. Everything that is needed by wanderers is available here. Keep it up..
Thanks Vira
Very glad that you liked the post.
Will definitely add more places to help people who like to travel.
I think I’d still be more interested in the temple than the village. 😀 And the sunset. It was interesting to read that tho. Great photos, btw.
Thanks Sam,
Completely agree with you, temples are the most interesting part of Hampi. But what I observed is that many still don’t know about the village. There are many ruins in the village also, which are less crowded, good for who prefers some peace. Also, the Hanuman temple is also very famous. Rock climbing is a very adventurous sport, many come to this village to try a hand in bouldering.
I love this post, as a bit of an old hippie! You have inspired me to add a visit to this area when we visit India. Many thanks for sharing
Am glad that you liked the place. Thanks
I like your spirit of exploring the offbeat places. The ruins of Hampi have always fascinated me in those Google pictures. I have plans of visiting it this year. I would love to explore the Hippy village and the less crowded ruins on the other side. The hut looks so cool and the sunset view is simply breathtaking. Thanks for sharing this lovely experience!
Thanks Shaily. Hope you have a great time in India this year. Welcome.