Hospet -Tourism

Hospet or Hosapete, is a city in Bellary District in central Karnataka, India. It is on the Tungabhadra River, 12 km from Hampi, the World Heritage site consisting of the ruins of the medieval city of Vijayanagara, former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire.

The city was built by Krishna Deva Raya in 1520 AD , one of the rulers of Vijayanagara in memory of his mother Nagalambika. The city was named Nagalapura, however people referred to the city as Hosa Pete meaning New City. An area between Hampi and Hospet is still called Nagalapura. It was the entrance gate to the city of Vijayanagara for all travelers coming from Goa and West Coast.

The nearby Tungabhadra Dam was built in the twentieth century. Hospet is a small town, well connected from several important cities in India. Hubli is the closet city from Hospet. Bangalore is also six hours away on a bus. The city has some good hotels. The city has a well developed market area with many international brands available.

A recent phenomenon in this region has been the boom of the iron-ore mining business. Due to great international demands for iron-ore, particularly from China, there has been considerable mining in this region and also called as steel city of Karnataka. To an extent, the Tungabhadra Dam as well as constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Hospet has an average literacy rate of 65%. Male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 57%. In Hospet, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Hospet is a gateway town to the Hampi ruins. Most of the long distance state operated buses for Hampi terminate at Hospet bus station (KSRTC bus station). So is the Hospet railway station (station code:HPT ). Four pairs of express trains pass through Hospet. Hampi Express connecting Bangalore & Hubli and Vasco da Gama Express (Amaravati Express) connecting Vasco da Gama (for Goa) & Vijayawada are popular choices of Hampi tourists.

In contrast to the Hampi ruins site, Hospet offers a range of hotel options . If you expect a reasonable luxury stay (of course with respect to Hampi standards), Hospet is the place for you to set the base camp. Most of the hotels are located around the main road that connects the railway station to the bus station. Also Hospet has a number of ATMs and banks.

Apart from the above, Hospet doesn't have any tourist attractions of significance. Of course the unique Anantashayana temple of Anantashayana Gudi is located at the eastern fringe of this town, on the way to the Hampi ruins.

Attractions in and around Hospet

Chitradurga- The place is an also known as Kallina Kote and Palace of Stone, built by Tipu Sultan. The marvelous structure contains seven big walls with gates each. The fort contains around 19 temples of which the famous one is the Hidimbeshwara Temple. The fort contained water all along, even in summers and never dried up, due to the interconnecting tanks, used to harvest rain.

Anantasayanagudi- The village was built by the former king Krishnadeva Raya, to commemorate his deceased son. The place contains a grand temple, which is truly an architectural splendid. The temple has Mahamandapa, Sabhamandapa, and even a rectangular garbhagriha. The place surely attracts history lovers.

Tungabhadra Dam- The Dam was built by Dr. Thirumalai Iyengar, a Chennai native, which became the famous attraction in Hospet. The dam facilitates many purposes like power generation, irrigation, rainwater harvest and preventing floods.

King Balance- A balance used in the ancient times, to weight the King against the wealth, metals, and food. The five-meter-long tall balance contains three loops on the top and the carvings of the Kings, which is the major attraction.

Virupaksha Temple- One of the World Heritage Center declared by UNESCO. The temple contains carving dated back to 8th and 9th century. The temple is supposed to be built in the 7th Century and had many enhancements during the rule of the Chalukyas and Hoysala period. The elevation was built up around fifty meters above the ground. Another spectacular feature is the fifty-six musical pillars that produce different sounds when struck.

Raghunath Temple- One of the major historic tourist attraction in Hospet. The temple stands out for the unique white-washed pillars in the middle of the temple. The temple also contains a portico just before the compound.

Nayakanahatti Thipperudra Swamy Temple- A temple close to Chitradurga fort dedicated to Thippeswamy, a Hindu Spiritual Guru.

Vittala Temple- An architectural magnificence is a temple located in Hampi, very close to Hospet. The temple is famous for its musical pillars and unmatched craftsmanship. It is one of the largest and the famous temple architecture in Hampi.

How to Reach Hospet

By Air- The nearest airport is in Bellary which is 75 km away from Hospet. Other airports located nearby are in Bangalore which is about 350km and Belgaum which is 200 km.

By Rail- The city has its own Railway station which is well connected to other places.

By Road- The bus station is right in the center of the city. Regular buses are available from Bangalore and even other cities in Karnataka.

Major Attractions in and around Hospet

1. Hampi
   
2. Bellary
   
3. Chitradurga