Tracing the Ramayana
Locals believe that the region around Hampi is Kishkinda, the land of Hanuman, Vali and Sugriva. And that critical scenes of the epic unfolded here. They’ll point to Anjanadri hill and tell you Hanuman was born here. That Matanga Hill is where Shabari lived in an ashram. The sacred Pampa Sarovar is where Rama bathed. A cave on Chintamani ghat is where Hanuman and Sugriva met Rama and Lakshmana. And the Kodanda Rama temple is where Rama crowned Sugriva king of Kishkinda, the primate kingdom. Book a tour with a knowledge local and get the insider’s view. At the hilltop Malyavantha temple, for instance, you will experience pandits from Varanasi reciting the Ram Charit Manas, around-the-clock. Watching scenes from the epic performed by Veshegaar storytellers in the local Hagalu Vesha tradition, could be a fun way to end the day.