Place: Anjaneya Hills a.k.a Anjanadri Hills, Anegondi (near Hampi) Karnataka.
Distance: 100 x 2 = 200 kms
Route: Ilkal -> Hanumanalli -> Anjanadri Hills-> Hospet -> Ilkal
Type: Temple, Trekking
Terrain: Stairs
Ideal for: Friends and Family
Transport: Mahindra TUV 300
Crew: Nabhi, Shankar, Basu, Chandu, and Myself
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| Best of the beast: Anjanadri Betta Summit |
Sometimes you visit a lot of places far away from your home but won’t have seen a lot of awesome places close to your place. I was in Ilkal for Sankranti celebration, Chandu had purchased new car recently, so we called out for a short trip to Anjanadri Betta which is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. It’s hardly 100 km from my place, a good day out for us.
Saturday morning: After a lot of calls and coordination everyone was aboard by 6 am. The silky smooth highway offered a decent ride until Budugumpa cross after which you hit countryside roads and have to continue another 20 km. We pulled over for breakfast beside the highway I don’t remember the exact location though.
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| Sunshine as we stopped for breakfast |
Anjanadri Hills a.k.a Anjaneya Hills: Though this place is popular among the locals it is still underrated in the tourism department. It’s very close to the Hampi, one can easily spot this hills from Sri Virupaksha Temple of Hampi. We parked the car and proceeded towards the entrance.
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| Stalls near the base of the hills, only snacks and cold drinks available. |
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| Anjanadri hills, you can spot temple at the top |
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| A close up of the above picture |
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| Devotees do rounds around the hills |
Thanks for the recent developments at this place, there are good stairs till the top. Around 570 steps need to be climbed which should take around half an hour and will leave you tired to the core. I saw many visitors from Maharashtra, this place is often visited by a worshiper of Lord Rama and Hanuman.
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| 570 steps to be climbed |
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| Some steep curves near the peak |
At the summit, there is a beautiful temple at the edge to the right. As expected this place is dominated by monkeys which are believed to be the avatar of Lord Hanuman. As soon as you enter the temple you can see a glass tank where a floating stone used during Ramayan for crossing the sea is placed. As you enter the temple core you can see Hanuman idol carved on the rock. Also is the small shrine for Rama and his consort Sita are installed inside the temple.
We came out of the temple to explore the surroundings. The view from the hilltop is marvelous. Unlike in southern parts of Karnataka where you find greenery all over the place here you can see rocks everywhere. Patches of paddy fields looks like a solved jigsaw puzzle, coconut tree plantations and the whole of the ruins sites is visible stretching into the horizon. All around in the horizons are the rugged rocky mountains and at one side in the mighty Tungabhadra river. It was a naturally secluded strategically important location for a capital city. You can also spot the Sri Virupaksha Temple on the other side of the Tungabhadra river. This place is dominated by monkeys so be careful if you are bringing any food or offerings for God.
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| Monkey’s all across the place |
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| Bhadravati River, Koppal dst to the left of the river and Bellary dst to the right of the river |
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| Panoramic views, you can see rocky mountains till the horizon |
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| 20x zoom: Sri Virupaksha temple can be spotted from here |
Getting down was much easier and quicker. At the base, there are a couple of shops to quench your thirst and hunger. We drove back to Hospete where Chandu had some work with the car service center. We had a quick meal at the bus stand and then headed back to Ilkal
Conclusion: If you are visiting Hampi you can visit this place, you can spend around 2-3 hours depending on how long you are willing to spend time here. Having come all the way up, tired, with stunning views down, great unending cool breeze may tempt you to stay longer. Also, this place is very popular for watching the sunset so plan accordingly.
Don’t forget to +1 or Like and leave a comment below.
Great to see the pics and writeup.one day I want to be there and experience the bliss of being there with devotion.
Thanks for the info. May god bless you friends all. Best wishes.
Very well written. Thanks for the information you give here.
Your details about the sacred hill will definitely helps lot of devotees. Thanks a lot.
Thank you srikant
Kms from Bangalore
Thank you so much Brother. Your writing is wonderful. I am eager to visit the divine place soon.
What are the places to stay nearby if we go for 2 days?
You can stay in Hampi or Kamalapur, but they have very basic facilities. Alternatively you can stay in Hospete.