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Happy in Hampi

Happy in Hampi

By on Nov 7, 2014

Judith Scharnowski

We are starting our third week in India in a state called Karnataka. The small city and World Heritage Site named Hampi is located within the ruins of many temples and is still as a religious place today. It was once the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, established in the 14th century.

Once again, our Airbnb booking proved to be a lucky strike: The Uramma Heritage Homes in the neighbouring village Anegundi was a perfect place to stay. Soon, we noticed that the village somehow looked different from what we had seen so far in India. It was cleaner than other villages, and soon we found out why: 25 years ago, a well-educated and far-travelled woman from the north of India saw the unique and beautiful landscape of the region and realized its potential. She started to sensitize the locals about the opportunities they were missing out on by keeping their village dirty and messy, and so the transformation began. Her vision was not only to clean, but also to restore, showcase and preserve the unique architectural, cultural and natural heritage of the site while providing comfortable hospitality and an inspiring tourism experience.

We stayed in a simple and tasteful arranged cottage in the main area of the Uramma Herigage Homes. Here are some pictures of our cottage, the massage cabin and the eating area:

Even though our homebase was cozy, relaxing and calm, it was worth leaving it for some sightseeing and temple viewing in Hampi: Walking, bicycling or tuk tuk-ing around for hours, seeing amazing ruins, meeting Israeli backpackers, spotting some Hippies here and there…

One evening we had the chance to be part of a muslim festival in Anegundi. That’s how they celebrate:

[youtube video=http://youtu.be/PwPAcz-fn9Q]

And these were the dancing feet of my husband after the party (women are mostly supposed to sit beside and look pretty):

Dancing_feet

 

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