Hospet – The Popular Gateway to the Ruined City of Vijayanagara

Last updated on January 20, 2019

Hospet a major city in Karnataka and the gateway to Hampi is a developing city and a popular tourist destination. It is an old city housing some highly significant temples and structures from medieval era. The city also serves as the main camping point for the travelers visiting the ruined city of Vijayanagara, as the place is filled with numerous resorts, lodges, and hotels in Hospet.  

Hospet is a popular city in Karnataka most known for being the gateway to the ruined medieval city of Vijayanagara, which is the former capital of Vijayanagara Empire and today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hospet itself is also a popular tourist destination in south India and is home to significant places like Sri Jambunatha temple, Anantashayana temple, Neelkantheshwer Swami Temple, and Mallika Arjuna Temple. The district headquarter Bellary is about 60 k.m. away and Bengaluru, the capital of the state is situated at 330 k.m. distance.

Just like its popular neighbour Hampi city, Hospet is also a medieval city that was built by Krishna Deva Raya in the 15th century. It is more modernized than Hampi, featuring a large number of hotels in Hospet, a developed market, and sufficiently equipped with all necessary parameters of modernization. An advantage of being a popular gateway to access Hampi, the city is well-connected to rest of the state via excellent network of roads. Bangalore is about six hours journey from the city on a vehicle. The nearest airport is also situated in Bangalore. There is a railhead located on the outskirt of the city. The railhead is served by four pair of express trains that run through all four corners of India.

It is said that the city was built by one of the kings of Vijayanagara in the memory of his mother. It was originally called Nagalapura, but soon started to be recognized as Hosa Pete meaning New City. An interesting fact is that there is still a place that lies between Hospet and Hampi that is called Nagalapura.

Hospet sees a continuous flow of visitors yearlong, majorly because of the tourist visiting Hampi. Located close to the western coastline of India the city receives semi arid climate. The best time to visit the city is in winters as the temperature varies between 12 to 30 degrees C. For the backpackers there are a couple of good tourist attractions and things to do in Hospet to look forward to; visiting the old Vijayanagara city simply topping the list.

There is an old revered temple in the south of the city which is called Sri Jambunatha temple. It was established by the Hoysala Kings on the hill of Jambunatha Gudda. There is a popular belief that during the era of Ramayana, Jambavantha the king of bear who fought along Lord Rama, visited the place and established a linga of Lord Shiva. It is after him that the temple is called Sri Jambunatha temple. There is also a small waterfall where the water is believed to be magical and has the ability to cure some diseases.

Another popular attraction in the city is the Anantashayana temple. The temple is dedicated to Lord Anantashayana Gudi (an avatar of Lord Vishnu). Interestingly, the idol is not present in the temple. As per the legend when the idol was being moved to the temple, it got stuck at a place called Holalu on the way and never moved since.

Hospet serves as a popular camping site for the tourists visiting Hampi. The city is abundantly equipped with numerous hotels, of which the budget hotels in Hospet in particular are quite popular. Most of the Hospet hotels are located on the way to Hampi. Plus, one will also find some hotels near the railway station.