Tour of Badami and Hampi with George Michell – February 2019

A week-long tour of Badami and Hampi with Dr. George Michell started on the 1st of February, with tour participants arriving in Mumbai, and attending an introductory lecture before dinner. The following morning, the group visited the Elephanta Caves, and the sculpture gallery at the nearby Prince of Wales Museum.

The group then flew to Hubli, and drove 1.5 hours to Badami, where, over the course of the next two days, they visited the Badami caves and archaeological museum, the UNESCO World Heritage Site temples at Pattadakal, and the Aihole temples. The group then drove to Hampi, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, first taking in the sunset on Hemakuta Hill overlooking Hampi and later listening to an evening talk by Dr. George Michell.  The tour of Hampi continued the next day with a visit to the Vitthala temple, the Krishna temple and the Narasimha monolith, and proceeding on to the Lotus Mahal and the Elephant Stables. Rounding out the tour was a visit to the throne platform and other features in the palace zone, as well as the Ramachandra temple. The group took the flight back to Bangalore on the 7th of February.