Hampi ruins reopen to visitors

Hubballi: The ruins of Hampi, which had been closed to tourists following the enforcement of the lockdown from the third week of March, reopened to visitors on Monday.
Deputy superintendent of Hampi circle of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) P Kalimuthu told TOI that the world-renowned monuments of Hampi would be open to visitors from 6am to 6pm. However, given the prevalence of the pandemic and the need to observe safety, ASI had decided to restrict the number of visitors to the ruins to 2,000 per day.We are issuing only e-tickets which can be obtained by scanning the QR code at the monuments. We have taken all the necessary precautions at Hampi to ensure safety of the visitors,” Kalimuthu added.
It bears mentioning that, among all the monuments spread out across the ancient metropolis, the Virupaksha temple had been opened to public from May 7, while some of the smaller shrines such as Badavi Linga had been open for rituals.
Shivashankar Banagar, a Hampi resident and amateur photographer, said that, on Monday, he spotted only five to six tourists at the stone chariot. “Tickets are being issued at the stone chariot, the museum and Kamal Mahal. Most restaurants and shops in Hampi have been shut, and the tourist turnout has dropped drastically,” Banagar added.
Along with Hampi, other relics such as Vijayapura, Badami, Aihole and Pattadkal too reopened from Monday. ASI officials said that these temples too would remain open to visitors from 6am to 6pm, and tickets could be obtained only using QR code.