Page 43 - Off the Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 1 of 2)

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Hampi Nara Pak Ou Caves

NEED TO KNOW NEED TO KNOW NEED TO KNOW
LOCATION The ancient city LOCATION Nara lies 22 miles (35 km) LOCATION Near the city of
of Hampi lies near Hospet in south of Kyoto and 19 miles (30 km) east Luang Prabang, Laos
1",*45"/ 7*&5/".
the Indian state of Karnataka %FMIJ /&1"- of Osaka, in Japan’s Kansai region 3644*" DATE OF
4BQQPSP 1", 06 $"7&4
DATE OF */%*" DATE OF CONSTRUCTION -VBOH
CONSTRUCTION ,PMLBUB CONSTRUCTION The caves have housed the 1SBCBOH
4FB PG +BQBO - "04
14th–16th centuries 7th–8th centuries statues for around 600 years
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DAYTIME "SBCJBO )".1* #FOHBM DAYTIME 4065) +"1"/ DAYTIME
TEMPERATURES 4FB TEMPERATURES ,03&" TEMPERATURES ANCIENT AND HISTORICAL SIGHTS
Jan: 70°F (21°C); Apr: 82°F #BOHBMPSF Jan: 38°F (3°C); Apr: 56°F )JSPTIJNB 5PLZP Jan: 66°F (19°C); Apr: 81°F 5)"*-"/%
(28°C); Jul: 75°F (24°C); (13°C); Jul: 78°F (25°C); /"3" 1BDJmD (27°C); Jul: 81°F (27°C); 1BLYÏ
Oct: 75°F (24°C) 43* -"/," Oct: 61°F (16°C) 0DFBO Oct: 77°F (25°C)
$".#0%*"
The great ruined city of Vijayanagar, more The capital of Japan from AD 710 to 794, when Honeycombing the limestone cliffs above the
commonly known as Hampi, is all that survives of it was succeeded by Kyoto, the small city of Nara confluence of the Mekong and Nam Ou rivers,
the capital of what was once the most powerful is located at the very center of the country and is the atmospheric caves of Pak Ou are one of
kingdom in central India, the Vijayanagara Empire. regarded as the birthplace of Japanese culture. Southeast Asia’s more unusual historic sights.
The city was largely destroyed in a siege in 1565, It was during Nara’s era of prosperity in the 7th The caves have been used for centuries as
and today its ruins lie scattered over more than and 8th centuries that Buddhism became firmly storehouses for damaged or outdated Buddha
12 miles (20 km) of countryside. The monuments established in Japan, prompting the construction statues that have outlasted their practical use and
range from the intricately carved Achyutharaya, of a number of superb temples that survive to can no longer be venerated in a working temple.
Vitthala, and Virupaksha temples to the former this day. Preeminent among these shrines is Around 4,000 such statues now jostle for elbow
royal quarters, complete with its famous set of Tōdai-ji, with its spectacular, revered 49-ft- (15-m-) room in Pak Ou’s two main caves, combining
elephant stables – a lavish stone palace fit for a high bronze Buddha statue, and Hōryū-ji, which is spooky tourist appeal with an enduring religious
prince, let alone elephants. Surrounding the city the country’s oldest Buddhist temple. Hōryū-ji pull that continues to draw Buddhist pilgrims
is a surreal, beautiful landscape bisected by the also boasts a fascinating collection of religious from across Laos and further afield.
meandering Tungabhadra River and studded statues and ancient artifacts, as well as the world’s
with rocky hills and gigantic boulders said to have oldest surviving wooden building.
Practical Information
been tossed down by the armies of the Hindu
Getting There The caves are 15 miles (25 km) north of Luang Prabang. The
god Hanuman in a superhuman show of strength. best way to get to the Pak Ou Caves is on an hour-long boat trip from
Practical Information
Luang Prabang, although they are also accessible by road.
Getting There Fly into the international airport at either Kyoto or Osaka,
Practical Information from which points you can take a train, car or bus to Nara. When to Go Aim to visit in the cool months, from November to March.
Getting There The nearest major airport is at Bangalore, which receives When to Go Visit during the pleasantly temperate spring and fall months Website www.laostravel.info/Cave/index.htm
both domestic and international flights. From here, there are regular trains (Mar–May and Sep–Oct), in order to avoid the tropical heat of summer
to the city of Hospet, which is close to the ancient site. and the freezing temperatures of winter. Buddha statues assembled in the Pak Ou Caves, Laos
When to Go The best time to visit is in the dry season (Oct–Mar). Website www.pref.nara.jp/english
Website www.karnataka.com/tourism/hampi
Statue guarding the temple of Tōdai-ji, Nara, Japan
Stone chariot at Vitthala Temple, Hampi, India

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