The Hampi Utsav, a three-day mega festival of dance, drama, art and music, started with a bang at Hampi, the erstwhile seat of Vijayanagar Empire, on Friday.
Hampi by sky, a colourful flower show, kite flying and rural sports were among the major attractions of this year’s Hampi Utsav. These programmes were inaugurated by by P.T. Parmeshwar Naik, Minister of State for Labour and district in-charge.
Hampi by sky, which was a major hit during last year’s utsav, was reintroduced this year too.
People, who wanted to have an aerial view of the ancient monuments and natural landscape, had booked their tickets in advance.
“It was a thrilling experience to view Hampi from the sky,” said Reshma, Sumalatha and their friends, who enjoyed the chopper ride for the first time. A ‘chariot’ prepared using nine varieties of flowers, mostly different coloured roses, was another attraction at the flower show. Kites of various shapes and sizes flooded the sky. Professional kite flyers from Varodra, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bidar were invited by the organisers of Hampi Utsav.
Kabaddi, boulder-lifting and a book exhibition were also inaugurated.
