Call it a floating basket or a boat, the Coracle is a huge traditionally designed craft used to ferry people across the river. These baskets are woven of cane from the inside, whereas the leather on the outside with a fine coating of plastic sheets and bitumen make it a leak proof floating material. Being brought into use by the locals of Hampi since five centuries back, the modern day Coracle looks exactly the same as the old one except a slight change in the list of manufacturing materials. With the addition of plastic and bitumen sheets in its design, these circular floating boats can even ferry horses and other livestocks.
One is likely to get the sight of the coracles in abundance while exploring the streams of Hampi and the rocky terrain on their banks.
The prominent Coracle crossings in the Hampi region are branched into three. The first coracle crossing is confined to the Ghats (bathing region) near the Virupaksha temple. Tourists hop on to their coracles and cross the river. Well, it’s not simply just crossing the river through a boat. The ride of the coracle feels a bit different, more like river rafting as the streams tend to get quite rough at times.
Tourists looking to enjoy coracle rides also have the option of another spot, which is in front of the Kondaram temple near a big bathing ghat. Compared to the first two coracle spots, the third one enjoys more popularity. It is near the Vittala temple and is the only shortcut to proceed towards Anegondi. This ferry trip is opted by many in large numbers as the road towards Anegondi ends at this spot and further travelling is possible only through the coracle. Charges for coracle crossing are kept very low. For a minimum charge of 2 rupees per head, the ferryman takes the commuters across the river.
