“The city is such
that the pupil of eye has never seen a place like it and the ear of
intelligence has never been informed that there existed anything to equal it in
the world”
- wondered by a traveller, Abdur Razzak from Persia who
visited the Vijayanagara in 1443 AD.
"Roses are sold everywhere and are an intricate part of life of people
here, as necessary as food. Each strata of society/ class has shops adjacent to
one another; the jewellers sell pearls, rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. In this
agreeable locality, as well as in the king's palace, one sees numerous running
streams and canals formed of chiseled stone, polished and smooth." This
show cases the heights of equality the society has achieved where each
profession was duly respected without any discrimination.
With awesome landscape along the banks of Tungabhadra
River, Hampi was the capital of mighty Vijayanagara kingdom. The era of
Vijayanagara empire has been often called as the most prosperous region ever to
have happened on this earth. The Vijayanagara kings were great patrons of
art and made Hampi flourishing centre of Indian culture.
There were opulent palaces, marvelous temples, massive fortifications, baths, markets, aqua ducts, pavilions, stables for royal elephants and elegant pillars. The word "Grand" seems too small in this region. To begin with, check out one of the important ceremonial structures of royal use:
Above structure, Mahanavami Dibba or Dasara Dibba was
constructed by Krishnadevaraya after his victory on Udaigiri. This platform was
used by royals to watch "Mahanavami Festival", "Dussehra
Festival", army march past and any procession. This GRAND, three tiered 8-metre-high
stone platform is located to the northeast of the royal enclosure. Built in
granite in 16th century AD, the platform is
nearly 35 sq mts and has steps on the East, West, and South. Platform has
sculptures depicting the socio-cultural activities of the time in the typical
Vijayanagara style of architecture. Get ready to explore Hampi.
45 minutes’ drive from Toranagallu (35 Km.) took us
to Queen’s Palace, a palace where royal ladies used to take
bath. This is the first spot in line to Hampi exploration...
The roof top of the temple is almost matching the ground level (check the ground level on the other side of this temple), due to which the sanctum and the inner side of the temple is always flooded with water. Reasons for such a construction are still unknown. Prevailing legends say that there is a hidden water source beneath the temple. During monsoon season water level rises in the temple. When the water level recedes below a certain level, a further down cellar room becomes visible, however whom so ever has tried to go inside that room has never been seen again. As per the myth there resides a big snake which is protecting the temple. Guys, enter at your own risk.
The temple was buried for over 400 years before it was
discovered in the 1980’s. Looks like this the private temple of
the Royal family members for their private ceremonies, as it is very near
to noblemen’s quarters.
Few steps ahead ahead Hazara Rama Temple: Only a few steps and few minutes in Hampi and I have been completely
floored by the unique charm of this place. Next spot in line is Henkuta Hill
and the amazing world of temples here. Just below the Hemkuta hill is
the Laxmi-Narsimha temple. Carved out of granite stone in 1528
AD during the reign of Krishna Deva Raya, this 6.7 metre statue still retains
its original charm. Lord Narsimha is seated on divine snake
"Adishesh" which is also forming the hood over the head of Lord Narsimha. Observe
this statue, one can see a feminine hand on the left part of the torse. As
told by localites it is the hand of Goddess Laxmi.
This beautiful statue was vandalized and broken by the invaders in 1565 AD, broken portions are still visible. But the glow in the eyes of Lord Narsimha is still intact.
Adjacent to Laxmi Narsimha temple is Badavilinga-temple: Legend has it that this was
commissioned by a peasant woman and hence the name (Badva means poor in local
tongue). Base of this Shivlinga is always under water.
 |
| Bouldered temple Lord Ganesha Statue with snake tied around Belly |
Lord Ganesha'a love for food is widely admired. As per the legends one fine
day, Lord Ganesa ate so much that his tummy was about to explode. To save
his tummy, he just caught a snake from the ground and tied it around his
stomach to prevent his tummy from bursting. Snake tied around
his tummy is visible in the statue.
Just in front of Sasivekalu Ganesha shrine you can see a huge site map of Hampi installed by the archaeology department.
Moving ahead we are on Hemkuta hill, the best place in the region to watch Sunset and the amazing world of temples. Hemkuta hill is a paradise for art lovers, numerous structures are carved out of beautiful images of Gods and Goddesses.
- Nearest railhead is Hospet, 13 km away and Toranagallu station, 25 Kms. There are about 10 daily trains and about 5 special trains to the station, which run once or twice a week. From Bangalore, Hampi Express is the best option.
- Nearest Airport is Bangalore, around 350 Km. from Hampi
- Hampi is well connected by roads to almost every nearby city. Staying options are available at Toranagallu or Hampi.
Well written post. Made us feel as if we are in that time.
ReplyDeleteThis is a place where you can actually hear the rocks talking...the ruins are sufficient enough to provide the aura of the place, once it was...
DeleteContent is very useful.
ReplyDelete