Rocky hillocks, a river flowing peacefully between the hills, little
coracles ferrying people across the villages on either side of the river
interspersed with lush green fields, grazing cows and goats. Sounds like any village
in India,
except for the towering structures built with such architectural wisdom that
are the only indications that this sleepy little village was once the capital
of the prosperous Vijaynagar Empire.
Hampi as a tourist destination doesn’t exactly make news to us folks
in India.
I mean, its no Munnar, Ooty, Kodaikanal or Goa
that seem to appease us mundane holiday goers. In its obscurity lies its
beauty.
The Vijayanagara kingdom was the only Hindu empire to have once
ruled the whole of South India. It reached its
zenith during the reign of KrishnaDeva Raya who immortalized the dynasty by making
it one of the richest kingdoms of its time. As time went on, Hampi eventually
succumbed to the Muslim invasion and the ruins that we see today bear testimony
to the tumultuous period that would have once been.
Anegondi -The Land of the
Monkeys
The history of Hampi doesn’t just begin with the Vijaynagar kingdom.
Legend has it that it was ‘Kishkinta’ or in another words- The Monkey –kingdom
that would have existed at the time of Ramayana. A short ride across the
Tungabhadra on a motor boat(or a 6
km ride on a coracle) would take you to Anegondi –the
birthplace of Anjaneya or Hanuman. To say that this place is magical would be
an understatement. This village was initially the capital of the Vijayanagar
empire before it was shifted to Hampi.
A 3km walk from the boat jetty leads to the hill atop which there is
a little temple for Hanuman. The less adventurous( or physically unfit) can
take an auto to the bottom of the temple. A good 600 steps( panting and gasping
for breaths of air) later, we reach the holy shrine. The temple also offers a
good view of the village below, so it is definitely worth the climb.
The other places of tourist interest in Anegondi are Sabari’s
ashram, possible location of the battle between Sugriva and Vaali and so on.
The travellers with more time to spare can easily afford to spend a day in
Anegondi and try to fit in a packed lunch in middle of the fields(we did that
and it was just great, thanks to our resort!).
Hampi ROCKs!
Since the main places of tourist attraction are in and around Hampi,
it makes more sense to allocate more time here. Tourist maps are available in
the shops near the bazaar area that have neatly drawn routes showing you all
the places of historical importance located in that region. The map is quite
easy to follow and with the help of a moped or a bicycle(which can be rented
and retained overnight too if required), it is possible to cover most of the
places detailed in the map.
Out of all the temples in and around Hampi, the one that assumes
significant importance is the Vijaya Vittala temple, possibly for the fact that
it is the biggest of all temples boasting of several pieces of architectural
importance. Being a world heritage site, there are battery operated cars to
take us from the parking lot to the door of the temple. A definite item in the
To-Do list would be walking from this temple back to the Hampi Bazaar area, a 3 km walk along the banks of
the majestic Tungabhadra river. The walk is not as long as it sounds(and
definitely not boring either!) as on the way there are a number of temples and
edifices. A glimpse of the Virupaksha temple gopuram(destination) seen
at a distance, the river which seems to be flowing ever so peacefully and the
setting sun rays glistening the surrounding rocky hills, make the walk
difficult to miss.
The Virupaksha temple is the main functioning temple in Hampi area
and quite popular with tourists. History lovers will find themselves confronted
with a choice of books on the Vijayanagar kingdom inside the temple. In the
vicinity are Ganesha temples(more commonly known as ‘Peanut Ganesha and
‘Mustard’ Ganesha), Krishna temple, opposite
which is a personal favourite- Pushkarni or a water tank. A simple mandap in
the middle of a pond, its pillared reflection in the shimmering green water and
the stunning silence engulfing this place transports back through the ages.
One of the trails from Hampi leads to a place called Kamalapura
which houses the museum(and other important life saving services like an ATM, a
KSRTC restaurant and so on!)
We tried cycling down this road of 5 km and now that we’ve
successfully completed I can say that it was a really good experience!! On the
way there are a number of places of sheer architectural brilliance like the
King’s Palace, Elephant stables, stepped water tank, underground temple, Lotus
Mahal and much more. Makes one wonder how wealthy the kingdom would have been –
both in riches as well as culture.
A Mango Tree
Nestled somewhere inside a plantain grove is a single mango tree: Well,
what is so special about that is that there is a restaurant under it! Having
read the review, we decided to give it a shot and spent a considerable amount
of time looking for it..until finally ..there it was-a little board which
indicated that the restaurant was somewhere in the vicinity.
Mango tree is a quaint little restaurant, hard to find, but
definitely worth the hunt. Mats strewn over steps take care of seating while little
wooden desks serve as a dining table. With the flickering light of a kerosene
lamp and the setting sun, we watched Tungabhadra flow. Food was quite good too
and combined with the ambience, it was just the perfect end to a lovely day. You
can curl up with a book or just sit back and watch the river flowing
peacefully, while nibbling on a cuisine that ranges from anything Indian to
European. Definitely worth the visit!
The visit to Hampi left a million thoughts in my mind. Are we really
aware of our rich heritage and glorious past? Do we make an attempt to preserve
what is left our culture? Hundreds of years ago, Hampi would have been the
bustling with activity, thriving with opulence and an epitome of culture. Now
all we have here are broken down temples, shattered remains of what would have
been magnificent palaces and a symbol of architectural acumen with only some
wooden placards by the Archaeological department remind us of Hampi –The
Kingdom that once was..”
How to reach Hampi
Nearest rail head : Hospet(10 km away)
There is one overnight train from Bangalore to Hospet and a number
of buses
