Travelogue:  Hampi - The lost paradise !!

At the outset, I start with pranams to Jagadguru His Holiness Sri Sri Sri Bharathi Theertha Mahaswamigal, the ruling and 36th Pontiff of Sri Sringeri Saradha Peetham for everyone’s welfare and continued prosperity.

A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.

-Mahatma Gandhi

We visited Hampi the capital of the erstwhile Vijayanagara empire,for a vacation. I would rather term this as an experiential journey connecting with the past. I was struck with awe and wonder, at the brilliant master pieces created by the people of Vijayanagara empire from 13^th to 16^th Century. The place is surrounded by rocky granite ridges in a circular formation and the tempestuous river Tungabadra flowing majestically in-between. The ruins of the Hampi city and Anagundi (capital of old Vijayanagar empire) springs on both the northern and southern parts of the mighty river, and the structures are an everlasting visual treat.

Connecting with the past - 'Gejjala' Mantapa

Hampi - The Genesis

Mythologically, the genesis of the place is traced with ‘Kishkinta’ ( Monkey Kingdom) where Lord Ram meets Lord Hanuman, and Sugreeva pledges the support of his ‘Monkey troops’ for reinstating him as King, by the benevolent Lord Ram who always stood for Truth, discipline and epitome of character among other great traits.

Jagadguru Sage Vidyaranya - Rock stone carving in Lakshmi temple in  Anagundi

The city was founded by 2 princes Hakka and Bukka in 1336 CE from the Sangma dynasty, with the spiritual guidance of Sage Vidyaranya who was the 12th Jagadguru of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham [continuing  in the legacy of Advaitic monastic order established by Adi Shankara in 8^th Century].

http://www.sringeri.net/jagadgurus/sri-vidyaranya

The Lakshmi temple in Anagundi also houses the 'Sugriva Cave' in which the monkey kind Sugriva was hiding incognito, before being restored as King by Lord Ram.

Hampi is definitely India’s answer to Rome in terms of its cultural heritage. The grandeur and splendor of Hampi, is a reflection on the life and times of people who lived in the 13^th to 15^th century. It is said, the capital city of Hampi boasted of riches far beyond our imagination. Pearls, diamonds and precious stones were traded by measure in the city’s central bazaar where traders from many sea ports and destinations were welcomed.

Vittala Temple Complex 

Entrance Gopuram to Vijaya Vitalla complex

When the city was ransacked by the Bhamani sultans, Tirumala Deva Raya (1565–1572 CE) the younger brother of commanding general Aliya Rama Raya (who was killed in the Talikota battle in 1565),  immediately emptied the treasury and fled the capital with the treasury in 550 Elephants. He then set-up the capital in Penukonda in present day Andhra Pradesh

Stone Chariot @ Hampi

I was spellbound by this stupendous wonder.The stone chariot inside the Vitalla complex has become the iconic sculpture representing Hampi.  It is said this sculpture is a replica of a wooden chariot which was used for temple processions inside the Vijaya vitalla temple complex. The famous Stone Chariot is made with stone wheels that actually rotate. 

( Note:Now it has been fastened to the ground by ASI to prevent damage)

Musical Pillars in Vittala temple complex

The complex also houses the Vitalla temple with 56 ornate musical pillars. In the ancient days, using Sandalwood sticks musicians used to play music, on these musical pillars and artists performed classical dance sequences. 

Vamana Avathar - 5th Incarnation of Lord Vishnu

Lakshmi Narasimha : Intricately sculpted

Stone carvings indicating trade

 The base rock of the structures are carved with intricate figures indicating that people from far off places ( Arabia, Persia) came for trade in the prospering city of Hampi

Multi figure carving

In the above picture, viewing from different dimensions reveals (a) A Monkey holding its baby, (b) A frog (c) A tiger leaping to kill its prey

Vijaya Vitalla temple gopuram - Built with Bricks

Bricks have been used in the construction of the temple gopuram, indicating that the art of making bricks using mud has been in vouge in the Vijayanagar empire in the 13th century onwards. There is a hidden passage next to the sanctum sanctorum for circumambulation. The narrow passage has been provisioned for natural sunlight to fall on the passage ways, using sculptured openings on the top of the temple complex.

When traversing though the different places we see majestic entrance arches. There are 9 such entrances or gates. Most notable among them are ‘Talarigatta’ gate and ‘Bhima’ gate. A welcome trumpet used to be played from the Talarigatta’ gate when the king or key members from the royal household used to pass by.

All along we see footprints of infinite talent and the power of creation of the human mind. An amazing wonder  indeed.

Virupaksha Temple

The Virupaksha temple belongs to the 11^th to 12^th century and is older than the Vijayanagar empire. The temple has 120 feet Gopuram and consists of 11 tiers. 

Camera Effect

Irrespective of our progress in modern technology, we are greatly humbled by the genius and intelligence exhibited by the people of 11th century who relied on simple mathematics and geometry to create the camera effect. Behind the main temple to the right side a small hole is seen on the eastern wall of a room. The sunlight penetrating through this hole falls on the western wall of this room, in this spot visitors can see the inverted image( shade) of the biggest 11 story Main Gopuram (up side down). It is just like pin-hole-camera.

Hazara Ramaswami temple. This temple is believed to have been the private place of worship of the royal family. The chief attraction of the temple is the series of scenes from the Ramayana carved on the inside walls.

When asked how he is able to carve wonderful Sculptures, the master painter and sculptor Micheal-Angelo replied “ I see a figure in stone begging to be released”.

Monolithic sculpture of Lakshmi Narasimha

Monolithic sculpture of Lakshmi Narasimha

Building monolithic marvels of 18 feet or so using the simple tools with bare hands is beyond imagination. The 6.7m [18feet ] tall monolith statue of Lakshmi Narasimha stands tall to tell a story.  An inscription nearby states that it was hewn from a single boulder in 1528 during the reign of Krishnadeva Raya and consecrated by the royal priest. It is mistaken to be ‘Ugra’ ( fierce) Narasimha.  Expand the 1st image and one can see part of the the right hand of Godess Lakshmi embracing the Lord. The statue of Lakshmi has been removed or ( vandalized).

Badavilinga - Statue of  Lord Shiva

Even today pooja is performed in some temples like Virupaksha temple, Badavilinga, Lord Uddana Veerabadra temple. These temples are still with ASI and daily rituals are performed under the supervision and guidance of ASI.

Lotus Mahal:

Another architectural wonder and also called as ‘Air conditioned Palace” is the Lotus Mahal. This 2 storey structure has water ducts running on the roofs with placement for minute holes. The concept is akin to Water cooler technology in the modern era.

Lotus Mahal - Air conditioned Palace

Queen's Bath

A grandeur  swimming pool, 50 ft.long and 8 ft.deep, with its arched corridors. Water from Thungabadra river is brought to a lake called 'Kamalapura' lake. From there ducts are laid and fed to the moats surrounding the Queen’s bath. Every day fresh water was fed to the pool, with a efficient drainage system underneath the pool  to remove the used water. Fountains  are also erected inside the pool.

   

Elephant Stables: This huge stable, a beautiful example of Hindu-Muslim style of architecture, housed about 11 elephants in separate compartments

Camel is sitting posture - Natural formation by rocks

Nature has made a futile attempt to vie with mankind in rock carving. A cluster of stones together representing the figure of a camel in sitting position is formed naturally !! Similarly another natural structure called as "Akka-Thangi" or Two sister rocks" formed by two huge boulders captures the imagination of tourists

Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshmanan with devoted Sree Hanuman

The Hanuman temple @ Anjanadri parvatha is an 'must see' place for the faithfuls. It is believed Lord Hanuman was born here. The temple atop the hills is a quite a climb and tests the energy levels. Everyday different chapters from the epic 'Ramayana' is religiously recited here by temple pandits. 

Thus the place is a blend of mythology from past and architectural wonder from the last 600 years or so.

Vijaya Vittala complex as seen from Anjanadri hill temple

A 64 Pillar pavilion erected in River Thungabadra

The majestic 64 Pillar structure placed in the center of Thungabadra river and connected just by geometric design. I could not believe my eyes as the stone pillars are just kept intact and arranged by geometric  position and placement of perfection. During  monsoon and peak floods this structure completely gets submerged under water and has withstood the fierce fury of Thungabadra river for almost 5 centuries now!!

In 2009, a suspension bridge connecting Hampi to Anagundi gave way while it was still under construction. The project has been abandoned and Coracle or boats are used to cross the river Tungabhadra to reach Anagundi. Contrast this with the majestic 64 Pillar structure which has stood the test of time and stills stands majestically in grandeur. 

Nava Brindhavanam

The final resting place of nine sages is located in Nava Brindhvanam. They are followers of Madhwacharaya. The place has a spiritual vibration. It is located in Anagundi

We are deeply indebted to Archaeological Survey of India [ASI] for the excavations and bringing the past glory to the present generations. Kudos to a job well done by ASI !

The descriptions and details captured are only the tip of  an iceberg. Due to paucity of time, i have not described in detail of the all things which we have seen and heard. The most important notings find mention in this article. I will shortly be making another visit to explore more about Hampi.

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.
- Marcus Garvey

The vestiges of the fabulous temples and palaces has won the admiration of many travellers both domestic and foreigners. These are monuments which have stood the ravages of man and time ( otherwise, how do you term the brutal vandalization of the art and architecture by marauding forces!!) . The Place has been dedicated as a world heritage center by UNESCO. There are still many travelers who treat this place very causally and with disdain. One can find Graffiti works on pillars and sculptures, which are not patrolled by security men. This should be avoided and we should preserve these heritages for our succeeding generations.

VISIT HAMPI and see 'granite stones' turned into 'exquisite sculptures' by the power and imagination of mankind reflecting the culture of the paradise lost.