Hapmi - The forgotten Empire ~ 1

                     Hampi is like  an open air museum spread over 26 square kilometer. This is the most fascinating , spellbinding and mesmerizing place in the South of India. I was totally enchanted and felt like  Alice in wonderland . As lost as her too. Just because of the sheer spread and what grandeur it would have enjoyed once upon a time. The rocks and boulders all around me were stuck neatly almost defying gravity. Not to forget the art and craftsmanship....
                       Hampi is located on the southern bank of river Tungabhadra in Karnataka. Its claim to fame is in being the capital city of the mighty Vijayanagra empire which of course is well known for its patronage to art and culture. Hampi by itself is a small hamlet which grew up around the famous and most sacred Virupaksha / Pampapati temple . As you approach you cannot miss it..geography turns to craggy hills, hillocks with rocks and boulders strewn around , but the strange part is that they give the  "all in place " look. What a wonder!!! This also gave an unlimited supply of granite which influenced the architecture of the area.

I can feel the vegetation changing

I can feel the geography changing

Boulders all around

We had started at around 6 AM from Bangalore and reached around 12. I was travelling with my husband and mother. Traversed a distance of about 350 km.

 Drive till Chitradurga on NH-4, take a right turn on NH-13 towards Sholapur till Hospet, and then drive another 13km to reach Hampi 

Yes they dont roll off..secure in place!!!

        We checked into a guest house close to the Virupksha temple and bazaar. Basic , clean and good.

You can see the Virupaksha temple in the background

My husband posing in front of our guest house!!!

              

Rooftop eatery next to guest house where we had a quick bite

Eaten, rested we started our exploration around our guest house. We had no plan in mind as this was a last minute program. This is a huge spread. Where do we start and end?? No idea. So we decided to see as much before sundown and then hire a guide the next day. In retrospect I feel that you need minimum 2 days and ideally 3 days to cover the entire area.

Early next morning we started off to explore the Virupaskha temple which is just a stone's throw away from the guest house.

Virupaksha Temple : This is considered the most sacred of all temples here from days of yore.

Towering gopuram of Virupaksha temple

Virupaksha Temple-north of   Hemakuta Hill.

The temple complex lies within a rectangular enclosure which is divided into 2 courts. Domingo Paes was a Portuguese traveler who visited Vijayanagara around year 1520. His account of capital city of Hampi is considered the most detailed. As per his account it was around the time of his visit that temple assumed its present form. This temple is dedicated to Shiva, Parts of temple are older than the empire itself, later additions were made .


Clicked the following pictures inside the temple complex :

Standing outside the temple are 2 cars. Interestingly none of these cars are too old. In fact one was made only a couple of years ago. but the point worth noting is that the car festival mentioned by Paes continues to this day.

During the big annual festival, the car is dragged from the eastern gateway of the temple to the two -storeyed building at the other end of the street and thence back to the temple. Must be interesting to watch.
It took us about 45 minutes to cover the temple. Come to think of it..only the temple was covered.
Rest of ruins of Hampi still had to be discovered. I was already gleamy eyed...

Stay tuned for more!!