5^th dec 2016

Jump off in to hampi express

It’s a first day of my journey. We all gathered in the college to leave for the majestic railway station. Each one of us had big bags that we kept at the end of mini bus. My friends and I, sat on the last seat so that we could get a bag full of memories till the majestic. But no matter what, we enjoyed a lot

Our train was coming at platform no. 8  so we all waited there. That waiting hr was so much fun. We all were so exited to go there and search for the missing pages of past.

And finally the train came! By that time, I was to tired that I went to sleep with in half an hour.

  6^th dec 2016

At the door step of the Hampi

As we got down at the Hospet, I saw the bus waiting to take us to Hampi. On the way, we saw the  golden paddy fields. The ready to harvest crop was dancing on the whistle of wind. The golden brown fields took me to the Vijaynagara kingdom for a second as this golden colour reminded me of  the healthy and wealthy life of that time.

We crossed a lot of villages. Everytime, as we passed the village, the driver said hello to us in his own style atleast thrice. Sometimes I wondered how people knew each other?? He knew so many people and they lived quiet far from Hampi.

While I enjoyed the weather and surrounding, the bus took us to Kishkinda Resort. Kishkinda was believed to be the previous name of Hampi. It was a beautiful resort with a pleasant surrounding and a nice swimming pool.

Then we got ready, had our breakfast and went to Hampi. During my auto ride,I saw only green crops growing to the end of the horizon on my left and it seemed as if the earth had covered herself with a greeen shawl as it was cold and breezy. As we moved ahead, a little boy came to us to sell his Hampi maps. My friend bought one and the boy started jumping here and there with the joy of his sold out maps. His happiness brought a smile on my face.

After reaching the bank of river, we saw the first view of Hampi. Along the banks of Tungabhadra river, this town preserved its ruins. We got into the motor boat to cross the river. It was a short but  refreshing ride. After we got down, we went to Virupaksha temple. It’s the main temple of the Vijaynagara kingdom and now, the only temple where the worship takes place. It’s one of the most amazing examples of the sculpture, architecture and the engineering techniques, perfectly planned and with proper use of every single sq. feet. The Gopuram was too tall and sculpted all around. We went in and worshipped the God. We studied the architecture, the stone they used and many other things. In the temple, I saw the paintings on the roof. It was very detailed and depicted a scene from Ramayana. I wonder how they were able to paint so well with no technology at that time.

Then we climbed up the Hemkuta hill. It was like a mirror of the Pre- Vijayanagara architecture. The temples built on this hill were constructed in the Pre-Vijayanagara era. They showed the different styles of architecture of the Vijayanagara. After coming down, we had lunch at Mango tree. It’s the most calm place to sit down and have food with soft old hindi songs playing along. We had veg thali and mango lassie.I was damn sleepy after the meal but that wasn’t the right time. We cycled till Nandi, climbed up Matunga hill, saw Vitthal temple which was the most peaceful and my favourite place in Hampi. Then we went to see the big monolithic Ganesha, Narshiva temple and the big Linga. We didn’t cover much of Hampi today but I enjoyed the cycle riding a lot.

 

   

 

After came down we had lunch at mango tree. it’s the most calm place to sit down and had food with soft old hindi songs. We had veg thali and mango lassie and with the heavy meal the sleep starts coming on the eyes. but that’s not right time. We ride cycle till the nandi, we climb matunga hill and saw vitthal temple which is most silent and my favourite place in the hampi. Then we went to big monolithic gamesha, narshivha temple and the big linga. We didn’t cover the much of hampi today but I enjoyed the cycle riding a  lot.

 

 

Sunset looked amazing with the river. When I looked at the sky, it showed me today’s      experiences.

After coming back, we had a conversation about our day during the snacks time just like a café conversation. And after dinner, the perfect end of the day was the bornfire, the ghost stories and the songs with games

7^th dec 2016

Mother land

The title of this chapter might be confusing, but I think it appropriate while when we talk about Anegondi. Old people said that Hampi was a child of Anegondi.

The ride on the back seat of the auto even on the stony road seemed exciting because of the surrounding and the weather. Today, in the pleasant morning, we first went to Ranganatha temple. The temple area was so silent and peaceful and the whole atmosphere was filled with the smell of grass and the flower. I felt like spending my whole day there, but we moved ahead to the Gagan Mahal. That place with broken buildings told lots of stories. It said that the old houses were like old people who experienced a lot and had so many things to teach younger ones. I felt the same when I entered in that room. The broken door, lots of spider webs, dust everywhere, but I found one interesting thing there, There was a group photo, may be it was a family photo. I asked about that picture to villagers, but they didn’t know any thing about it.

While moving forward we saw some women making the ropes from banana fibres. As the banana leaves were found in abundance here, they used its fibres for making ropes and other products from that rope. We even learnt how to make them. Then we reached the bank of the river. This side of river was so silent, not much activities were happening. We boarded the boat and after  10 minutes of ride, we reached the other side of the river. When I stepped down, I found that we were surrounded by hills and stones. We stared walking and we found a temple with Jiv Samadhi. Ropes were tried everywhere around it and we weren’t allowed to cross them. We spent some time there and then came back to Anegondi.

 

Now it was lunch time and we were hungry. Then we went to Chintamani Temple.

While going towards Chintamani, we found a newly constructed road with the footprints of dog, hens, and also humans. It looked funny as I saw the footprints of dog through out the road. By  following different footprints like a detective, we reached Chintamani temple. It was a place where you could relax, and I felt like sitting at one place just observing the flow of river. The soft sound of wind and the river made you hear the music of nature. So calm and peaceful. No one wanted to go from that place but we went and reach our place of lunch.

It was one of the best place where you got the delicious Karnataka style food, which was served on banana leaf. After the lunch we went to the resort and ended the day.

While seeing Anegondi, a lot of questions formed up in my mind, like why the jain temple was closed? Why did the people leave the Ganga mahal? Why was Anegondi said to be the mother of Hampi? What was the past of this village? Why Krishnadevraya built Chintamani temple, so secretly?? Why no one is allowed to go inside? Why did he come to the temple before going to any war?

 

8^th dec  2016

Through the doors of temple town….

Today we start our day with seeing a man carving the stone charrette. We asked him about his work he told us that, use very soft stone for making these carvings. and also he made the things approximately, he doesn’t know the exact shape and size of the things. He was some how busy in his work so we leaved him with his work and moved towards the bank of river.

Today there were no much crowd so we waited there for some time till the boat will full with people. While waiting there I saw two kids playing jumping stone. Its sounds interesting I also tied and 4-5 times my stone also jumped on water. These  old games now no more in cities. Some times I think in this technology’s  world we missing the joy of villages. People who living in city missing the taste of villages.

  

After the long wating we reached to the other side of the river. Today we came alone. For last two days we had our facilitators with us, but from today we going to roam around alone.so me and my friends decided to go and so the all things in hampi and then start our research. So we hire an auto and we started our short trip. First we saw the sister stone, then we went to underground shiva temple. This temple made me think about the architecture of that place. his temple of Shiva in the typical Vijayanagara style of architecture was founded by Namassivaya, an officer of Bayakara Ramappa, provincial Governor of Achyuta Raya of Vijayanagara in A.D. 1539. The temple has a dvara gopura in the north with a high adhishthana. The brick superstructure rises in three tiers. The third tier has a sala-sikhara. Each tier has stucco figures. On plan this trikuta structure has three garbhagrihas in the west, north and south, all of which open into a common pillared sabhamandpa through an ardhamantapa. The sabhamantapa opens into a pillared mukhamantapa. All sanctums have a dvitala brick-and-stucco Dravida vimana. The finials are missing. I found water every were on the floor, but I didn’t saw any particular source of it. Like some water ducts was there out side, but not main source. I moved on with so many questions in my about this place. I found it mysterious, because why they built an underground temple??

With lots of questions we move forwards we saw

• Lotus mahal
• Queen’s bath
• Stone chariot
• Vitthala temple
• Palece
• Hazaara rama temple ,etc
• 

  

While coming back to resort  lots of questions was tucked in to my mind. It made me think about  the people and there imaginations, there architecture and most important  how they were carve so intense things without any techniques and proper tools?

Also the mahanavami dibba reminds me the pyramids of the maya civilization. They looked like the same. Architecture and engineering techniques are also same. Some how the use also same , both use it for the celebrations and adhishthans. How the two structures on the two ends of the world looks and other things also same ?

 

9^th dec 2016

 From the room of wisdom ….

Today we went to Anegondi again, in search for the answers of the questions that were stuck in my head. For the rocks of this dead city still shouted the stories from within. The power of wisdom then called me to its door, where I sat for hours, gulping the information from the vast pool of history that it told.

i found lots of information,

virupaksha temple and bazar :

The temple of virupaksha or pampapati on the banks of river Tungabhadra is tuteliary diety of Vijayanagara rulers is the most sacred living monuments of Hampi. The temple earlier was modest and with the patronage of various dynasties from 7th century AD., it grew in to its present proportions due to the patronage of devaraya ii (1422-46 AD) and krishnadevaraya (1509-1528 AD) of sangama and tuluva lineage of vijayanagara dynasty. the temple has a sanctum, vestibule, pillered hall with porches at north and south, a large sabha mantapa also known as ranga mantapa, pillered cloister all around and numerous subsidiary shrines of which the shrines of Mukti Narasimha, Pataleswara, Saptamatrika, Suryanarayana, Tarakeswara, Saraswati, Vidyaranya, Parvati and Bhuvaneswari. The last two exhibit later chalukyan features (12th century AD). Vidyaranya’s image belongs to 20th century.

The temple in its enclosure also has a kitchen, hall of marriage (kalyana mantapa), and paviloin for processional deities. Tall elegant entrance towers at north, south and east are known for their stucco sculptures. the eastren gateway caused by proluganti tippa during the time of devaraya ii (1422-46 ad) and the enrance tower of the second enclosure and ranga mantapa was caused by krishnadevaraya in (1510 ad) to commemorate his crowing. The temple at north also has a towered gateway with a sacred Manmata Honda (tank).

However the most outstanding is ceiling paintings of vijayanagara in the ranga mantapa. The noteworthy paintings are of the procession of sage vidyranya, dikpalakas and the ten incornations of Vishnu. Girija kalyana, Arjuna at matsya yantra and shiva as tripurari.

and lot more information.

After having my afternoon meal, I went to hear the ringing bells of the temple Chintamadi where I sat for a while in peace. Later, banana fibre workshop caught my eye where I talked to few people and discovered more about their lives. I even bought a handful of things from the workshop and by that time sun was almost set so we returned to our resort.

 

10^th dec 2016

Hunting for lost pages in book…

Today we first went to virukapaksha temple. In the morning we decided to stay in virupaksha temple and research on that, but then I remembered yesterday’s reading and I decided to go and see the near by places from the leans of archaeology and architecture. So I went to Krishna temple. I was never visit this temple before. The Krishna temple has an inscription of Krishnadeva Raya, dated A.D. 1513, recording that an image of Bala Krishna which he had brought from a temple in Udayagiri was enshrined in a mantapa in this temple. This large and ornate east-facing temple complex is built in the typical Vijayanagara style.

A large open prakara with high walls contain Swami and Amman sanctums and many sub-shrines. The main sanctum group contains the usual typical arrangement of an open mahamantapa, a sabhamantapa and a covered pradakshinapatha running round the garbhagriha and antarala. One of the pillars in the ardhamantapa is noteworthy, as all ten avataras of Vishnu including the rare form of Kalki are carved on it. Kalki is depicted as a seated figure with a horse’s head. The garbhagriha and antarala have an ornate and well-finished exterior with fine bas¬reliefs. The sanctum is a three-storeyed vimana with a circular sikhara much dilapidated. The Amman shrine is to the north-west of the Swami sanctum and has salasikharas. The Krishna temple is interesting for the numerous sub-shrines it contains. One of these in the south has many stucco figures of Subrahmanya seated on peacock. The presence of a Subrahmanya shrine in a Krishna temple is rather unique.

The three gopuras of the temple to the east, south and north, are much dilapidated. Between the two prakaras towards the south is a huge dome roofed granary built on a slopy rock bed. It is a huge hall, rectangular on plan and has six bays. Externally austere, it has a staircase heading to the roof, comprising of six domes, all forming an opening in the centre probably used for filling the granary. At a short distance from the main entrance towards the east along the outer prakara a series of flights of steps lead to the huge 500 m long car street (Krishna Bazaar) flanked by rows of mantapas. Behind the northern row of bazaar mantapas a

t a distance of 200 m from the temple is the usual tank, Lokapavani, surrounded by a colonnade with entrance from the west. The interior veneered with a flight of steps accommodates a four-pillared pavilion at the centre used for keeping the Utsava-murti, having brick and lime superstructure.

I saw every thing what ever was wrote in the book. Its like the structure from book came in front of me. With this satisfaction I was moved on to narsimha statue. I want able to take my eyes away from that. The big size, intense carving , made you feel amaze about the carve man.

After some time we had lunch and went to kamalapur. We do some shopping there and went in the archaeology department. We asked some questions they gave us answers and we moved on. We returned to hampi and started walking through the lanes of market. We saw an old man making painting out side his shop. We went there waited till he completed and start talking to them. They told us about the charm of hampi and the old days, also the paintings and other things. I felt like I was talking to my grandpa. The way he was talking, with full of emotions and sensitiveness towards the world. He gave us good wishes and we took his bye.

After some time we went to watch prem-joshva’s concert. We enjoyed a lot there. At the time of concert we mate a girl from Germany. We asked her, that  time she told us she used to came here every  year and she love hampi. She told she felt like its her home town, she got so much love and affection from this city. But she also told us, the glory, the charm of hampi was disappeared since unesco came here. Told us the old looks of hampi bazaar which now just the structures. Its like a dead city.

Today’s day ended with lots of fun, happiness, peace and the imagining the old days of hampi at the time of vijayanagara kingdom.

 

11^th dec 2016

 Shopping and much more….

Today many people took off, but we four went to hampi. I wanna see the each part of hampi. Toady was a shopping day . we went to hampi particularly for shopping while walking through the market we got a tea sealing stall. We bought some tea and we started talking with her leady and her daughter. She brought us to her shop. She showed us very first work of lambani art also old silk sarees. She also told about there struggles, how they makes the patch worked things?

She told few years back when unasco emptied the stalls from hampi bazzar, that time all the origal works of hampi was ruined. Now we never found any thing in hampi which you will say hampi’s identity, only the stones are real treasure of hampi. Which told the stores of vijayanagara.

With the 3 hours worm meeting and talked with her we went to resort. Some times unknown people being familiar within  few minutes. Now when I will go back to hampi, that time this town will no more new place for me.

 

12^th dec 2016

Learning and much more…

Today in the morning we went to learn how to make the thread anklets. We had lots of fun there, it took long time but its worth. We learnt a lot….

We didn’t done much today we learnt, talked, done shopping and came back to resort.

We came back early today so in evening me and friend went to walk around the resort. We stepped in in to a water body and climbed a small hill. After some time sun was set behind the mounters. We sit on a side of paddy fields watch the birds and the amazing colours of the sky and return to resort.

While i watching the nature around me , I always amazed about the creator of this universe. Who create this beautiful planet. At the time of sun set sky looked like some one painting on a large canvas and on the wet canvas he dropping different colours and will it mixing with each other these sheds of sky forming .

Today I really felt I felt in love with this city. How ever days we are here I spent every day in hampi. This is a city which attracts people, makes them familiar, and gives the bag full of things to remember for life time.

 

13^th dec 2016

Last day in history book…..

Today we woke up early in the morning for trekking. Its 5.30 and sun yet to rise. Dark every were. We climbed up to hill top for watching the sun rise but unfortunately today sky was too cloudy and we wasn’t able to saw the sun rise. But still we sat there for a while, enjoyed the surroundings, listen music and came back. While  returning back we had saw the sun and its reflection in water looked like sparkling pearl in that water. While watching that time was stopped for a moment and we returned back on resort.

Its our last day of hampi. So we decided to went and saw the vitthala temple again. But it was late and we have to turn on resort on time. so we sat on a bank of Tungabhadra river in silence listening the music of wind and reminding the days in hampi. We just revisiting each and every place in our mind and like flowing water showed us the memories of hampi. That’s one of the most beautiful time which we spend in hampi.

While returning back one uncle in a painting shop called me and gifted me old post cards. I want that  cards from when I saw the paintings on that. With best wishes and good luck we return to resort. we crossed the river for the last time in coracle. its damn fun and most amazing experience ever….

I ill never forget the days I spent in hampi. It gave me lots more to remember. When ever I will return here again this will no more a tourist place for me. It’s a place which can I will say its mine. I know the city lost her charm and glory now but these structure have lots of things and stories to tell us. They will talk to if sit there for a while in silence. The carving told you the story about carve man, there efforts, there own stories of life. I think hampi is a mirror of the vijayanagara kingdom, the structures are ruin now but still it reflected the amazing ruler at that time.