On The Heels Of Hampi
It is great to freelance in travelling rather than getting tied to travel agencies who will load you in a bus like school children. It usually is like a school picnic. On our route was first Koyna dam. At Gokak you see a hanging wooden bridge over the river Ghataprabha . There are temples on the other side of the river . The hanging wooden bridge is a sight by itself.
Gokak
Hanging Wooden Bridge on Ghataprabha River
Banashankari Temple was the next halt. The specialty
of this temple is that the deity here is worshipped
during Rahu Kalam , which
is considered to be an inauspicious
time as
per Hindu religion.
Banshankari Temple
Stopped
at Badami. Then Aihole. It is evening already at Kudal Sangam (Confluence of
Krishna and Mallaprabha river).
A night halt at Hospet is
ideal.
Next morning make it to
Hampi. Depending on your interest and time in hand get ready to spend a day or
more at Hampi.
Best of Badami
Badami caves in Badami are a cluster of Hindu
and Jain temples. There is a temple dedicated to Buddhism too. It is majorly
rock cut architecture .
As expected human figures depicting Hindu Gods and Goddesses enrich the walls. Faultless stone figures look back at you. Every inch beautifully carved, be it their face, body or limbs. The designs on the pillars and roofs are difficult to believe are carved out of stones
Delicate
and intricate carving on pillars.
These cave temples and temples
at Aihole, are the representatives of temple architecture.
In cave1 there is the carving
of Shiva showing the tandava dance as Nataraja.
Cave
I- dedicated to Shiva
Cave 1- Shiva in Tandava Nirtya.
Shiva Parvati in cave no 1.
In
cave 2 there
are different statues
of Hindu Gods
and Goddess ,the most
important being the
one of Vishnu.
Baman Avatar-cave 2.
Cave No 3
Cave 3 is again Vishnu
dominated.It has Shaivaite themes too. You get to see intricate carvings here.
Vishnu
on Shesh nag in cave no 3.
Varah avatar –saving Bhumi devi-Cave -3.
Agastya Kunda from cave no 3.
Cave 4 Jainism and Jain Tirthankara’s.
You should be ready to climb 2000 steep stairs
to reach the cave.
Aha Aihole
Chalukyan capital, a city known for its more than 125 temples.
It is the cradle of Hindu temple architecture.
Not only it is an archaeologists
delight but a
Historians favorite too
for its rich
history. The temples were built from 5th Century to the later part of 7th
century in the time of Chalukyan kings. I read on the erected cement slabs that
the style of architecture was Dravida
and Nagara.
According to one
mythological story, when Parshurama washed his hands and axe in the river Malaprabha
after avenging his father’s death, the river turned red. A local lady cried out
‘aiyyo hole’ meaning OH blood. That is how the place got the name of Aihole.
The Durga temple gets its name from its proximity to its
appearance of a ‘durg’ that is a fort. It is dedicated to lord Vishnu and not
Goddess Durga. It has exquisite carvings decorating the pillars at the entrance.
Durg
Temple.
Durga Temple with sculptures on the pillars and walls.
The Laad Khan Temple shown above is named after a Muslim
prince who resided there. This temple
utilized the grilled windows of two intricate designs. The temple has a Shiva
Linga and Nandi and the other temple has intricate carvings.
Other temples are,
The Meguti Temple: only dated monument. Renovated and an
addition of 16 column porch has been made.
Ravanphadi cave: It is a rock temple dedicated to Shiva.
Noteworthy is the Mahisasura mardini and Ganesha in the sanctum sanctorum.
Huchimalli temple: introduced the building of a vestibule
Structure. Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, Brahmma and Shiva.
Gowda Temple: dedicated to Goddess Bhagvati. Architecture
similar to LadKhan temple.
Suryanarayana Temple: Has a 2 feet statue of Lord Surya
with Usha (morning) and Sandhya (Dusk).
Konti Gudi Temple : On
the ceiling there are panels of
Brahmma, Shiva and reclining Vishnu.
The place is
immaculately maintained by
the Karnataka Government, therefore a pleasure to visit and see the gradual
development of architectural competency at the Chalukya’s( the school of temple
architecture). Not very crowded by visitors makes it more attractive and
peaceful to spend the day. I understand that this place was totally encroached
by human settlements. They have been cleared off near the temples.
So, go ahead and
have a tryst
with Indian History
in all its
glory.
(All the above description
and information is
from what I
saw and what
I read on
the cemented slabs
in front of
the temples).
Hampi
We visit and we forget---forget most of it .The visual i.e.
the temples, the structures, the architecture, the general topography of houses,
roads greenery remain, but that also becomes hazy over the years. The inside stories,
the minute details fade away. What remains – “Yes we have visited Madurai” or “oh!
Last year only we went to Shivpuri” or “ lovely place, don’t miss it”.
But for our own sake when we pen it down it remains, when
we read it, it comes back with all its vividity. We mentally travel back to the
place and remember all --- the places, the company, the sights, the people, the
surroundings and feel happy. You may remember the temple, the roadside hot cup
of coffee, or how you tore your favorite silk sari or how you lost your way in
the crowded market.
This is no researched
history but just a narration of events, description of sites as related
by our guide and heard by me. Here I go……..
At the entrance you
see the Virupaksha temple in front
of you in all its elegance.
It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and people
also refer to the temple as ‘ Dakshina Kashi’. Also known as ‘Pampa Kshetra’, for Pampa Sarovar .
Gopuram of Virupakhsha temple.
The
base of the Virupaksha temple is
30 feet, made of stone
brick and lime
stone .The temple is 165
feet high. The second highest
gopuram.‘Go’ meaning cow and ‘puram’ meaning village. If you look
at the top you can
see the cows
ears .
In 1856 renovation and
construction was taken up as one of the stone beams had cracked. Iron angles
were brought from England to support the gopuram. I couldn’t read the writings
on the middle angle .
Also at the entrance sits the three headed ‘Nandi’, not found anywhere else in India . The three heads symbolizing ‘bhooth’ (past), ‘Vartamaan’ (present), and ‘ Bhavishya’ (future).
Three headed Nandi.
Next there is an elephant figure. In the center
is the courtyard with pillared
halls on either side……meant
as a resting
place. Huge drums were used as
‘Chandan patas ‘i.e. The flat surface
was used to make sandalwood paste. In those days as weddings were conducted in
the temples , Krishna Deva Raya made the huge ‘Kalyana Mandapam ‘, Marriage halls in1509.It has beautifully sculptured
pillars all around.
Two huge wooden raths,(chariots), meet
your eyes. They are used for Shankar - Parvathi’s wedding. While facing the
chariots to your left is the Hemkuntha
hills.
Pampadevi and the Bhubaneshwari
temple are iconic structures standing proud and beautiful.
At the Opposite of entrance you see number of pillared stalls on either side , indicating the market .The main ware traded were, gold, grains and horses. A flourishing place which was devastated by the Talikota war. As is always the case everything was looted and taken away.
Market place at time of Krishna Deva Raya
Level of science in
those days can be seen in the pin hole camera. A small
hole shows the inverted image
of the main Gopuram as the sun
glows .You remain awed and spellbound by
the scientific knowledge and the
precision of the pinhole in the stone
wall.
Virupakhasha Gopuram
thru ancient pin hole camera
Taraka Rakshas , like all rakshashas
he was penalized and his tyranny put to an end by Lord Shiva’s
penance. Virup is the ‘rudra roop’ of Shiva and Aksha means ‘ eyes’,
thus the
name Virupaksha.
The Hemkuntha hills all around you stare back. Dry, rocky, huge boulders meet your eyes.
During the treta yug this place got its
name Kishkindha nagari
from kishta father of Bali and
Sugreev . It is surrounded
by five parvats
namely , Bali, Sugreev,
Matanga, Malyavanta and
Hanuman parvat.
More recently, not so recent also, i.e. 1336 Sangam , Salava,
Halebidu, and Tulva dynasties
emerged .Sangam dynasty was
the most renowned
for Harihara and
Bukka fame . Tulava dynasty’s
Krishna Deva Raya needs no introduction. ( All these historical
facts are courtesy our guide Krishnamurthy, government trained and license
holder).
The Vitthal Valmiki temple stands adjacent to a pillared temple which were used as the pilgrim’s rest house. The gate, the main temple are falling a prey to
the onslaught of weather. At the base
and the roof are carvings of lotus and lotus petals.
Gopuram
of Vitthala Temple
The Sabha was built in 1516 for both weddings and entertainment. Two of
the pillars , demonstrated
by our guide , on
tapping ,you can
hear the sound
of Mridangam and
Tabla. Jaya an d
Vijaya adorned the
entrance but now only Jaya
stands alone .Vijaya
has been taken
away .
One of the
stones panels showed
horse trading .The
panels suggested traders
were Mongolians as
figures showed men with
beard and Pagdis.
Horse
Trading By Mongolians.
Sangeeta mandap or
the Rani’s Mahal specialty
is that the pillars there give the
sound of ‘swaras ‘ , ‘Sa, Re , Ga
, Ma’ is
now cordoned
off because of public manhandling which resulted
in breaking of some pillars.
Sangeet mandap
Kalyan
mandap- Vitthala Temple.
For the Pilgrims there is a Bhajan mandap opposite the
Kalyana mandapam. At the corner is the facility
of a community kitchen for the pilgrims , having three
entrances from the
east , south and north.
The ‘ Kidder gante’
horse market, Gizzala Mandap
,where the bell is rung
to announce a puja
, the Pushkarinis are for drinking water. All these are on the way to Vitthala
Mandir.
Statues of Bhairava, Mahalinga , A headless seated Kali , Nandi , lying Vishnu in black granite , Hanuman ,Sita in Ashok van ,Statue of Ram, head less Lakshman and Sita and more in a museum which houses paintings and sculpture . Paintings are by Kalyana Sunder Murthy. Other things of value and interest are inscriptions on copper plate ,writings on palm leaf , armoury , village model of Hampi and many more are there .
Sculpture showing Lakshmi in the lap of Narasimha in the Narasimha temple is destroyed but one hand of Lakshmi holding the waist of Narasimha is seen.
Lakshmi Narshimha.
In 1528 Arya
Krishna Bhatt sculpted a 22 feet monolithic stone
carving showing Narsimha
sitting on Seshnag .
By its side is a 12 feet high Shivling in the Shiva temple. It is the second highest in the south , the first being the Brihadeshwara temple in Tanjore. The ‘ Jalakarleshwar ‘ ling was made by a poor lady and it was used by the poor. There was water inside the temple which came from the river Tungabhadra. As per local lore, the two human figures there depicted two sisters who were turned to stone by a rishi as they disturbed him in his penance .
The ‘ Prasanna Virupaksha’
temple or the
underground Shiva temple
was built by Krishnadeva
Raya and
dedicated to his
parents . It has
a small shivling
which was buried
under the earth
till the archaeology
department excavated and opened
it for visiting
. A single
, huge , beautifully carved
Nandi now sits
there alone in neglect . Again pillared courtyards, corridors, silently welcome you to see and enjoy.
Prasanna
Virupakhsha
The Sonadhipati palace greets you only with its foundation
as the rest of the structure which was wooden was burnt down. Noticeable is the
watch tower standing tall in its midst.
The Lotus Mahal
is another unique
architectural beauty , 24
pillars below, 4 bed rooms on the top from where one could take
the pleasure of watching lotuses in the water
terraces.The basement of the
queen’s palace still exist. There is a ‘zenana’ enclosure. There is another watch tower in
front.
Lotus Mahal
The Jal Mahal was built by Krishna Deva Raya. They were
built in Indo Sarcenic style. When
kings went for war, the queens and the money were left in the safe custody of the
Zenana fort. Since they were not destroyed we can still see ceramic pipelines
used for cooling the palace rooms
.There were pipes
to drain off
excess water whenever
it overflowed. It was used by the queens for summer time resting.
Janana
Mahal.
A place for elephants was the hathishala. There are 11 stables in a row , there are quarters for mahants. Being of Indo –Islamic style they were spared. Also, is seen a destroyed horse stable whose base has remained but the upper structure being wooden was destroyed.
Hathisala
The present cultural
gallery -- A museum of stone Buddhist relics was originally the queens treasury house, it is a stone
building with just one door and small
openings at the top .The temple
shikhara has statues
of Jain Tirthankaras . Some statues
are turned into pillars. Other
items of interest
are Shiv Lingas the size of a thumb, beads, porcelain ware, small
statues of Ganesha , Vishnu.
Again only the base of the king’s durbar hall exists .The
Dusshera stage was made for Mahanavami and Dusshera celebration. The Chandra
sekhar temple was dedicated to Vishnu, just behind it is the Sarasvati temple. You
see a stoic structure, which is the queens bath.To maintain the privacy there are no windows only one entrance.
At the
top there is
an opening of 1 feet by
1 feet . There is
only one mosque
showing only one
place of Mohammedan
worship.
You enter the Vitthala temple road through the ghatta gate.
From the temple to the gate is a long line of roof less stalls which were once
used for horse trading.
The Vitthala temple is the highest bench mark of Vijaya Nagarart
and architecture built by Krishna deva Raya. He added a 100 pillared mandapa.
The temple structures have become loose and disintegrating.
Glass reinforcements
have been made, if they break it will indicate internal damages and
breakage. At a distance
a hill is seen which according
to locals is the birth
place of Hanumanji .The hill in front of it is the
Bali hill.
The rath in the courtyard was made by Krishna deva raya. After winning the war in Bhubaneshwar he was fascinated by the rath and wanted a similar structure in his kingdom , thus came the rath into existence . initially the wheel moved but mishandling by the public led the archaeological department to cement the wheel.
Thoroughly impressed by the history, art and
architecture of Hampi I have come to the end of my writing down the facts and
showcasing figures via pictures.
But before I end my narration I still cannot overcome the
feeling of awe when I think of or look at the pictures that have captured the
beauty in stone. It is sheer poetry. Look
at every figure
male or female, human
or animal , flower or leaf, motif
or design, the pillar or roof, each one is perfection
of perfection. The human figures,
their face , their limbs , the
fingers in their
hands, their styled hair, their beautiful faces, their aquiline nose,
eyes like petals, the outline of their
lips , the roundness of their cheeks, the
jewelery on their
body , you cannot find
fault even in
one aspect . What people
were those , who
could do this
on something so
hard called stone .The
proportion of the
human figures, the head,
their neck , the breadth of the shoulders, the narrowness
of the waist, the
length of their limbs, in proportion their fingers and toes
each bit is
faultless , exactly as
it should be. To top it all not one, hundreds of such
figures some small, some big and few gigantic.
The second thing was the stony and arid area around. Hills, stones, huge boulders dry and hot all around you. Bits of greenery are the farms and swaying coconut palms at a distance. 600 years ago how did they work and create such beauty in such hostile surroundings? After all Hampi was not built in a day. The king and his people together built this beautiful place and left it as legacy for generations to come.
Another thing that attracted my attention was many sellers of old coins. Coins of many periods,
different kings, British times. The sellers sat patiently under shades of
trees, against walls, near entrances. I didn’t see any one showing or taking
interest but I surmised people interested sought them out. I now regret not
asking them a few questions about where the coins came from, their price, who
were the buyers.
Last but the most painful, Alauddin Khilji, Mohammad Bin
Tughlak, The sultanates and their army took it upon themselves to plunder Hampi
and leave it in ruins as we see it now. Things so beautiful can be destroyed
like this? Can we be so barbaric? Yes, humans alone can build and humans alone can
devastate.
So you who are reading this, it’s time to say Hi to Hampi. Go meet and shake hands with the priceless
heritage of ours.
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