Medieval Metropolis
27th September 2010
The area surrounding Hampi is enchanting. The landscape is scattered with ancient city ruins in beautiful bolder strewn hills. Aaron and my first impressions of the place was not quite so overwhelming when we rolled into town damp and tired from an overnight journey from Margoa in a leaking bus. As the vehicle pulled to a stop in Hampi it was surrounded by a plague of rickshaw drivers. After fighting through them and making the short walk to where we hoped to cross to a smaller village, we found that the river was flooded and the only ferry cancelled. Eventually we gave in to a guest-house owner's badgering and looked at his room. We were exhausted and took it. Shortly after settling into the room we noticed how hot, mouldy and depressing the room was and we upgraded to another hotel the next day. However after our challenging start we began to explore the area and soon discovered what a beautiful place it is.
On our third day in Hampi Aaron and I rented bicycles to explore the ruins of the medieval metropolis. We got up early as we knew it was going to be hot and after a hearty western breakfast at our hotel rooftop cafe we set out on our trusty steeds. Aaron lead the way since he had already cycled past our first stop, the Roy
al Centre, yesterday. There are so many temples, sculptures and structures surviving all over the area that we stopped several times on route to photograph the ruins. At the Royal Centre we first went to the area with an entrance fee. We entered the Zanana enclosure and I found a shady spot to read my very detailed, but sometimes rather confusing guide book. Hampi was a Hindu metropolis built in 14th-16th Centurary and was the capital of the Vijayanagara kingdom. In the Zanana enclosure stands the Lotus Mahal, which according to the guidebook is one of the most celebrated structures in Hampi. The Lotus Mahal combines the best of Hindu (basement) and Islamic (superstructure) architecture. The ground floor may have served as a a reception hall or might have been a Council Hall, where the king or a high official met an assembly to discuss problems of the state. In the enclosure there is also the remains of a palace, though you would hardly know it as all that is left is the outline of a few rooms denoted by low stone walls. In fact there were so many palaces in Hampi that the guidebook described another enclosure as follows “in the enclosure the visitor encounters; (1) high enclosure walls, (2) gateways, … (5) the usual palaces.”
After walking through the Zanana enclosure we approached the elephant stables, an Islamic style structure built with ten cells to accommodate the royal elephants. It's the most ornate stables I've ever seen! Across the other side of the enclosure I saw a large tour group of ladies in beautiful saris all in different colours. A few minutes later to my surprise they walked over and asked me to take a photo for them. A few of them had cameras so I expected them to hand me one, but they didn't, they just posed for me to take my own picture! What a wonderful opportunity!
After exploring these enclosures Aaron and I mounted our bikes and continued our tour of the Royal Centrer, going next to the Hazara Rama Temple, then the Darbar Enclosure. At the Darbar Enclosure I climbed the many steps of the Mahanavani Dibba, a massive podium with a commanding view. I could see the ruins of many public buildings, the audience hall and water works. I imagined the ceremonial parades and festival sports that the king and his court must have watched from there. It was still only mid-morning but the day had already begun to heat up fiercely. The sun bore down on me and I retreated to look for some shade. There is so much to see and the vast majority of it is free to access. Seeing as our paid tickets were only valid for one day we headed on towards the Vitthala temple and I returned to explore the other free areas the following day. Before heading out of the Royal Centre we made one last stop at the Queens bath.
We cycled to the nearby village Kamalapuram to pick up some bananas and pastries for lunch before continuing to the Vitthala Temple. We passed through some of the most amazing scenery, with rich red boulders jutting out in all different forms and sizes. Here and there we saw small temples nestled amongst the rocks. The landscape reminded Aaron of Enchanted Rock, a State Park near Austin. It's interesting how many things half way across the world have reminded us of home. The backwaters trip in Kerala we took just before coming to Hampi made me think of punting in Cambridge.
When Aaron and I finally reached the Vittala Temple we were truly awestruck. Under a blue sky dotted with cirrus clouds was a glorious ancient temple set in the landscape of rusty red boulders
decorated with lush green foliage. It was mid-afternoon and the hot sun still burned down. Given the popularity of the site and the bustle of nearby Hampi I was surprised at how few other tourists were meandering around the ruins. It was very peaceful and Aaron and I enjoyed some time to relax and take in the ornate building and picturesque surroundings.
After lingering at the Vittahala temple for some time Aaron and headed along the footpath beside the Tungabhadra river, back to Hampi. As it was a footpath we had to push or carry our bikes over some parts. I was very grateful to a security man posted at a very steep rock who deftly lifted my bike down, as though this has happened before. Aaron and I were too exhausted to pay much attention the sights by the footpath, but we revisited them later (as you'll soon see in Aaron's next blog). To top off a wonderful day, after heaving our bicycles back to Hampi, we enjoyed one of the most delicious dinners we've had for months. Humus and guacamole followed by a tasty pizza, which is a challenge to find in India as traditionally they only have one type of cheese, paneer.
The area surrounding Hampi is enchanting. The landscape is scattered with ancient city ruins in beautiful bolder strewn hills. Aaron and my first impressions of the place was not quite so overwhelming when we rolled into town damp and tired from an overnight journey from Margoa in a leaking bus. As the vehicle pulled to a stop in Hampi it was surrounded by a plague of rickshaw drivers. After fighting through them and making the short walk to where we hoped to cross to a smaller village, we found that the river was flooded and the only ferry cancelled. Eventually we gave in to a guest-house owner's badgering and looked at his room. We were exhausted and took it. Shortly after settling into the room we noticed how hot, mouldy and depressing the room was and we upgraded to another hotel the next day. However after our challenging start we began to explore the area and soon discovered what a beautiful place it is.
On our third day in Hampi Aaron and I rented bicycles to explore the ruins of the medieval metropolis. We got up early as we knew it was going to be hot and after a hearty western breakfast at our hotel rooftop cafe we set out on our trusty steeds. Aaron lead the way since he had already cycled past our first stop, the Roy
al Centre, yesterday. There are so many temples, sculptures and structures surviving all over the area that we stopped several times on route to photograph the ruins. At the Royal Centre we first went to the area with an entrance fee. We entered the Zanana enclosure and I found a shady spot to read my very detailed, but sometimes rather confusing guide book. Hampi was a Hindu metropolis built in 14th-16th Centurary and was the capital of the Vijayanagara kingdom. In the Zanana enclosure stands the Lotus Mahal, which according to the guidebook is one of the most celebrated structures in Hampi. The Lotus Mahal combines the best of Hindu (basement) and Islamic (superstructure) architecture. The ground floor may have served as a a reception hall or might have been a Council Hall, where the king or a high official met an assembly to discuss problems of the state. In the enclosure there is also the remains of a palace, though you would hardly know it as all that is left is the outline of a few rooms denoted by low stone walls. In fact there were so many palaces in Hampi that the guidebook described another enclosure as follows “in the enclosure the visitor encounters; (1) high enclosure walls, (2) gateways, … (5) the usual palaces.”
After walking through the Zanana enclosure we approached the elephant stables, an Islamic style structure built with ten cells to accommodate the royal elephants. It's the most ornate stables I've ever seen! Across the other side of the enclosure I saw a large tour group of ladies in beautiful saris all in different colours. A few minutes later to my surprise they walked over and asked me to take a photo for them. A few of them had cameras so I expected them to hand me one, but they didn't, they just posed for me to take my own picture! What a wonderful opportunity!
After exploring these enclosures Aaron and I mounted our bikes and continued our tour of the Royal Centrer, going next to the Hazara Rama Temple, then the Darbar Enclosure. At the Darbar Enclosure I climbed the many steps of the Mahanavani Dibba, a massive podium with a commanding view. I could see the ruins of many public buildings, the audience hall and water works. I imagined the ceremonial parades and festival sports that the king and his court must have watched from there. It was still only mid-morning but the day had already begun to heat up fiercely. The sun bore down on me and I retreated to look for some shade. There is so much to see and the vast majority of it is free to access. Seeing as our paid tickets were only valid for one day we headed on towards the Vitthala temple and I returned to explore the other free areas the following day. Before heading out of the Royal Centre we made one last stop at the Queens bath.
We cycled to the nearby village Kamalapuram to pick up some bananas and pastries for lunch before continuing to the Vitthala Temple. We passed through some of the most amazing scenery, with rich red boulders jutting out in all different forms and sizes. Here and there we saw small temples nestled amongst the rocks. The landscape reminded Aaron of Enchanted Rock, a State Park near Austin. It's interesting how many things half way across the world have reminded us of home. The backwaters trip in Kerala we took just before coming to Hampi made me think of punting in Cambridge.
When Aaron and I finally reached the Vittala Temple we were truly awestruck. Under a blue sky dotted with cirrus clouds was a glorious ancient temple set in the landscape of rusty red boulders
decorated with lush green foliage. It was mid-afternoon and the hot sun still burned down. Given the popularity of the site and the bustle of nearby Hampi I was surprised at how few other tourists were meandering around the ruins. It was very peaceful and Aaron and I enjoyed some time to relax and take in the ornate building and picturesque surroundings.After lingering at the Vittahala temple for some time Aaron and headed along the footpath beside the Tungabhadra river, back to Hampi. As it was a footpath we had to push or carry our bikes over some parts. I was very grateful to a security man posted at a very steep rock who deftly lifted my bike down, as though this has happened before. Aaron and I were too exhausted to pay much attention the sights by the footpath, but we revisited them later (as you'll soon see in Aaron's next blog). To top off a wonderful day, after heaving our bicycles back to Hampi, we enjoyed one of the most delicious dinners we've had for months. Humus and guacamole followed by a tasty pizza, which is a challenge to find in India as traditionally they only have one type of cheese, paneer.
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