September 29, 2010
Jean and I woke at five and padded softly out of our room, stepped over the dark sleeping form of a hotel attendant, and slipped quietly out into the cool morning air. We made our way through the labyrinth of narrow avenues in central Hampi to the main street. Indians tend to start their day early and. In half and hour people would begin stirring. All was quiet now.
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| Virupaksha Temple |
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Once and ancient capital boasting a population 500,000 Hampi is now a quiet burg with just a fraction of that population where modernity and antiquity seem coexist relatively easily. Main street or Chariot street as it was once known is a wide, dusty lane that terminates at the Virupaksha Temple. The temple dating from the 15th century is a huge complex. Virupaksha's tall, stepped tower dominates central Hampi.
Chariot street is lined on either side by granite colonnades and arcades. A half millennium ago during the heady days of the Vijayanagra Empire this was a bustling bazaar. Today it is not much different. Restaurants, food vendors, bicycle rental shops, travel agents and internet cafes occupy the same spaces.
Invigorated by the brisk air we strode quickly down the Chariot street. A smattering of yellow street lights provided ample illumination. We passed dozens of sleeping forms curled up beside the road side. Some people had even dragged their beds out to take advantage of the cool night air.
We walked the kilometer to the far end of Chariot street and turned onto a wide footpath. For five hundred years pilgrims have been taking this route to get to the Vitthala Temple. The path soon took us alongside the river. We made our way carefully over the dirt path interspersed with ancient paving stones. In the pre-dawn light we could just make out the silhouettes of the hills. Stepping onto a shallow granite grade brought a touch of nostalgia.
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| Ignoring the ancient temples, coconut trees and monkeys Hampi could pass for Enchanted Rock |
There's a place in Texas that's very near and dear to my heart called Enchanted Rock. It's a big dome of pink granite that rises some 400 feet over the surrounding terrain. The mottled, moonscape-like surface is strewn with boulders of all sizes and shapes. Enchanted Rock along with its smaller, neighboring peaks Small Rock, Turkey Peak, Freshman Mountain and Buzzard's Roosts have provided me with hundreds of hours of enjoyment hiking, climbing, scrambling, spelunking, bouldering and camping. Rolling into Hampi four days ago and finding a similar landscape of pink granite and jumbles of boulders gave me a thrill.
In the semi-darkness Jean and I left the trail and headed straight for one the hills. Climbing the easy slope we passed a couple of ruins, and quickly reached the base of the hill. From there it was a scrambling, rock hopping extravaganza. We made it to the top were we found a commanding view of the Vitthala Temple, the Tungabhadra river and Hampi. We also caught the sun rise.
On the way back we stopped by the Achyutapura temple. Seems like you can't go anywhere around Hampi without running across half a dozen ancient temples. I decided to climb Matanga Hill to get back to town while Jean opted to walk around. On top I got some killer views of Hampi and ran across a troop of inquisitive monkeys. Monkeys seem to gravitate to ancient cities. I also got a bird's eye view of rickshaw drivers descending on just arrived bus full of tourists.
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| Hampi from above |
We're off to Hyderabad today and I'm sorry to see Hampi go. With the hiking, biking, muesli and yogurt breakfasts and plethora of archaeological sites I could stay a while.
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| Jean exploring in her explorer's hat |
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| While the majority of experiences in Hampi were great the enchiladas left something to be desired. |
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We walked the kilometer to the far end of Chariot street and turned onto a wide footpath. For five hundred years pilgrims have been taking this route to get to the Vitthala Temple. The path soon took us alongside the river. We made our way carefully over the dirt path interspersed with ancient paving stones. In the pre-dawn light we could just make out the silhouettes of the hills. Stepping onto a shallow granite grade brought a touch of nostalgia. 
In the semi-darkness Jean and I left the trail and headed straight for one the hills. Climbing the easy slope we passed a couple of ruins, and quickly reached the base of the hill. From there it was a scrambling, rock hopping extravaganza. We made it to the top were we found a commanding view of the Vitthala Temple, the Tungabhadra river and Hampi. We also caught the sun rise.
On the way back we stopped by the Achyutapura temple. Seems like you can't go anywhere around Hampi without running across half a dozen ancient temples. I decided to climb Matanga Hill to get back to town while Jean opted to walk around. On top I got some killer views of Hampi and ran across a troop of inquisitive monkeys. Monkeys seem to gravitate to ancient cities. I also got a bird's eye view of rickshaw drivers descending on just arrived bus full of tourists. 
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