Hampi, the Capital of the Vijayanagara kingdom ,on the Southern banks of the Tungabhadra river is a great example of India's glorious past and the wealth that the country possesed before the country was looted by foreign invaders. It is quite mind-boggling that many of the structures of the city still stand proudly, basking in its past glory despite all the torrid times it had to go through for the past thousands of years.Some of the sculptures, temples, palaces date back as far as the 4th and the 5th century. This ancient marvel is now included in UNESCO World Heritage site.
Visiting this ancient marvel is a delight for History and mythology lovers like me. However, it is best recommended to visit this region in the December-January season, as this region experiences predominantly hot and dry climate almost the entire year. Winters which are milder. There are plenty of resorts and hotels in and around the city. One can also hire a bicycle and have a tour around the city which is a great experience in itself.
Virupaksha(Shiva form) temple was and still is the main centre of pilgrimage in Hampi. The Ugra Narsimha temple nearby has the largest statue in Hampi, which is of the terrifying Narsimha avatar of Vishnu sitting on the Shesh Naag(seven headed snake). There are several temples nearby, like the Badaviling temple which are archietectural masterpieces of ancient and medieval eras in India. It is quite astonishing that that these structures have remained unharmed, escaping all the attacks by the Islamic invaders, for thousands of years. Also, shows the quality of construction and skills of the artists involved in building of the great empire, which was ruled by quite a few dynasties (Sangma, Saluva, Tuluva, Aravidu) and kings over all these years. However, there are a very few structures, which have escaped the wrath of the Islamic invaders.
Situated on the slope of the Hemakuta hill is the Kandalekalu Ganesha,one of the largest Ganesha statues in Southern India carved from a single monolith.
Three headed Nandi excavated at Badavaling temple by archaeologists.
As one takes a stroll around the city, one can reach the ruined Vitthala bazaar where jewel, diamonds, pearls were traded.
However, the architectural masterpiece which attracts most numbers of tourists has to be the Vitthala temple and the stone chariot, which is on the cover page of most articles on Hampi. These are at the end of the Vitthala bazaar. This iconic temple has some amazing stone structures like the fascinating musical pillars and Mahamantapa. The carvings on these structures portray the stories from Mahabharata, Ramayana and the countless mythological stories, that our country has been blessed with. The artwork of the artists here leaves u wondering, what amazing times those must be.
Some distance away from the Vitthala temple is the Zenana Enclosure, which was the fortified and secluded area for the ladies from the royal family, which has four watch towers, which were meant to keep a watch on any trespassers. The highlight of the enclosure however is the Lotus palace or the Queen's palace, which is one of the most remarkable structures of Indo-Islamic style. Also this area has huge elephant stables of the royalties , which attracts the attention of the tourists and explorers.
Nearby is the Queen's bath. Also, one can see the wonderful canal system available even during those times to divert the waters of the Tungabhadra river to the fields of the Vijayanagra kingdom.
When you are talking about Queen's Palace, there has got to be a King's Palace also. However, most of the Palace was destroyed and looted by the Islamic invaders. In fact, these invaders tried to destroy most of the structures which of Hindu or Dravidian style.The structures with Indo-Islamic designs were spared. These are the places which ought to be visited, which would remind us of our glorious past and leave us spellbound for a while.
