Hola Hampi! You are indeed Beautiful!
I am sure many have penned down enough on New year, New me, New year resolution yada yada yada. This New years though, has been a lot different for me since it was not just about snuggling under layers of blanket- (oh, the awesome weather in Bengaluru makes you do that!) which I had been doing happily for many years in the past. Me and him were wavering a lot on what we had to do for this New years now that we were under the same roof. We both needed some away time from the crowd and hence a Spa, resort sounded a good option. Unfortunately, being New years plus the benefit of a long weekend (my office decided to work on Jan 1st this year which was a twist that came late), almost all places were over booked and importantly, OVER PRICED! I could travel Kashmir to Kanyakumari for the rates that were quoted.
We both knew, even if we did take one, it wasn't going to be a quiet and peaceful day at all. We never really looked forward to a new year and hence it was almost decided that we stay home. Out of the blue, it dawned on me that I had always wanted to go to Hampi (reminder- I never even went till Nandi hills till my husband man came by). I knew for sure, the party crowd will not look for New years from Hampi and hence I got down to my resources- Google and Friends who were mini Google's. It was no surprise for me that even Hampi was over booked which may or may not be true, but typically this was possibly the only time that most places made extra money. Even then, it did feel like the best thing to plan. Since we started our journey well ahead of time (we opted a overnight train journey since we wanted to rule out the chaos by road that is expected during a long weekend), we took a BMTC (not the volvo) to the City Railway station. There literally began our journey to Hampi. There has been an experience of life for us as a couple to rewind and laugh about which I will save for a one to one note for the Husband man to read (yes, I still pen down and write letters for him). For now, I will stick to this Beautiful, Magnanimous place of Glory from Ruins! Thank you ASI! Without you, I am not too sure how this beauty would have survived.
Hampi as we all know is a UNESCO world Heritage site. What we didn't know, was the plain, simple, no riches life that had a history of things to expect here. What makes Hampi more beautiful is definitely the Locals. We had planned to visit the ruins of Hampi- Vijayanagara Empire and also to cover Badami caves, Pattadakal, Aihole, Anegundi, Thungabadra Dam and River. This side of the world was all but barren land, boulders of rock that had a history of its own which spoke volumes. Our first halt was at the famous Vittala Temples. We both had been smitten by a malayalam movie that showed Hampi especially this place that had musical pillars! We both were in absolute silence for sometime while we were observing the beauty around us- at Vittala Temples, Lotus Mahal, Queens Bath, Hazara Rama Temple, Badavi Linga, Lakshmi Narasimha, Kadalekalu Ganapathi, Mahanavami Dibba, Hemakuta and many more
Some of the ruins/ the then brilliance of the Vijaya Vittala Temples
The silence that was there between us was for two evident reasons.
One- These were structures built in 1540 AD; we were awed by the brains that we Indians had back then, the kind of efforts and importance we gave to ART as a form was so mind boggling, Interestingly, most structures had been painstakingly made from a SINGLE Stone when there is a little or NIL evidence of any form of Machinery in use back then.Also, the planning of each structures- here is a interesting fact- I had NIL coverage at Hampi but was fully connected when I was near the central hall/Deity- including at the 'Underground Siva Temple'. Every single structure, had great detailing and also plans to ensure that the true elixir for life is being saved aplenty.
Two- The ruins! Such painstaking efforts of the artists been destructed by the invaders. As we progressed and visited many more places there had been descriptions by the ASI that mentioned that 'The deity could be so and so..but we are not sure since it is completely ruined'
At Pattadakal, Badami and Aihole- the constructions of each of these places left us even more dumbfounded. We happened to bump into one of the locals at Pattadakal, who started explaining to us about some of the ruins. Surprise note from him- Aihole was excavated by the ASI! All these were outcome of the Kings way to let the people practice what they liked the most! In the locals words- Pattadakal is your primary school, Aihole is your senior secondary and Badami caves is your Graduation!
Each and every corner of Hampi had a history in itself. While I am not a religiously bend person, I was left to wonder- what would have been the impact in our country had this been some other religious place of worship that had been ruined. For a country that is so democratic, we are definitely Tolerant than we think we are and more so, there was this feeling that we are stupid enough to still follow most of the imposed western cultures that makes us all believe we Indians were not brainy. The west were definitely more than successful in making us nod our heads the way they wanted and not letting us think our own way.
This has been one journey of revelation for us and if anything, this is just one part of India we have seen that has given us such rich insights into our history. Hampi- you are indeed beautiful, wonderful and an inspiration that you can withstand anything over time. Thank you for the wonderful lessons you imparted and all I would say- it was more than worth and a brilliant way to begin a new year.
VIVE!
Me Myself :)
We both knew, even if we did take one, it wasn't going to be a quiet and peaceful day at all. We never really looked forward to a new year and hence it was almost decided that we stay home. Out of the blue, it dawned on me that I had always wanted to go to Hampi (reminder- I never even went till Nandi hills till my husband man came by). I knew for sure, the party crowd will not look for New years from Hampi and hence I got down to my resources- Google and Friends who were mini Google's. It was no surprise for me that even Hampi was over booked which may or may not be true, but typically this was possibly the only time that most places made extra money. Even then, it did feel like the best thing to plan. Since we started our journey well ahead of time (we opted a overnight train journey since we wanted to rule out the chaos by road that is expected during a long weekend), we took a BMTC (not the volvo) to the City Railway station. There literally began our journey to Hampi. There has been an experience of life for us as a couple to rewind and laugh about which I will save for a one to one note for the Husband man to read (yes, I still pen down and write letters for him). For now, I will stick to this Beautiful, Magnanimous place of Glory from Ruins! Thank you ASI! Without you, I am not too sure how this beauty would have survived.
Hampi as we all know is a UNESCO world Heritage site. What we didn't know, was the plain, simple, no riches life that had a history of things to expect here. What makes Hampi more beautiful is definitely the Locals. We had planned to visit the ruins of Hampi- Vijayanagara Empire and also to cover Badami caves, Pattadakal, Aihole, Anegundi, Thungabadra Dam and River. This side of the world was all but barren land, boulders of rock that had a history of its own which spoke volumes. Our first halt was at the famous Vittala Temples. We both had been smitten by a malayalam movie that showed Hampi especially this place that had musical pillars! We both were in absolute silence for sometime while we were observing the beauty around us- at Vittala Temples, Lotus Mahal, Queens Bath, Hazara Rama Temple, Badavi Linga, Lakshmi Narasimha, Kadalekalu Ganapathi, Mahanavami Dibba, Hemakuta and many more
Some of the ruins/ the then brilliance of the Vijaya Vittala Temples
The silence that was there between us was for two evident reasons.
One- These were structures built in 1540 AD; we were awed by the brains that we Indians had back then, the kind of efforts and importance we gave to ART as a form was so mind boggling, Interestingly, most structures had been painstakingly made from a SINGLE Stone when there is a little or NIL evidence of any form of Machinery in use back then.Also, the planning of each structures- here is a interesting fact- I had NIL coverage at Hampi but was fully connected when I was near the central hall/Deity- including at the 'Underground Siva Temple'. Every single structure, had great detailing and also plans to ensure that the true elixir for life is being saved aplenty.
Two- The ruins! Such painstaking efforts of the artists been destructed by the invaders. As we progressed and visited many more places there had been descriptions by the ASI that mentioned that 'The deity could be so and so..but we are not sure since it is completely ruined'
At Pattadakal, Badami and Aihole- the constructions of each of these places left us even more dumbfounded. We happened to bump into one of the locals at Pattadakal, who started explaining to us about some of the ruins. Surprise note from him- Aihole was excavated by the ASI! All these were outcome of the Kings way to let the people practice what they liked the most! In the locals words- Pattadakal is your primary school, Aihole is your senior secondary and Badami caves is your Graduation!
This has been one journey of revelation for us and if anything, this is just one part of India we have seen that has given us such rich insights into our history. Hampi- you are indeed beautiful, wonderful and an inspiration that you can withstand anything over time. Thank you for the wonderful lessons you imparted and all I would say- it was more than worth and a brilliant way to begin a new year.
VIVE!
Me Myself :)
Well written Vimala
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