There are some places
that you can visit many times over a lifetime and never feel that you have
explored them to their fullest. Hampi is one such place. She has many facets and
layers that pull you in close and make you see her in a different light each
time you choose to visit.
Our recent trip to
Hampi was better than the first one. On the first trip ten years ago, we were
struggling with two very active kids who were 5 and 2, one of whom fell so ill
because of the heat that we had to cut short our trip made during the Diwali holidays.
Ten years later we chose the off-peak season to make a quick trip. July is simply
perfect if you want to visit this wondrous place. Sepia toned skies, brisk
breezes, the total absence of crowds, the occasional drizzle – all make you
feel that the magic of Hampi was created for you alone to enjoy.
The Vittala Temple where
we started our exploration still possesses an awe-inspiring grandeur. Parts of
the temple are supported by newer construction which makes it look rather like
a patched-up structure in places. The area around the musical pillars is
currently under renovation so we were able to experience music from only a few
of the famed pillars. The carving on the pillars is exquisite and the sound
that is produced when you tap on them takes you back in time to the days when
Krishnadevaraya’s second wife would dance to the rhythm meted out by tapping
these very pillars with sandalwood sticks. The famous Stone Chariot has pride
of place in the entrance yard of the temple with the stone wheels firmly locked
in place and the horses in front of it now replaced by stone elephants picked
from elsewhere. If you look carefully however, you can still see the tails of
the horses that once stood before the chariot.
The Hazararama temple,
the Krishna temple, the Virupaksha (Siva) temple, the giant Lakshmi-Narasimha statue,
the softly glowing Badavaling Siva, the Mustard Ganesha, the Queen’s Palace,
the Lotus Mahal - all are unforgettable in their splendor. So many of the
statues are monoliths and the sculptures that abound in the temples have such
beautiful attention to detail that you can only stand before them in awe. Many
of the carvings on the pillars are 3 in 1 and even 5 in 1 meaning that at
different angles they appear to be different forms. We spent hours wandering
through these temples and palaces losing sense of time and place. We clambered
atop the Royal Enclosure which is so beautifully laid out that it brings tears
to your eyes to imagine how grand a city Hampi must once have been. There are
marketplaces close to the main temples where the traders sat displaying their
gemstones. Horses too were traded here as were a variety of other items. The
thoroughfares are broad and from every place of import, the views are
magnificent.
What hurts your heart
is the fact that these ruins are the remains of a once powerful capital
destroyed by the repeated attacks of the Bahmani Sultans. How I wished I could
have seen Hampi at its peak with the marketplaces abuzz with traders and
buyers, with the dancers performing on the dance mantaps and regaling all with
the power of their performances, with the ornamental public baths open, with
the elephant stables full of the royal elephants – it would have truly been a
sight to behold. Even now if you close your eyes and take a deep breath,
especially when Hampi is so quiet, you can see the past come alive before you.
When you touch the stones of Hampi, they thrum with memories. I only wish that
Hampi was given the care and attention it needs so that it is showcased and not
neglected. This beautiful city by the mighty Tunghabhadra is a place that you
must visit – at least once in a lifetime.
