A tour to Hampi, South India is tantamount to traveling back in
time. Rising from the ruins, this World Heritage Site never fails to
leave tourists spell bound. Its ruined architectural marvels are the
efflorescence of the incredible creativity of the sculptors and
craftsmen of the bygone era . Sprawling over around 26 sq km, the ruins
in this rustic village attract tourists from across the globe.
Reflecting the ancient period of glory, the ruined palaces, temples and
other monuments of this village seem to have arisen from their
surrounding rocks. How majestic they look!
The huge gates(main
entrance), open courtyards, exquisitely carved walls and pillars,
wonderfully deigned sanctums, open pillared pavilions, beautiful statues
of the heavenly deities, monolithic idols are some of the striking
features of the heritage monuments in Hampi.
Located on the
mesmerizing Tingabhadra river and dramatically surrounded by huge
boulders and rough hills, Hampi has a glorious history sprawling over
hundreds of years. It prospered by leaps and bounds during the rein of
Vijayanagar Empire. One of the most enchanting heritage monument of the
village is the 15th century Virupaksha Temple, which is still in
operation. Its beauty s beyond words. Its rajagopuram is the tallest
structure in the village.
Situated adjacent to the Virupaksha
temple is the Ratnakuta Hill, which is dotted with many small temples
and dolmens. The most attractive structure on the hill is Sasivekalu
Ganesha, a 12 ft tall monolithic image of the elephant god. Each
heritage monument in Hampi has its own charm and beauty. Someof the
otherfamousmonuments are Achyutataya temple, Sugreeva's Cave,Vitthala
temple with musical pillars, Madhavan Palace, Stone Chariot, Hazara Rama
temple, the Royal Enclosure and Chandraauleshwar temple.
Hampi,the pride of Karnataka is a must-see tourist attraction of South India.Hampi tour packages offers a glimpse of the glorious past of Karnataka.The overwhelming
tourist attractions of Hampi are waiting to leave you spell bound with
their incredible beauty.
Hampi can be aptly called as the temple village of Karnataka
which is renowned for its charismatic beauty of ancient temples.
Although most of the temples in Hampi are in ruins but their
architectural glory calls on scores of tourists as well as arts
patronage from across the globe. Because of its glorious architectural
heritage this place is often quoted as the land of architectural
delight.
This place is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as it is
dotted with more than 500 heritage monuments dating back to the ancient
time. Each temple in Hampi tells its own story through its majestic
architecture and delicate rock carvings which enthral tourists who come
here from several parts of the world. The sculptured beauty of this
place showcases the infinite talent of human creativity which infuses
life even in a stone. This land of architectural wonder is a paradise
for arts lovers, institution for archaeologists and source of attraction
for tourists.
Some of the world famous Hampi attractions are:
Vittala Temple
This
is the most magnificent temple of Hampi which is renowned for its
architectural grandiose. It is the finest example of stone sculptures
renowned for its soul simulating design and decorations. This beautiful
temple is situated on the banks of river Tungabhadra. The Vijayanagara
architectural style dominates the entire temple complex. The temple was
built in the honour of Lord Vishnu in the Vittala incarnation.
The
mandapa is one of the prominent attractions of this temple which is
known for its 56 pillars, out of which 40 pillars are 3.6 meters high
disposed to form an aisle. While the remaining 16 pillars form a
rectangular court in the centre. The musical pillars or SaReGaMa pillars
which produce musical sound on tapping are among the most engrossing
parts of this temple. The architectural saga of this temple makes it an
architectural wonder which summons large number of tourists throughout
the year.
Stone Chariot
It is another most popular
attraction of this place which is built up of granite rock. This lotus
shaped temple is a part of Vittala Temple which is famous across the
globe for its grand architectural beauty, intricate design and superb
stone sculptures. The most enthralling aspect of this temple is its
stone wheel which is still movable. The architectural glory makes this
temple the most sought after attraction of Hampi Tour.
Hazara Rama Temple
This
is one of the popular temples of Hampi famous for its picture gallery
crafted on walls and pillars showcasing the various themes of Ramayana.
The intricate rock carvings and marvellous sculptures of this temple
enthral tourists during their visit to this place.
Temples in Hampi are renowned across the globe for majestic
architectural beauty and intricate rock carvings which calls on arts
lovers, archaeologists and large number of tourists across the globe.
These temples are popular Hampi Attractions which enthral tourists
through their designs, decorations and architecture along with our hampi tour packages.
Hampi is located in the Hospet town in Bellary
district in Karnataka. It is famous for its extensive ruins of the
capital of the medieval Hindu empire of Vijayanagara. It is spread over
25 square kilometers and is a virtual museum of Hindu religious culture.
Palaces, Temples, Fort walls, civil buildings, tanks, irrigation
channels etc spread over in various stages of preservation dot the
landscape. The remains leave no doubt about the wealth and power of the
Vijayanagara Empire. Only a powerful empire could have had the resources
to create what today looks like an extensive open art gallery. Though
in ruins today, it is easy to understand the past grandeur of this city
as one walks around the area.
With a large number of magnificently
carved temples dedicated to numerous deities scattered all over, it is
the ultimate religious zone for the practicing Hindu. If there be
Nirvana, One should obtain it here. There are a plethora of Gods and
celestial beings all over the religious and secular buildings. Ganesha,
Krishna, Vishnu, Mahishasuramardhini, Rama, Shiva and Parvathy, every
member of the Hindu pantheon is present here. Those days, this must have
been the most happening place for Gods. One can't touch and feel the
carved idols or the beautiful pillars without experiencing a sense of
awe & euphoria. Despite deliberate vandalism by invading Islamic
army and ignorance by the people of the land, it is nothing short of a
miracle that the temples and other buildings survived another day. There
must be very few such beautiful places where the almighty might
actually want to reside. If there are Gods, I am sure they might
actually be quietly residing here. Hampi doesn't fail to evoke ecstasy
and agony at the same time.
Hampi & its association with incidents of Ramayana:
Hampi
has been from the ancient times, closely associated with the episodes
of Hindu mythology giving it the aura of a holy land. The area in and
around Hampi are closely associated with Kishkindha (the
monkey-kingdom). According to Hindu epic Ramayana, the area was ruled by
two monkey brothers Vali and Sugriva. In a quarrel in which Vali
prevailed, his brother had to flee the region with his minister Hanuman.
They took refuge on the hill Rishyamuka which was close to the ashram
of Rishi Matanga on the mountain called Matanga Parvatham (still called
by the same name). Due to a curse placed on Vali by the Rishi he
couldn't enter the space. This made Sugriva and Hanuman feel safe from
Vali.
Rama came looking for Sugriva when he heard that he had some
information regarding Sita's abduction. Sugriva tells him that he had
been witness to Ravana carrying Sita in his celestial chariot and that
she had dropped some of her jewels and a garment as evidence. Without
possibly realising that he was being part of an epic drama, he collected
them and placed it in a cave (now called Sugriva's cave). He presents
the evidence to Rama. In gratitude, Rama slays Vali and enthrones
Sugriva. Sugriva and his army of monkeys go on to play the most critical
role in the final rescue of Sita. The building of Rama-sethu or the
Adams Bridge was facilitated by the large amount of rocks in and around
Kishkindha. There is also a small pond associated with Sita called
Sita's pond nearby Sugriva's cave. So, technically as one walks around
the region of Hampi and its mountains, one would be re- tracing the
steps of the personalities of Ramayana.
Vijayanagara-historic background:
Like
Remus and Romulus who created Rome, Vijayanagara was founded by two
brothers Hakka and Bukka. Vijayanagara Empire under the rule of various
kings from different dynasties reached great heights of wealth and
power. Hampi was the jewel of the Medieval Vijayanagara Empire-the last
Hindu military and cultural bulwark against Islamic aggressive
tendencies towards the southern parts of India. One of the finest
empires of the world, it lasted for more than 200 years in full glory.
Its
formation and extinction formed the part of a strange cycle. The cycle
begins with its formation triggered by the Islamic invasions into the
south, its collapse came when the neighboring Muslim armies united to
hand over the last king Rama Raya the greatest military blow at the
battle of Rakshasa-Tangadi or Talikota in 1565 ending the cycle. Thus,
the very set of factors that resulted in its formation resulted in the
extinction of Vijayanagara.
If one needs to know a people, one
needs to understand their psyche. The psyche holds lockers that conceal
the underpinnings of a people's mindset. The human psyche formation
being a constant process dictates the behaviour of people and also their
response-stimulus system. The locus of the human mindscape, psyche
formation is a strategic process that emanates from the learnings of the
past. The ruins of Hampi give us a glimpse of medieval Hindu psyche,
its inner workings and responses to various stimuli both positive and
negative. The dominance of religion over people's imagination is evident
in every temple, every idol & carving. The chisels of expert
artisans have left the Gods and celestial beings seem like in a state of
bliss.
Temples in India were not just sacred-spaces but
represented the religio-political locus. The community life revolved
around it. If highly evolved art be an indication of advancement of
society, then the Vijayanagara society was highly advanced. With
classical aesthetic sense, the figures on the walls are life-like and
well proportioned.
There were various strategic considerations
that went into choosing Hampi as the capital of the mighty Vijayanagara
Empire. It was a secure location with rugged hills on one side and the
mighty Tunghabadhra River on the other. Apart from this the association
of the area with mythical episodes of Hindu scriptures must have also
played a vital role. The rulers rightly expected legitimacy for their
rule by associating themselves with this holy land. This association
reflects on the symbiotic association between religion and politics. By
further creating temples for the convenience of its subjects, the king
took a valid place among the pantheon of gods. The temples are numerous.
Some of them are Hazaara Rama temple, Virupaksha temple, Vithala
temple, Achutharaya temple, Chandrashekhara temple, Ananthashayin Vishnu
temple, Badavalinga temple, Kadalekalu Ganesha temple, Laxmi Narayana
monolith, Prasanna Virupaksha temple, Sashivekalu Ganesha temple, Ranga
temple & the Yellamma temple. The list goes on. Hampi thus offers a
deep insight into the Hindu mindscape of the times.
In Hampi, the
two important factors that influence a people and dictate their lives-
Religion & Architecture are in abundance.
Religion:
Religion
is one of the most popular, easily understood and widely accepted
concepts. We can trace the origins of religion to the pre-historic
development of man between 500,000 and 100,000 years B.C. By means of
prayers and alleged miracles religion was the placebo that provided a
sense of security and comfort in this life and held the promise of
splendor after death for the believer. An ideal two-way transaction
between the gods and man, religion has endured for many centuries. Death
is the biggest fear of mankind due to its unknown nature and it was
religion that provided comfort and answers to the great mystery.
Despite
the fact that no empirical evidence available to endorse the basics of
religion, what Karl Marx has described, as the opium of the masses, has
continued to hold the masses across the world in thralldom. Religious
process is based on reverse engineering-the more one tries to prove
otherwise, the harder the belief becomes. One of the world's most
enduring & powerful ideas, it has shaped civilizations &
dictated the destinies of nations. Religion by nature is a dichotomous
concept. While its original function is to be inclusive, its intolerant
nature makes it divisive. Membership drives a religion and the presence
of other strong ones are a threat to an existing one. Most of the wars
have been fought for religious considerations. The motivation of
fighting on behalf of god has sent many soldiers to kill mercilessly and
die willingly on the battle field. As Basil King writes "Few of us do
see a connection between strength of spirit and strength of limb; but it
is there". It would be apt to say that all the happenings in the world
thus have been influenced by man and god acting in tandem. As history
shows, religious faith & belief can often prove to be a much
stronger force than considerations of pure self interest. Man is
incurably religious although the form and object of this religious
feeling may change over time. Man is a compulsive mythmaker. Myths have
served as the ambrosia that has helped man cope with uncertainties apart
from being a release mechanism. Ancient culture represented Gods,
Goddesses, angels & demons and symbols that arose from the
collective consciousness as myths.
India as a geographical entity
has always been fascinated and mesmerized by religion and its
manifestations - Gods and Divine beings. It has always been a land of
religion with its thoughts and life always been guided by it. Hinduism
has been creative & at the same time fragmentive enough to generate
offshoots of itself like Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism that ultimately
became separate religions by themselves. Divisiveness being the
fundamental character of Hinduism it created bifurcations of it into
Vaishnavism and Shaivism and also creation of many cults.
Indian
religious system is characterized by plenty. It is an amalgam of god,
religious writings and enormous philosophy, legends and superstitions.
As in the case of all people, religion has played a primary role in
shaping the Indian psyche. In a veritable divine hypermarket, everybody
had the choice to choose the god that they wanted to worship designated
as Ishta Devata. Gods seek total devotion and do not take kindly to the
presence of others. The believers also found themselves divided on the
basis of the gods that they worshipped. This fragmentation of the belief
system also possibly contributed to the lack of political unity that
stopped us from presenting united fronts to invaders and resulted in
slavery for more than 800 years commencing 1192 with the victory of the
Afghans over Prithviraj Chauhan in 1192 at Tarain and ending with the
transfer of power by the British on the momentous night of 15th August,
1947.
Architecture-Human Aspirations in stone
Architecture
has always had special place in the human mindscape. It is nothing but
aspirations of personalities or people in durable materials. In
monumental scales, it is a demonstration of power and undertones of
desire for immortality. It is apparent that a lot of resources both
money and manpower have gone into making Hampi the playground of the
Kings and Gods. It's a lethal mixture of passion & political
ambition. As the first capital of the mighty empire, Hampi turned into a
symbol of power. Thus, every ruler irrespective of the dynasty he
belonged to added his piece of dream to the jigsaw enlarging it and
adding to its aura. Like religion, architecture continues to have a hold
on our imagination.
Thus as A.H. Longhurst writes, "It is a
mistake to isolate architecture from its surroundings, because the main
points of the physical geography, social progress and historical
development of any country require to be understood by those who would
study and comprehend its particular style".
"The leading
influences that may be expected to shape the architecture of any country
or people are: (1) Locality with regards to its geographical,
geological, and climatic conditions; (2) Religion; (3) Social and
Political; (4) Historical; Important as all four of these are, the
strongest is undoubtedly the influence of religion. In almost all
countries and in India in particular, we find that the chief buildings
are the outcome of the nation's religious beliefs. Nothing reveals the
character of the nation so clearly as its religion, and nothing has more
permeating influence upon its architecture".
Even in the present
times, the desire to create the tallest tower has dominated the race for
excellence among the most prosperous cities; be it the Taipei 101,
Petronas tower or the Burj Dubai (to be the largest tower in the world
once completed). Architecture is about power projection. It is about
prestige and it is about pride. If the need to dominate the masses and
enthrall them with minimal military action was the need of ancient and
Middle Ages, then the desire to impress & overwhelm seems to fuel
the building activities of today. While some cities position themselves
as business centers, some as cultural epicenters and others as holy
lands-in all these cases the most common denominator is the presence of
buildings. The buildings may broadly be divide into two-Religious and
Secular. The religious building enveloping the sacred spaces of a people
and the idols in them were considered the source of power of the ruler.
This was one of the reasons why sacred places were the first targets
for destruction. Destruction of the temples destroyed the spirit of the
people directly affecting their ability to resist.
Destruction and
construction are two sides of the same coin. Lot of resources going in
the construction process, equal amounts go into destructing it. Both are
aimed at making powerful statements of power and invincibility, no
wonder the invaders spend in excess of six months focusing on destroying
what had stayed as the enduring symbol of the Indian freedom and
prosperity. The fear psychosis generated was so high that despite
repeated attempts to repopulate it, Hampi remained nothing but destroyed
symbol of a by gone era.
Conclusion:
Religion has played
crucial roles in both construction and destruction. Somebody's
fundamentalist is others infidel. The view is different depending on
which side one stands on. Expanding ambitions have resulted in
destructive wars and when fought under the banner of religion has a
scintillating effect. It can turn the most docile person into a
motivated soldier of god. The power of religion becomes apparent when
common ideology formed the strong adhesive that brought even the
bitterest rivals together towards the execution of a common objective.
The Islamic states of Bijapur, Golkonda, Ahmednagar and Bidar though
were bitter rivals for political acquisitions, got together to form the
Islamic sword arm against the Hindu shield.
In The battle of
Talikota in January 1565 when the last Vijayanagara king Rama Raya was
symbolically beheaded, it overturned the leaves of History. Soldiers at
both ends were brave and motivated. What possibly added to the lethality
of the Invading soldiers was a powerful ideology that bound them as
one. With the defeat, the destruction of Vijayanagara had just begun.
The anger and frustrations of the Islamic army did not seem to have
abated despite the convincing victory over the strongest unitary Hindu
empire. When the victorious invaders marched into the prosperous towns
of Vijayanagara, apart from loot, pillage and rapine, one of their core
focuses was to destroy the beautiful buildings predominantly religious
ones. An empire whose beginnings have been ascribed to the Islamic
invasions, thus met its end again with the Islamic invasion.
Hampi
is a metaphor for the passions, follies and limitations of the human
mind. It doesn't fail to remind one of the extremities of human
capabilities. Comparable to Pompeii, Giza or Mesopotamia at varying
times, Vijayanagara was the victim of the toxic fumes of the unholy
amalgam of religion & politics. The amalgam continues to exist and
leaves its venomous effects on the people. They continue to inhale it
without attempting to make a difference. Many secular institutions
turned into ruins and our fractured mental planes continue to accept
them. Many years of invasions and destruction have naturally left deep
the scars in our psyche. More than ever, we are divided by numerous
religions. Physically tolerating each other, mentally we stand divided.
Even
today, centuries after deliberate destruction that was possibly the
norm of the time, Vijayanagara continues to be damaged by ignorance and
neglect-by its own. By us. Hampi is not about the past-It is about the
present and our continued negligence of our history. When it comes to
History we believe -Ignorance is bliss. As a contradiction to our deep
religiosity, close association of Hampi with Ramayana & Mahabharata
hasn't prompted the majority of us to understand, explore or protect
what is rightfully ours-heritage.
Salvaging heritage is not an
easy job. It requires the involvement of the common people that needs a
change in mindset. There are many such sites in India that will benefit
from a little attention and resources.It's a part of the corporate
social responsibility to help regain and retain out past for the future.
It is indeed our dharma to play a role in saving our heritage-Sanjai
Velayudhan.So Hampi is the best place for traveling along with the best hampi tour packages
Hampi's historical significance is unrivalled. A culture lover's delight, this is where history lives on in the timeless 500-plus monuments, vast stretches of boulder-strewn hills and the royal platforms.
The ancient city has played host to many a civilization, from the kingdom of Vijayanagar to the Deccan Muslims who pillaged its Dravidian temples.
Today its beautiful temples, richly sculpted courtyards mirror the stories of its lost civilization. Spend three days in joyous discovery of the rich heritage of south India. Hampi invites pilgrims and backpackers in equal parts!