Imagine being transported about 500 years ago in time. There are some glaring differences in daily life: the electric bulb has not been invented, there are no automobiles. Social conventions are different. The idea of a global village cannot even be conceived. Travelling 1000 km is considered as a difficult journey, which probably took a week to complete. However, trade flourishes much like today, despite the difficulties. The markets contain produces from lands far away. I can think of a seller in the market saying: "These are ordinary pots, but if you want something special take a look at this. It is a pot from China, with blue artwork. Only for you, I will offer it for ...." Imagine being in Vijaynagar, Hampi around this time. What would it have been like?
Luckily, we don't have to imagine. The Portuguese traveller Domingo Paes visited Hampi in 1520. Here is what he had to say about its market: "“The quantity of merchandise which is sold in these bazaars is very great .... The streets and the markets are full of laden oxen without count, so that you can hardly pass, so many are there which come from the interior laden with provisions to the city." The source of this quote is https://hecimal.com/witness-to-glory-domingo-paes-and-the-vijayanagara-empire-78e16a3effb6?gi=c484918e53ba/. The marketplace is described at http://hampionline.com/history/domingo.php in evocative terms: "Going forward, you have a broad and beautiful street, full of rows of fine houses and streets of the sort I have described, and it is to be understood that the houses belong to men rich enough to afford such. In this street live many merchants, and there you will find all sorts of rubies, and diamonds, and emeralds, and pearls, and seed-pearls, and cloths, and every other sort of thing there is on earth and that you may wish to buy. Then you have there every evening a fair where they sell many common horses and nags, and also many citrons, and limes, and oranges, and grapes, and every other kind of garden stuff, and wood; you have all in this street." What a description it is of a vibrant market !
My wife and I got a flavour of what Hampi must have been like 500 years ago during our visit there last week. This blog post describes our visit to Hampi, Aihole, Pattadakal and Badami. We covered the places in that order, but I will not follow the chronological order in this blog post. The pictures taken on my smartphone are used as a starting point for discussion.
Now let me go even backward in time! About 50,000 years ago, the Middle Paleolithic Age is coming to an end, which began 300,000 years ago. During this time, Neanderthal humanity is making its presence felt. Feelings of community are developed: in Israel and Europe, there is evidence of burial being done. Meanwhile, in the Deccan plateau, Neanderthal man has begun making tools using stones. The museum in Aihole, whose website is available at https://www.asidharwadcircle.in/aihole-museum/ contains a chart of geological evolution and about tools being found in the Deccan plateau. There are unremarkable looking rocks that are tools of another age ! Yet how significant they are! The tools in the museum were used for cutting and perhaps for hunting. How much of history that piece of stone would have seen !
It was on the last day of our visit that we covered Aihole, Pattadakal and Badami. This area has hills and rocks of sandstone, imparting a strong reddish brown colour to the sculptures there. The Durga temple in Aihole is a striking example, as seen at https://karnatakatourism.org/tour-item/durga-temple-aihole/. While the name of the temple is the Durga temple, the inscription at the site indicates that it is an Aditya (Sun God) temple. It was constructed by the Chalukyas in the 7th century CE.
If imagining life 500 years is difficult, imagine how life was 13 centuries ago ! Yes, there would still be no mobiles, electricity and automobiles, but even the contact with foreign lands may have been lesser. Travellers would be far fewer. I can see sculptors coming together at the end of a tiring day. One of them says: "Well,that is a good day's work. The gopura should be ready soon. Our ruler will be happy when he visits the temple." This is how the temples were built: through dedication, effort and a single minded focus.
The sculptures in Aihole, Pattadakal and Badami have presence. The three physical dimensions are length, breadth and height. In Hampi, the carvings are on temple walls and pillars, to a large extent. The sculptor's canvas reduces to two dimensions: height and length. Well, at least those are the names I give to the dimensions in the pillars and temple walls! The perception of depth (or breadth) is limited if the sculptures are to be done on temple walls. In Aihole, Pattadakal and Badami, this is not the case: there are sculptures where one can see the depth in stunning detail.
It may have helped the sculptors that at this time, the Chalukya kingdom was at its peak. The empire based out of Badami, spread until the Narmada river in Gujarat westwards, to Nellore in the South and Krishna river in the East. Construction would have proceeded smoothly, I imagine. This allowed the sculptors to indulge in their creativity.
This sculpture of Vishnu's avatara Lord Varaha Swami bearing Bhoomi Devi (Mother Earth!) to safety is one example of the creativity and imagination. The feet of Varaha are distinctly seen, except for the back. The three physical dimensions are clearly seen here.
Pattadakal translates to "The stone of the rein/ kingdom/ throne" in Kannada. https://karnatakatourism.org/tour-item/pattadakal/ reports that this was a place where kings were crowned. The same webpage has information about how different architectural styles seen across India are present. In effect, Pattadakal can be considered as a nursery of sorts, for temple construction! The Galaganatha temple resembles temples seen in North India. The Sangameshwara temple is in the Dravidian style seen commonly in temples in South India.
The skill of the artists has to be seen and admired in all the heritage locations. Sculptures were carved with devotion and discipline which bring legends to life.
Badami has historic cave temples. It was the capital of the Chalukya dynasty. The history of Badami is described in https://bagalkot.nic.in/en/tourist-place/badami-caves/. There are four caves, the first one dedicated to Shiva, the second to Vishnu, the third to both Shiva and Vishnu while the fourth has sculptures related to Jainism.
There are many monkeys in the caves. We were warned not to hold loose bags or water bottles. The warning was helpful. We saw a monkey snatch a water bottle, break it open and sip a few drops using its hand.
Near cave 1, this sculpture of the Nataraja Shiva greets us. It is a superb sculpture. I was impressed by the fingers of the Nataraja seen in the middle to the left. The proportion looks so correct! Lord Ganapati is located on one side.
Lord Shiva is seen here as Ardhanarishwara. The significance of Ardhanishwara is explained at https://isha.sadhguru.org/en/wisdom/article/ardhanarishvara. I thought that the skeletal form behind Ardhanishwara is Bhairava. I was wrong, it is Rishi Bhringi. The legend is explained at https://www.amarchitrakatha.com/mythologies/the-legend-of-bhringi/.
About 500m from the caves is the Agastya Theertha, a man-made lake. It was so peaceful, my wife said: "You go and explore if you want. I am sitting here and will go to the taxi later." There were a couple of men fishing, a picture of leisure. It was relaxing.
I decided to visit the Bhutanath temple on the other side of the lake. It is a kilometre away. On the way is a small museum. There are blue signboards to the museum put up by the Archaeological Society of India. They helped me find my way through a village.
I entered the museum a couple of minutes before 5 p.m., the closing time. The security guard and his supervisor watched me impatiently. I was between them and the end of their working day! There are a few interesting sculptures in the museum. One that shocked and surprised me was that of Lajja Gauri, a goddess associated with fertility. I read about it later at https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/2021/Apr/29/lajja-gauri-fertility-cult-mother-goddess-worship-2296166.html.
I walked to the Bhutanath temple. It has two main temples, discussed at https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/karnataka/badami/bhutanatha-temple. There are carvings of Lord Vishnu's avatars on the cave nearby. The view of the lake and the Badami cave temples is quite a sight.
How can I summarise our experience in Hampi? In a phrase: it was memorable. I am glad we took the services of a local guide. He was knowledgeable not just about the local history but also about photography. He has an eye for capturing images which made for many pictures featuring both of us, something unusual for me! I prefer to capture images as they are, without me in them!
We met our guide at Virupaksha temple. https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/karnataka/hampi/virupaksha-temple discusses the glory of Hampi and its construction. The majestic "gopura" or entrance tower is 50m high! Our guide pointed out three figures in a prone (or supine) position, shown in outline on the floor. Our guide explained: "People entering the temple have to do the 'shasthanga namaskara' on entering the temple. The images of man, woman and child in the horizontal position instructs devotees how to do it, with their hands fully stretched and meeting each other in prayer." I would have ignored the figures on the floor, but now I looked at them in a new light.
The Hampi Bazaar that Domingo Paes has described so beautifully is a long stretch of stone pillars. At its peak the market must have been a centre of trade, hustle and bustle! Our guide told us that it is believed that the bazaar extended from the Gayatri Peetha about a kilometer away at least.
The Virupaksha temple is where Lord Shiva is supposed to have burnt Manmatha or Lord Kamadeva to ashes for disturbing his meditation. In normal temples, prayers are offered once a day.
In this temple, prayers are offered thrice a day to Shi va, which is why there are three Nandis in the temple. The Virupaksha temple has a board that describes the royal dynasties involved with Vijayanagara/ Hampi. The website https://www.britannica.com/place/Vijayanagar summarises the history. There is a kalyani near the Virupaksha temple.
The paintings on the ceiling of the Virupaksha temple are described well at https://www.indica.today/research/conference/analysis-of-mural-paintings-in-virupaksha-temple-hampi/.
Our guide pointed out various "shaasana"s or declarations or edicts in Hampi.
Monkeys roaming about the temple often leap at women to grab at the flowers they wear. Our guide explained: "Artificial colour is added to keep the flowers looking pretty in some cases. The monkeys have developed a fondness for such flowers!" We saw one monkey play around with a stolen water bottle.
Next, we went into a museum that showed photos of how Hampi has changed over the years. An interesting fact is that both the museum and the police station at Hampi are constructed in the Vijayanagar style itself. It rained while we were in the museum, but it was a light rain that soon stopped.
Apart from incidents associated with Lord Shiva, legends from Ramayana abound around Hampi. We saw a cave that was where Shabari is supposed to have lived. I saw a temple upwards from Shabari's cave. I am sure there are legends associated with it as well ! The Pampa Sarovara (tank) is near the cave. This is one of the five holy lakes associated with the Hindu religion. The goddess Parvathi prayed at the Pampa Sarovara, it is said.
We went to the Kodanda Rama temple next. By this time, it was about 1 p.m. The temple had closed. The environment around the Kodanda Rama temple is peaceful and green. The Thungabhadra river flows silently. There is a small island hillock called Chakrathirtha. My wife and I had another day for Hampi, we decided to come again here. Our guide told us: "There are three tall idols of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana in the Kodanda Rama temple. This is where Sugreeva was crowned as king after his brother Vali was killed by Lord Rama. A few meters away is the Yanthrodharaka Hanuman temple. https://karnatakatourism.org/tour-item/yantrodharaka-temple/ describes its significance. Rama and Hanuman met for the first time here, it is said.
Hampi is recognised for some characteristic sculptures. Among these sculptures are the Ugra Narasimha (the Angry Lord Narasimha), Sasive kaalu Ganapati (the Ganapati with the mustard sized leg) and the Kadile kaalu Ganapati (the Ganapati with legs of chickpea) and the stone chariot of Vijay Vittala temple. We visited Ugra Narasimha, the Badavi Linga, the Kadalekalu Ganapati and then went for lunch towards Kamalapura. Temples in the fifteenth century were usually constructed by kings, but the Badavi linga is an exception. As https://hampi.in/badavilinga-temple, the Badavi Linga is the result of the devotion of a poor woman, not a rich king. In that respect, this is an unusual temple. The linga is surrounded by water.
After lunch we went to the Vijay Vittala temple. This is where the iconic stone chariot on the Indian Rs. 50/- note is seen. Of course, our guide ensured that we got a photograph taken in front of the chariot ! As we went in the buggy from the gate to the Vijay Vittala temple, our guide told us: "There used to be trade here on both sides. This is the Vittala Bazaar. Horses, camels and other animals were bought and sold. You can see a huge pushkarani here." The temple was constructed in the fifteenth century. According to our guide, the Vittala idol from Pandharapura was worshiped here for thirty years or so and then taken back. It is a fact that there is no idol in the Vijay Vittala temple currently but I didn't find any references online that corroborate this information.
At the Vijay Vittala temple are the musical pillars. When I visited the temple in '94 or '95 I seem to recall how the pillars would ring out musical notes when struck. Now, that is prohibited. Our guide informed us that there are other pillars which are also musical. I find it incredible that solid stone can be carved in a way that musical notes can be heard. What skill there must have been among the sculptors of those days !
By this time it was already well past 4 p.m. Our guide showed us Matanga hill where sunsets can be seen. This was a cloudy day, so we did not climb the hill. We went to the Lotus Mahal. The Lotus Mahal was designed for one of the queens and had plumbing so that it was cool even in the hot summers associated with Vijayanagara area. The elephant stable nearby was another attraction that we visited. The size of the stable has to be seen to be believed. I had visited last in '94 and was awed by the structure then. 31 years on, it still boggles the mind !
Just as the Hazaara Rama temple was about to be closed, we entered it. Our guide told the security guard that we would be out soon. He showed us the panels of the walls of the temple covered with the story of the Ramayana. There was Shravana taking blind parents. Here
are the princes of King Dasharatha, there was Ravana carrying away
Sita. If I take myself to the 15th century again, looking at the panels
Ramayana would come alive, I imagine !
Our final stop on the day was the Malayavantha Rama temple. Our guide told us: "There are priests from Ayodhya who chant all day long!" Sure enough, there were two of them with huge books in front of them sitting, facing each other. To me, it sounded as if they were reciting Tulsidas Ramayana but I may be wrong. Malayavantha Rama shows the idols in a seated posture - because this is where Lord Rama stayed in a cave in the monsoon season. The temple emerges from the rocks, as seen from the boulders on the back. https://visithampi.com/malyavantha-raghunatha-temple/ narrates the legend. There is a cleft between the rocks, rumoured to be from an arrow struck by Lakshmana.
Vijayangara (I use the term interchangeably with Hampi!) offered us many memorable sites - and sights ! On the day we arrived in Hospet, we were early at around 5 a.m. Near our hotel, one idli vendor had begun business already. Tempted, we ate hot idlis. After a filling breakfast at our hotel, we hired a taxi to go to Anegundi. Our driver said that Anegundi would take half a day. Anjanadri hill is the birth place of Lord Hanuman, which is located in Anegundi. There are 475 steps that lead us to the top. We climbed the steps barefoot up to the top, wary of monkeys. We saw many groups utter "Jai Shri Rama" as they made the climb. As it was monsoon, the crowd was not too much, though groups of tourists still climbed and descended the hill. The temple is significant and the views from the top of the hill are beautiful. I saw the Thungabhadra river as a section of greyish silver. There was greenery all around thanks to the heavy rains a week ago. On the way to Anegundi, we saw rice and sugarcane crops ready to be planted. I had an impression that Ballari and Hospete are dry places where nothing grows: how mistaken I was! The Thungabhadra dam has enabled farmers to grow sugarcane and paddy. The traces of Kishkinda are seen in the many temples in the area.
Unaccustomed to walking barefoot, the soles of my feet hurt after we descended the Anjanadri hill. I left my slippers and walked to the Durga temple - and found myself struggling to land my feet ! The short walk to the temple made me gingerly step on to the smoothest parts on the ground : sand or grass felt good, stone pained me to a small extent. By the evening, my feet were back to normal. A few hundred meters from the Durga temple is Vali's cave. This is supposed to be the cave where Vali instructed his brother Sugreeva to wait for him as he entered the cave to fight a demon. When Sugreeva saw blood on the floor, he assumed that Vali was dead and shut the cave with boulders. This resulted in enmity between the brothers, since Vali was the one who was victorious in the battle. The cave is a short U-shaped cave. I doubt that this was the cave mentioned in the Ramayana - or perhaps it has shrunk over the years. The ruins of Anegundi Fort are near the temple.
I need to emphasize one point here: the hills and caves are a matter of belief and faith. I recall that when we visited Nashik in the '80s, around Triambakeshwara temple, there is a hill there as well which is supposed to be the Anjanadri hill where Hanuman was born ! I am tempted to say that the Anjanadri hill at Hampi is THE one where Hanuman was born, but my rational side advises me to be skeptical ! It is a matter of faith, let me leave it at that!
The village of Kamalapura is about 8 k.m. away from Hampi. Our driver took us to a restaurant which served tasty Uttara Karnataka food (North Karnataka). The meal had soft jolada rottis, godi huggi (a kind of porridge made of wheat) and two or three delicious curries.
We went to the Tungabhadra dam in the afternoon, after eating lunch. Vaikuntha is the name of a government guest house on the top of a small hill at the dam. From Vaikuntha one can see the Thungabhadra dam and the river. The catchment area looks so vast, it is like the sea itself ! One memorable experience was the wind at Vaikuntha. A strong breeze blew continuously, refreshing all of us and threatening to even lift us off our feet! There is a nice garden at the dam but we didn't go there.
The Tungabhadra dam and the picturesque garden are seen from near the Vaikuntha guest house here.
This was on the first day. The second day was spent with the guide seeing Virupaksha temple and Vijay Vittala temple. On the third day, we started at Kodanda Rama temple first, hiring an auto. The idols in the temple are spectacular, tall and majestic. The previous day our guide told us: "I sit at the Tulasi katte and still get to see Rama. The peaceful environment calms me down." We did exactly that. The idols are indeed clearly seen from a spot twenty feet away from the steps of the temple. The river behind us, the greenery around us and the temple combine to offer a meditative environment at the Kodanda Rama temple.
We went for a "theppa" (coracle) ride for thirty minutes. Our boatman showed us temples on the river. He took us to a spot between three boulders. There was a niche into which the theppa comfortably went in. "This is a parking place for the theppa!", said our boatman. For a few minutes, we were there, silent, looking at the rocks of Chakratheertha and the Thungabhadra river. I could easily imagine that rishis (sages) came to Chakrateertha, climbed the hill and meditated and prayed. A cloudy, breezy day just heightened the serenity of the place. Just like the earlier two days, the wind was pretty strong even on this day. Navigating the coracle against this strong wind was quite a challenge. Our boatman took the coracle to the edge of Chakratheetha and waited for the wind to subside. After a few minutes, we were back near the Kodanda Rama temple, from where we had started.
The theppa trip had rejuvenated us. We went to the Achyutha Raya temple next. https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/karnataka/hampi/achyutaraya-temple describes the significance of the temple. It is close to the Matanga hill. We passed a pushkarani that was huge in size. Almost opposite the temple about half a kilometer away is the Varaha temple. There was a cave nearby, called Sugreeva's cave. This is the cave where Sugreeva stored Sita's jewels which she had dropped consciously, it is said. There were two strips of light coloured quartz on the rocks. The legend is that the two strips are part of Sita's dress. It sounds fanciful, but it makes for interesting viewing. There is a small water body (a really small pond) just in front of the cave.
We went to Gayatri Peetha and spent time on the hills there.
We headed towards Kamalapur for lunch. On the way our auto driver stopped at a place where soldiers of the army would eat. There are stone plates carved meant for serving food. After lunch our first stop was the Ganagitti temple. This is a Jain temple, as explained in https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/karnataka/hampi/ganagitti-temple. From there, we went to Bhima's gate. Hampi is associated with the Ramayana typically. However, this gate shows us incidents from the Mahabharata.
These are the plates, carved in stones, meant for soldiers to eat from.
Bhima kills the evil Keechaka. There are two panels with this image, I don't know why. Draupadi, his wife, had pledged to do her hair only after all the Kaurava princes who insulted her were killed. She is seen here redeeming that vow.
From there, we went to Pattabhi Rama temple. This is a grand temple, located away from the main spots. My wife and I were the only visitors. The sculptures on the pillars were captivating, as usual, narrating incidents from the Ramayana.
We went back to Hampi after this. On the way we went to a Saraswati temple and saw a symmetric octagonal bath. https://hampi.in/octagonal-bath describes the details.
This is one view of the octagonal bath.
The Mahanavami Dibba (Mahanavami Hillock or Knoll) was used by the kings to view parades and processions during the Dasara festival. The view from the top is superb. Again, it was windy. The month of Ashada associated with strong winds had begun on that very day. It looked like the Wind God had decided to make his presence felt from a couple of days earlier itself ! We came up by one way and got down another way. The carvings on the Mahanavami Dibba highlight trade and the multicultural aspect. I saw carvings of horses, camels, Arabs, Chinese which indicated how much Vijayangara/ Hampi was in the centre of activities. There is a pushkarani nearby, in the form of a stepped well. It looks beautiful. https://www.hampionline.in/guide/stepped-tank-in-hampi explains that black schist stones were used in the construction of this pushkarani, making it stand out among the other brown rock structures. The water was fed into it by means of an aquaduct.
There is an Underground Chamber a few meters away from the well. The purpose of this room is unclear currently. https://hampi.in/underground-chamber suggests that it was a room for secret discussions. Perhaps it was a storage area of some kind. We were doubtful if it was safe to go down into the chamber. An old woman nearby saw our diffidence and shouted: "Use the current in your phone and go and see it." She meant the torch in our phones, of course ! Heeding those words, we descended: the first step was higher than normal, but the rest of the descent of a few steps was usual. It does get dark once we get away from the steps, but light can be seen if one moves about. In the relative darkness, we moved across a couple of rooms before coming back to the steps.
Mining is prohibited in an area of around 30 kilometers around Hampi. This is a good idea, I am sure the land will reveal more wonders from the medieval times and beyond.
As I conclude this blog post, a thought strikes me: it is due to the dedication, skill and artistry of the sculptors that we have an idea of how life was in the 16th century in Vijayanagara. It is the "shaasanas" carved in stone that enable us to know who granted the land or who constructed the temple.
In today's era there is little which is this permanent. The audio cassette tapes that we had in our old home had to be disposed when we moved to our new home since I do not have a player for them now! Gramophone was a rage in the earlier part of the 20th century. Now, it is only collectors and fans of analog music who would prefer it. The chargers on mobile phones developed 20 years ago are practically obsolete now. We live in an age where obsolescence is built into products and services !
My blog posts contain a lot of hyperlinks. If I read some of my earlier blog posts, these links do not work now. This blog post that I write may disappear a few years from now! Technology changes rapidly in today's era and permanence is not a requirement for anything, be it a TV or even a car or a house ! Everything has a lifespan associated with it. Given this reality, what would a blogger (or his/ her equivalent) five hundred years from now think of 2025 CE? In fact, do we have anything that would be that permanent?! I think it is only mega-structures that may indicate to the future what happened during our time.
I was struck by a remarkable chapter in the book "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" available at https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2610/pg2610-images.html#link2HCH0015 where its author Victor Hugo describes the changes in Paris. In it, he describes how Paris in his time (in the 1830s!) has few remarkable structures. The palaces and structures of an earlier age endured, but his opinion was that Paris would renew itself every fifty years. His lament at the so called degradation of Paris is noteworthy. Of course, since then, the city has survived, thrived, evolved and hosted the Olympics games and is considered as one of the foremost cities of the world. Yet, perhaps it has lost some of its history due to the march of time.
Of all that we do today, how much can/ will endure? How much of it will be physical, like books that we can hold and read? In a world where we can lead multiple lives in the online virtual world, what can be the defining structure or symbol of our times now? The temples of Hampi and Pattadakal with their stunning sculptures, the paintings by Renaissance artists in Europe and the remarkable bridges and buildings constructed across the world in an earlier age that represent solid engineering offer us an insight into times several hundreds of years ago. It is the writing of Domingo Paes that shows the vibrancy of the Hampi/ Vijayanagar kingdom. With most of our life being intangible in the virtual world of the internet, the question about what can reflect our time is an open one. Hopefully, buildings like the Burj Khalifa or perhaps spacecraft that can venture to other planets or stars may endure as a symbol of our times now. I will keep looking to see if I can answer this question for myself in the time to come !
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