Hampi: Tales from the splendorous ruins of an erstwhile city in Karnataka, Pt.2

"WHERE THERE IS RUIN, THERE IS HOPE FOR A TREASURE." – Anonymous

There are more than 1000 historical monuments in Hampi. Out of these 56 monuments have been declared as protected monuments by the Archeological Survey of India and 654 are protected by the Department of Archeology and Museums. It is believed that there are still 300 plus monuments, which are not protected by anyone. This is just to elaborate the scope of viewing.

The land of myth and legends:

There is a legend here about Goddess Parvati’s human birth as Princess Pampa and her prolonged penance to win Shiva’s attention. Hence, the place got its name Pampavati, which later corrupted to Hampe and then Hampi. Separate places in Hampi has its own mythical stories. Like Hemakuta (golden hill) gets its name from the shower of gold that is said to have rained upon it on the event of Shiva’s acquiescence. The site of their divine nuptials at the foot of the hill, marked by the sanctuary of the imposing 7th century Virupaksha temple.

About Anegundi, it is famous as the original capital of the Vijayanagara empire on the opposite bank of the river Tungabhadra. But also as ‘Kishkinda’: the mythical monkey kingdom of the Ramayana, and home of Hanuman. It is also believed that the boulders here, were used by the monkey army in the building of the legendary bridge to Lanka.

There are a lot more interesting stories. But, I have promised at the beginning I would limit 'the nature of digressiveness in detailing' and this seems like a valid point to stop legend-wise.

Back to the 'journey' to the 'Past':

I have already mentioned about the Sacred Center and the Royal Center in Hampi. For ease, let's consider another type - Hampi Ruins. Both centers have participants which can easily fall within the third type. But, I am specifically coining those places as Hampi Ruins which seemed most dilapidated to me, beyond comparison to other standing ones. Hence, Hampi Ruins is not a official classification, rather a self serving one.

Re: DAY - 2 & 3: [HOSAPETE - HAMPI] – 15-16th August 2019 (Thursday, Friday)

Let's start listing the places we visited, stating with those belonging to the Sacred Center -

SACRED CENTER

Sasivekalu Ganesh shrine - Near the tiny Hampi bus stand. Sasivekalu is a giant monolithic Ganesh statue. 'Sasivekalu' locally means 'mustard seed'. It is located on the southern foothill of the Hemakuta Hill very close to the Kadalekalu Ganesh.

In Hindu mythology, Ganesh (also known as Ganapathi or Vinayak) is notorious for his food habit. One day he ate so much of food that his tummy almost busted. He just caught a snake and tied it around his tummy as a belt to save his tummy from bursting. On this statue you can see the snake carved around his tummy. Also he holds the goad, pasha (noose) and his broken tusk. The hand which holds the modak (sweet ball) is broken. This statue was carved out of a huge boulder of ~2.4 meters (8 ft.). An open pavilion is built around the statue. According to inscriptions found nearby this pavilion, this was built by a trader from Chandragiri (present Andhra Pradesh) in 1506 AD, in memory of one of the Vijayanagar king – Narasimha II (1491-1505 AD).

• No admission fee. Photography allowed.

Kadalekalu Ganesh shrine - Located at the base of the Hemakuta Hill. It means 'Gram seed'. This statue was carved out of a huge boulder at the north-eastern slope of the Hemakuta hill. The belly of this statue resembles a Bengal gram (Kadalekalu).

A sanctum is built around the statue. There is a pillared hall in front of this sanctum. The open hall is constructed by unusually slender and tall pillars. Each of them is highly ornate with mythical themes. This 4.5 meters (15 ft.) tall statue is one among the largest sculptures in Hampi.

• No admission fee. Photography allowed.

Hampi Bazar - From the tiny Hampi bus stand, towards the soaring temple (Virupaksha) tower, for at about 1 km. 35 yards wide, ~800 yards long stretch was once the Hampi Bazar/Virupaksha Bazaar. It hosted shops and houses of the then elite and ends near the Monolithic Nandi/Bull at the foothill of the Matanga Hill.

Motors vehicles are not allowed into this area. The ruins of the then ‘super markets’ are now occupied by villagers as homes. Towards the west end pavilions are now encroached and made into shops, restaurants and the likes making the street narrower.

• No admission fee. Photography allowed.

Monolithic Bull - Situated at the east end of the Hampi Bazaar. Locally known as 'Yeduru Basavanna' or 'Nandi'. The statue is housed in a twin storied pavilion built on an elevated platform. It is partially mutilated and carved in a coarse style. Next to it, is a two storied pavilion.

The statue is located at the left side on the elevated platform with pillars supporting the upper structure. Nandi (the Bull) is the mount of Lord Shiva (Virupaksha). It’s thus symbolic that this statue facing the Shiva temple located at the other extreme of the street. From here one can trek along the left through a flight of steps to the Achyuta Raya's Temple across the hill.

• No admission fee. Photography allowed.

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple (Statue) - The largest statue of Hampi. Narasimha is seen sitting on the coil of a giant seven-headed snake (Sesh-Nag). The heads of the snake acts as the hood above his head. He is sitting in a cross-legged yoga position with a belt supporting the knees.

This form is also known as Ugra (terrifying) Narasimha due to the protruding eyes and facial expression. Narasimha literally means half-man, half-lion. He is the tenth incarnations of Vishnu. Question I had was, where is Lakshmi? Answer, the original statue contained the image of the Lakshmi sitting on his lap. But this statue was seriously damaged during the raid leading to the fall of Vijayanagar. The goddess’s hand is visible resting on his back in embracing posture. The shrine is located at mid-way of the main road that connects the Sacred Centre to the Royal Centre. About 200 meters south of the Krishna Temple. The Badavilinga Temple is just next to it.

• No admission fee. Photography allowed.

Badavilinga - In south of Narasimha Statue one can find the largest monolithic linga in Hampi.

Legend says, it was commissioned by a peasant woman. 'Badava' in kannada means 'the poor'. Hence, the name. The Linga is housed inside a chamber with an opening in the front. A close look on this icon can reveal three eyes. These are nothing but depiction of the three eyes of Siva carved on it.

• No admission fee. Photography allowed.

Hemakuta Hilltop - We trekked from behind the Ganesh shrines to the hilltop. The path is stepped and we reached a two-storied gateway. This hill has large number of temples, archways and pavilions. The whole section was once fortified with tall wide stone walls, the ruined remains of which can be still be seen.

Its about a 15 minutes’ climb, through almost a flat rocky sheet with occasional ups and downs.Myth have it that it’s on this hill that Lord Shiva did 'tapasya' (penance) before marrying a local girl Pampa. Shiva was impressed by her dedication for him and consent to marry her. On this it rained gold on this hill. ‘Hema’ in Sanskrit means gold. This is also the place where Shiva burnt Kamdev (the god of lust) with his third eye's fire. In helping Pampa to marry Shiva, Kamdev distracted Shiva from his penance. This attracted the wrath of Shiva. Later Rati (Kamdev’s wife) pleaded for his life. So, Shiva brought him back to life in 'character' not as a 'physical being'.

• Hemakuta group of temples or Jain Temples – These are the cluster temples located on top of the Hemakuta Hills adjacent and south of the Virupaksha temple. Due to architecture these temples are mistaken for Jain Temples. But, most of them are dedicated to Shiva.

These are compact temples with pyramid-like roofs resembling that of the Jain temples. A number of temples located on the northern end of the hills are made in what is called the Trikutachala style (three shrines positioned perpendicular to the next face a common central hall, fluted foundation and curvy eaves overhanging are other typical features on the exterior). More than 30 such structures are in the vicinity. The largest and the most elaborate ones are located on the northern slop of the hill facing the Virupaksha temple campus. These are in fact one of the oldest clusters of temples in Hampi.

• No admission fee. Photography allowed.

Virupaksha Temple - I remember us being dropped outside Hampi Bazar and then walking about a kilometer to reach Virupaksha Temple. It was past 1 P.M.; so the temple was closed. Hence we decided to travel other spots and then come back once it opens after 5 P.M.

Virupaksha Temple is a 120 ft. tall structure. Parts of this temple is older than the Vijayanagar kingdom itself. The architectural style dates back to the 11th/12th century. Virupaksha means

the one with oblique eye, who is Shiva (third eye). This is the oldest and the principal temple in Hampi, still in active state. It believed that this temple has been functioning uninterruptedly ever since its inception in the 7th century AD. That makes this one of the oldest functioning temples in India. Originally it was a few separate humble shrines (~ 7th century) housing the image of the god and the goddesses. Over the centuries the temple gradually expanded into a sprawling complex with many sub shrines, pillared halls, flag posts, lamp posts, towered gateways and even a large temple kitchen. Temples main entrance tower is accessed through the chariot street/Hampi Bazaar.

An east facing giant tower (called Gopura) is pastel painted and 9 storied with a pair of cow horn like projections. The lower two tiers of the tower are made of decorated stone work. The progressively diminishing superstructure is made with brick and mortar. All around the exterior of the first tier spots many interesting stucco figures. There are erotic figures of the amorous couples located at the south side of the tower. The main temple is east facing and has two large courtyards, one leading to the other. The first courtyard mainly houses a pillared hall called 100-column hall at the far left corner, Kalyan-mandap at the far right corner, administrative offices, the ticket counter, a police outpost and an old well. Further forward (east) is the second tower, the three storied tower built in 1510 AD is known after its patron, Krishadeva Raya.

The most striking feature of this temple’s court is the central pillared hall known as the Rang-Mandap added to the temple complex in 1510 AD by Krishadeva Raya. Further west, beyond a small inner hall, is the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Virupaksha. Two 4 armed guardian deities, about 8 feet tall, stand on either side of the entrance to the inner hall. The ceiling of this inner hall is decorated with an open lotus motif. The sanctum contains the idol of lord Virupaksha in the form of a Linga (A phallus image). Surrounding this principal shrines are the shrines of Virupakshas consort and other deities. The most important of the sub shrines are that of Goddess Pampa and Bhuvaneswari, consorts of lord Shiva, towards the north of the main shrine. These shrines are in fact much older than the rest structures in the compound. The short circular pillars and the doorways and the ceiling are richly carved. A bit east along the cloister, after a flight of steps leads to an underground chamber. This contains the shrine of Pataleswar, a form of lord Shiva. Further east is the shrine of the planetary deities. Images of the nine planetary deities (Nava Grahas) are arranged on an elevated platform. Lack of prior knowledge made us miss the pinhole camera effect present in just before the exit on the right side. There is a dark chamber with a slit on the wall. When sunray pass through this slit it forms an inverted shadow of the main tower on the wall, a kind of pinhole camera effect created with stonework. As we came out of the temple campus, there was a shrine dedicated to the founder sage Vidyaranya. Another important information here, the giant north tower is called Kangiri Gopura. And near the main sanctum is a sacred pond, named the Manmatha Tank.

• Entry to the complex is paid, video recording has separate charge.

Manmantha Tank - It is a temple tank next to Virupaksha. This is tank is the prime water body associated with the temple. Rectangular stone blocks form a gallery like steps around the pond. The white and brick red vertical strips painted over the steps are a typical feature of Hindu temples. A long row of shrines is doted along the northern edge of the tank are of more antiquity than the Virupaksha temple. Some are as old as 8 century AD.

• No admission fee. Photography allowed.

Matanga Hill - This hill is situated at the center of Hampi. It is also the highest point. We saw it only from afar. We had limited time. Hence decided against trekking this hill. Consequently we missed Veerbhadra Temple atop too. Matanga Hill is one of the important locations mentioned in the Hindu mythology, Ramayana. The place was the hermitage of Sage Matanga. Monkey prince Vali killed a buffalo demon called Dundhuvi and thrown the corps on to the sacred Matanga hill. Angry at this act, sage Matanga cursed Vali that he could never venture on to this hill. Later Dundhuvi's son Mayavi fought with Vali to avenge his father's death. Vali chased him into a cave; and asked his brother Sugreeva to stand guard outside. After a while thinking that Vali was killed in the fight, Sugreeva closed the cave. Finally, Vali emerged from the cave and chased Sugreeva out of the monkey kingdom. Sugreeva along with his warrior general Hanuman, took refuge at the Matanga hill, as Vali could not climb this hill. Later Lord Rama killed Vali and crowned Sugreeva as the king of the monkeys.

• No admission fee. Photography allowed.

Krishna Temple, Bazar and Pushkarini - The temple has another name 'Balakrishna Temple', as the main idol installed inside the temple is the statue of Bala Krishna (infant Krishna). This was built by the King Krishnadevaraya in 1513 AD to celebrate the conquest of the eastern kingdom of Udayagiri or Utkala (Orissa). A huge slab installed inside the courtyard of the temple states the story of this temple and the conquest of Ulkala. The carvings are especially spectacular with the Yalis (the mythical lion) on the pillars and the entrances to the temple hall flanged with impressive carvings of elephant balustrades (a vertical molded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways). Many small shrines and pillared halls adorn the campus. The temple kitchen is located at the south east of the main shrine. The main tower at the east is an impressive sight with numerous carvings on it (under restoration). This is one of the few temples where the epic stories are carved on the walls of the tower. This is fairly an intact specimen of a Vijayanagar era temple. One can spot a small pavilion with a rectangular stone container in front of the temple across the road. This was used to store grains for the ritual purpose in the temple festivals. Further east outside the temple there is a long hall like structure. On the right (south) of it are the banana plantations. The left area is mostly a rocky landscape. Near the west gate of the temple campus spot a narrow passage leading to a large rectangular building. Made in Islamic style architecture this was probably a granary attached to the temple.

Krishna Bazaar is a relatively newly excavated site in Hampi. This was the car street for the temple. The sacred tank (Pushkarini) of the temple too is located next to the Krishna Bazaar. Small pavilion at center, beautifully carved aquatic devices.

Krishna Bazaar is bit low laying with respect to the relatively elevated site of the temple. So a series of broad steps in front of the Krishna Temple helps to reach the bazaar street. The whole bazaar got buried in silt over the time. This area later turned into thickets of banana plantations. Before the excavations it was impossible to tell that it was a marketplace once. While entering from the temple side, we saw long rows of pavilions along the bazaar street and excavated rubble bases of old structures and cobbled pathways.

• No admission fee. Photography allowed.

There are many other places in Sacred Center worth your time. But due to our limited time or sometimes just lacking in knowledge caused us missing as many as twelve places and may be many more I yet not now. Let me list those which I know as of now -

1. Surely Missed - Courtesan’s Street, Saraswathi Temple, Chandikeswara, Uddana Veerbhadra Temple, Chakratirtha, Vishnupada Shrine, Mataga Hill’s Veerabhadra Temple.

2. Can't recall for sure (No photos, probably missed) - Varaha Temple, Kodanda Rama Temple, Rangatha Temple, Achyuta Raya Temple or Tiruvengalanatha Temple, Akka Tangi Gundu (sister stones).

to be continued....

<<== PART -1 PART - 3 ==>>

References:

1. A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar) – A contribution to the history of India, Robert Sewell

2. Verghese, A., (2002), Archaeology, Art and Religion: New Perspectives on Vijayanagar, Oxford University Press, New Delhi.

3. Michell, G. and J. M. Fritz, (1986), Hampi: Splendors of Vijayanagar Empire, Lavanya Publishers, Bombay.

4. Hampi Archeological Heritage Tourism Destination - An Analysis, BRICS Young Scientist Forum, Bangalore Conclave 2016, 25 Sep—01 Oct

5. Wikipedia

6. IMDB

7. Google Maps