Thursday February 2 - Hospet / Hampi

The morning school bus.

Hampi is a World Heritage site and I have been eager to come here ever since reading about it in guidebooks. It's a special destination and takes a full day to tour. The archaeoligal site is spread out over a huge distance and we walked quite a long way in the hot sun. We began the morning at Hemakuta Hill on the southern side of the village of Hampi which has temples dating from the 9th and 10th centuries. 

Then walked down to the Temple Complex of Virupaksha. This is not an active Shiva temple but you wouldn't know that from the crowds and number of wedding ceremonies taking place inside. Lakuma said this is a special place to be married. We stood for a long time watching a ceremony where the family and friends, priest and bride and groom were seated on the ground. The wedding ritual involved coconuts, spices, string, leaves, oil and incense and much more. I took a video which I plan to post on the blog once it's edited down. Monkeys frolicked around the periphery and climbed up statues.

It was a hot and sunny and we walked through what looked like the ruins of a Roman city but with Hindu temples. I read that at one time over 100,000 people lived in the ancient town of Vijayanagara which was spread over 700 acres. The Vijayanagara empire (15/16th c) posted dated the Palava, Chola and Hoysala Dynasties. We walked along the lovely Tungabhadra River for about an hour (very hot walking along huge boulders in the blazing sun) and arrived at a magnificent temple dedicated to Vishnu, Vittala Temple, dated to the 16th c.

Inside was a beautiful monolithic carving of a chariot.

Then to a temple dedicated to Krishna, Krishnadeva Raya, from 1513. Saw a 22 ft statue of the 4th incarnation of Vishnu with the face of a lion - in the anger pose - called the Narasimha. In the late afternoon we visited an aqueduct and newly discovered water tank. Climbed to the top of a structure to see the sunset.

Returned home completely drenched and exhausted. Vodka never tasted so good!

Copied from our itinerary: "Hampi which lies 13 kms east of Hospet, was once the seat of the great Vijayanagara Empire and the center of Hindu rule for 200 years from its foundation in 1336. The Vijayanagar city ruins near the village of Hampi are one of the most fascinating historical sites in south India.  The superb ruins are set in a beautiful landscape - a hill country with enormous boulders.  Extremely wealthy, greater than Rome, they held a monopoly of trade in spices and cotton.  This site was chosen for strategic reasons, but the craftsmen excelled in adopting an ingenious style to blend in architectural masterpieces with the barren and rocky landscapes.  Most of the sites are 16th century and built during the 20-year reign of Krishna deva Raya."