Friday February 3 - Hospet, Aihole, Pattadakai, Badami

Today we had a very long and bumpy ride as we made our way to Badami. We passed many water buffalo and teams of bullock carts as we drove. Bullock carts aren't decorated here in the wonderful way they are in the southern part of Karnataka.  Here it's the John Deere tractors that are festooned with brightly colored tinsel, flashing lights, tassels, and painted designs. I'm desperately trying to get decent photos of them.

We stopped in the morning at a colorful village market. Saw Lambodi (Deccan) women dressed in bright, multi-colored clothes decorated with mirrors and coins. Silver hair ornaments hung from (what appeared to be) strands of hair on either side of the face. They reminded us of tribal women we've seen in Gujarat. I particularly enjoyed the spice vendors with bags of marvelous smelling spices in every color imaginable. As we walked we came across a man (obviously some kind of performer) whose cheek, painted with yellow and red stripes, had a huge dagger piecing through it.

Our first historical site was Aihole (pronounced eye-ho-lay), a Chalukyan Dynasty capital dating from the 5th century. Aihole is regarded as the birthplace of Indian temple architectural styles and the site of the first built temples, distinct from those carved out of solid rock. Gopurum design shows how this early period influenced architecture seen at Halebid and other Hoysala Dynasty sites.

Most of the Aihole temples were originally dedicated to Vishnu but later became Shiva temples. It was amazing to see how facile artisans were using stone so many centuries ago. Some temple roofs looked as though they were made with wood; many had beautiful pierced windows, each in a different design; ceilings were adorned with circular motifs containing fish, nagas, and sacred flowers. Next we visited Ravanaphadi, a rock-cut Shiva shrine from the 6th century where inside we saw a tall dancing Shiva.

Pattadakal, a gorgeous temple on the banks of the Malaprabha River, is the second capital of the Chalukyan kings between the 7th and 8th c. It is the city where kings were crowned. The architecture of the vimana (the tower above the "inner sanctum' where the temple's deity is housed) reminded us of styles we'd seen in Orissan temples. On both the exterior and interior of the temples are beautiful carvings of figures of the gods. All but one of these temples are dedicated to Shiva.

At Pattadakal we saw a portion of a wedding ceremony quite different from our experience the other day. This time the young man (about to be a groom) underwent preparatory prayer and spiritual cleansing. He circled a temple prostrating himself again and again. There was a musical group preceding him, a person who ran placed the sari on the ground for the man to lie on, and a procession of men and women trailing carrying offerings such as coconuts to the gods.

Arrived in Badami, a small, dusty rural village and checked into our hotel.  What it lacks in decor and modernity our hotel makes up for in service. We sat outside for a hour on the grass near the pool. While we relaxed a group of Tollywood (Tamil Hollywood) movie people arrived, creating much excitement for Lakuma, Cliff and Cathy who knew them all.  We've been people watching ever since.

At dusk we took off as a group of five in an auto-rickshaw to look at textiles in town. Riding in the auto-rickshaw (aka 'tuk-tuk') was fun; Cliff and I sat in the back, laughing hysterically as we went over bumps and pot holes and hanging on for dear life. Lakuma took us to a nice textile shop and everyone else bought lovely cotton cloth and ordered shirts to be made. Cliff tried to find wi-fi in town, to no avail. I don't think there's internet anywhere in Badami. Took the auto-rickshaw back home. The restaurant at the hotel has delicious food and service is very nice.

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."

Wednesday February 1 - Hassan to Hospet

Typical South India Scene

Makeshift Public Transportation

Left the hotel at 8 for a full day of driving to reach Hospet, the overnight point for our sightseeing destination of Hampi. In the morning Lakuma told us a highly abridged version of the Mahabaratha, an 18 volume tale, about the rivalry between princely brothers who end up (after many side stories) facet-to-face on the battlefield. The hero, Ajuna, has Krishna on his side. Krishna tells Ajuna the morals of the Bagavagita as he urges him to fight the against evil pitted against him.

High Technology

Beautiful downtown Chitradurga (or is it Hospet? So hard to tell the difference)

At lunchtime in the small town of Chitradurga we were reunited with Cliff and Cathy who will continue with us for the remainder of our trip. They were delighted to see Lakuma again and we are all eager to hear about their adventures in northern India.

As we continued our drive in the afternoon we happened upon a village celebration that to us was rather exotic. We saw a goat being brought out for sacrifice and the men of the village dancing in the middle of the street (technically a "highway") with swords on the top of long sticks. Some men held axes. They danced in unison moving right then left and after awhile they jumped up and down in the air. Lakuma explained that once a year the village has a special ceremonial day rather like our Thanksgiving when they sacrifice a goat and chicken. There was such a throng of people in the middle of the road that it was impossible for us to continue driving so we just observed. I stayed in the van because I had a great view from slightly above the crowd. I videoed the men dancing and then the parade of people as they moved toward the temple. Women, who processed behind the men, carried saris, blankets and fruits as offerings to the gods. If I can figure out how to do so, I will post a clip.

Checked into our hotel at 6pm after what felt like a very long, VERY bumpy ride. Today's ride, perhaps because we were driving at a faster speed in a larger vehicle and on many roads under construction, felt the bumpiest of any of our rides. Went directly to the bar for our habitual vodka no ice and then to dinner. Had a chance to catch up with Cliff and Cathy and learn more about their Rajasthan experiences at the Jaipur Literary Festival.

Tourists much?

Tuesday January 31 - Mysore to Hassan

Said goodbye to the faded and empty Hotel Lalita Mahal Palace after having a delicious breakfast that included a masala omelet. Come to think of it every hotel we've stayed in have had wonderful breakfasts and I've never eaten so many eggs in my life as I have during this trip.

Set out early for a visit to a local vegetable market. Saw all kinds of produce that are integral to Indian cooking such as tamarind, small red and green tomatoes, chili peppers, yams (that look like huge rocks), coriander and mint leaves, limes (lemons), watermelon, coconut, garlic and ginger. Then on the way to Hassan

Lakuma told us the story of the Ramayana, or rather a 'cliff notes' version of the seven-volume tale that takes years to read. The Ramayana is the story of the hero Rama - the seventh incarnation of the god Shiva - versus his nemesis Ravana. At the climax of this spellbinding tale, Rama successfully saves (with the help of the monkey god Hanuman) his wife Sita from having been kidnapped and held prisoner for 14 years by Ravana on the island of Sri Lanka. Lakuma tells the story extremely well and at a level that we can understand.

One word came out of her storytelling that I'd like to remember - "muhurthe" (pronounced moo-hoort-a) - which means "the time between one second and a minute".  The meaning is that one should go with one's first instinct; that it's a mistake to over-think one's gut feeling regarding a decision because the gut instinct is more often than not correct.

Our first sightseeing stop of the day was a Jain Temple, Sravanbelagola. The temple is on top of a 400 ft hill made of slickrock and you need to climb 620 (steep!) steps to reach it. Fortunately the weather was sunny but not terribly hot and if you took the steps slowly, as I did, you could make it.  When we reached the top Lakuma told me to say "Jai Hanuman" which is apparently what you say if you've done something you didn't think you could do. I suppose it also has to do with reaching a destination because Hanuman flew all the way to Sri Lanka several times to help Sita and Rama.

At the top there is one of the largest monolithic statues in the world; a huge naked 58 ft statue of Bahubali (Gomateshvara) created in 981 AD. Jains are a particular Hindu sect who practice strict vegetarianism. They will not kill any form of life and even in the plant realm will not eat vegetables that grow beneath the ground. 

Afterward we ate lunch across the street from the temple at a restaurant strictly for locals. Checked into our charming hotel at about 2:30 (Hoysala Village in Hassan) and had 20 minutes to return to the bus to continue touring.

The late afternoon was spent visiting magnificent (I repeat magnificent) Hoysala Dynasty temples.

First to Halebid, another intricate and delicately carved soapstone temple created 800 years ago. The exterior temple carvings tell the story of the Ramayana. The temple is dedicated to Shiva and his wife the goddess Parvati. Shiva has 64 incarnations.

Then to Halebid (Chennakeshvara) temple built in 1116 AD. The King commissioned this temple to celebrate the victory of the Hoysalas over the Cholas. Chennakeshvara took 103 years to complete. The temple was designed by a notable sculptor of the period but signatures of other sculptors can also be found on the building. Halebid had figure carvings incised so deeply that they almost looked like free standing sculptural works. Some statues stand under branches and leaves that are fully formed and cut away from the background like lace. We were told that if you place a string through the eye of a statue it would emerge through the nose. Some were signed by particular artists. The carving is done in such a delicate manner that it's hard to believe they've survived for so many centuries. Truly magnificent artisanship.

The town of Hassan is dusty and nondescript but our hotel is quite charming. There are small bungalows spread across large grounds with a pool. Our room is quite new and in excellent condition with a modern bath. Returned to the hotel at 7 and had a nice dinner at the hotel in an open-air dining room with Lakuma. To bed exhausted around 10.

Monday January 30 - Mysore

Full day of touring in and around Mysore today. First I must mention that we are staying at the Hotel Lalita Mahal Palace, a former palace converted into a hotel which is now a sad shadow of its former self. Public areas appear grand and dazzling; our breakfast area has 30' ceilings and stained glass domes. As you enter the hotel you see an wooden elephant inlaid with ivory, a double staircase and magnificent chandeliers. However the rooms are, shall I say, not quite so grand. Despite the fact that it is now high season in India, we rattle around in this palace rarely meeting another guest. Last night (I'm writing on Tuesday am) Ferris and I went to have a drink and the English-style bar was padlocked. The dining room empty. We had to roust a bartender who was brought in to unlock the place.

Our day was extremely interesting. In the morning we drove 33km outside to town to visit what I would say is one of the most beautiful historic sights I've ever seen - I'd place it in my top 10 list of favorites. Somnathapur, dedicated to Vishnu, is an intricately carved star shaped Prasanna Channakeshara Temple built in 1268AD during the Hoysala Dynasty (contemporary to the Cholla). Delicately carved entirely of soapstone, I felt as if I were standing inside a jewel box.

Lakuma delighted to be speaking to "Mr. Cliff"

Lakuma told us that it took 1,000 people over 60 years to create this exquisite temple whose exterior carvings tell the story of the Ramayana. (Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, is the 7th incarnation of Vishnu). She said that until a few years ago when a new road was build from Mysore it used to be an entire day's journey to come here. Now it is (well, for India) quite easy. I highly recommend this a stop of anyone traveling in South India.

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Sugar Cane

Rice

As we drove through the lush countryside we passed Mulberry, Banyan, Betel and Coconut trees. My new favorite thing to photograph are colorfully painted oxcarts (actually they're called bullock carts here) depicting Hindu iconography. We walked through a local village, had a chance to see houses up close and interacted with several families.  In one location we even saw jaggery being which brought back many fond childhood memories for Lakuma.

The best part is that every cart has different paintings.

Young girl at jaggery factory.

There I happened to spot an iridescent turquoise Kingfisher bird sitting on a rock in the river. Had no idea they were so gorgeous.

Not bad for a Canon S100 from far away!

We stopped to experience a wedding ceremony for villagers. Actually we happened upon the scene a bit early and saw preliminary ceremonies only. But it was fun seeing the huge crowds that came, the colorful saris, the flowers, coconuts, the groom whose face was painted and the dressing of the bride whose hair was braided with jasmine flowers.

Preparation for Wedding Ceremony

While riding on the bus Lakuma taught us more about Hindu gods. She has colorful laminated cards showing images of deities. She held each up individually giving us time to tell her what we saw on each card and guess which deity we thought it might be. I had a flashback to my art history class days at Wellesley. Brahma has multiple heads, Shiva is depicted holding a trident and deer, and Vishnu holding a wheel and conch. Brahma wife is Sarasvati goddess of learning (Brahma's symbols: prayer chain/rosary beads and pot of water symbolizing the fact that he is the creator), Shiva's wife is Parvati goddess of power, Vishnu's wife is Lakshmi goddess of wealth.

Next we toured Tipu's Summer Palace (Daria Daulat Bagh) built in 1784 and made entirely of teak wood which is now a museum. Inside are gorgeous paintings of the life and times of ruler Tipu (no photos allowed).

We ended the day on Chamudi Hill visiting the Sri Chamundeswari Temple and the famous 16.5 ft tall Nandi (Shiva's Bull). I remember this bull so well from my childhood visit to India with my aunt Eze. Made sure to have my picture taken in front of it!