Out of Office, into HAMPI!

Work took me to Hyderabad in early March 2015. Returning to Mumbai when a three day long weekend was around the corner would be highly unlike me. So I decided to take a small 12 hour detour to the City of Ruins, Hampi. One overnight bus journey from Hyderbad and I was transported to Hampi, once the stronghold of the mighty Vijayanagara empire and now a UNESCO World Heritage site. From palaces to market streets to a unique landscape with rivers cutting through boulders, this ancient metropolis has the right mix of history, nature and culture to suit even the most discerning traveller.

While most tourists would choose to camp out at Hospet or Hampi, I chose my accommodation in the rustic surroundings of Anegundi. This quaint hamlet located across the River Tungabhadra is also the former capital of the Vijayanagara empire. My home for the next few days was Uramma, a restored heritage budget homestay. What really fascinated me was that this was originally a house that belonged to the book keepers of the Vijaynagara kingdom. The accountant in me just couldn’t imagine a more fitting abode!

Uramma – Peshegaar, the heritage home of the accountants of the Vijaynagar empire!

Uramma – Peshegar -Lounge area!

While normally I would meticulously plan my trips, this one was an exception given that it was a last minute travel plan. However, all I needed was a map, a cycle on hire (or you could steal!) and a quick chat with the manager at the homestay, Siraj, to plan my visit. Armed with my camera and whatever it takes to beat the 38 degrees Celsius around me, I commenced my visit to the innumerable temples and ruins spread across 26 sq. kms on the other side of the river.

While I want to share more of my experiences there and what I felt, I would touch upon what I saw and liked the most. The Vitthala Temple which was adorned with impressive pillared halls and a stone chariot in the centre of the complex was my first stop. My mother was quite surprised that I was visiting a religious place, given my agnostic sentiments. She didn’t know I was there to admire the architectural marvels outside the temples rather than worshipping the idol inside. The next was the Achyuta Raya Temple. In front of the temple lies the liveliest temple street in Hampi – Courtesans’ Street. During the prime time of the empire, this was a thriving market of gems, pearls, ivory and the likes. The most beautiful structure was the Lotus Mahal. Part of the Zenana Enclosure, a secluded area reserved for the royal ladies of the Empire, this structure that resembles an open lotus bus was one of the few that was left undamaged during the siege of the city.

After two whole days of visiting most of the temples and the ruins, it was time to celebrate the festival of colours – Holi! I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams that I would celebrate this festival with the locals, the village kids and the hippies in Hampi right in front of the magnificent Virupaksha Temple! Dodging myriad shades of colour and water sprayed through the parade, I managed to safely park myself on a terrace of one of the local residents and captured the spectacle from up above! The locals had brought out massive drums and were dancing. Seeing this, I couldn’t help but join the parade myself (after of course, securing my priced possession – my camera). It was a true ensemble of a traveller from the western part of the country, celebrating a spring festival of the north in the southern part of the country with people who were from other countries altogether. It was a celebration of victory of good over evil, arrival of spring, end of winter and of colour, of joy, of heritage….of India.

While I was lazing away in the common area of the guest house, a fellow traveller struck a conversation with me after noticing that I was also smeared with colour that I was unable to get rid off! I figured that he was from Austria and travelling through India with his boyfriend. He asked me what my plan was for the evening and when I said I want to walk up a nearby hillock for the sunset, they asked if they could join me! The three of us set off to Hanuman Halli, which is believed to be the birth place of Hanuman, the Monkey God in the epic – Ramayan. The hillock offered one of the most magnificent sunsets I have ever witnessed!

Being in close proximity of the party capital of the country, Hampi has its own version of Goa – Hampi Island. The river side shacks replace the Goan beach side shacks and become the ideal places to unwind in the evening after a lot of Holi and a bit of hiking.

Upon my return to the homestay, I met my new neighbours, Anne and her five children; ages ranging from two to sixteen. The conversation with Anne that easily lasted a few hours made me introspect on life and the experiences it has to offer. One fine evening, Anne along with her husband, decided to quit their regular, high paying jobs in Paris to shift base to Pondicherry, India for a year. When I quizzed her about how her kids reacted to the idea, she said, ‘They mostly wailed!’ She, however, believed that the life lessons they have learnt and the experiences they have had in the last one year, they would cherish for a lifetime. ‘They have learnt to appreciate the small things in life. I remember when my 5 year old stopped my 6 year old from emptying out a bucket of water since we had a limited supply of water. Back in Paris, buckets after buckets would just be wasted!’, said Anne. The family planned to travel extensively before heading back to the routine and back home in the next few months. ‘I need some time away from the kids. Let’s go for a walk around the village tomorrow,’ suggested Anne and I agreed. The next day, after another conversation over tea at a local café, Anne and I walked through the bylanes of Anegundi. In a stretch of 100 meters, we crossed a Jain temple, a mosque and a Hindu Temple. And some of us think we are intolerant! We ran into a workshop run by local women where they indigenously make handicrafts and useful articles out of banana fibre; they even taught us how to make it! While Anne headed back to her children, I headed to the waterfront to ride the famous ‘Coracle’, bowl shaped cane boats, to witness a quiet but spectacular sunset.

On my last day, I decided to explore the village and its surrounding areas. I had heard about some pre historic cave paintings from Siraj and was tempted to explore them despite them being a part of private property now. I managed to convince the guards to enter the property (read : trespassed) and saw the ancient drawings on the boulders and some giant foot marks on the ground! Anegundi also offers a beautiful opportunity for bird watching. I could capture some really amazing fauna around the Elephants Stables in the outskirts of Anegundi. On my way back to the homestay, as I wondered how my trip could get any better than this, I noticed a board that read ‘Anegundi Palace’ outside a massive wall. I wondered who stayed on the other side. While I was lost in my own thoughts, I was interrupted by an elderly gentleman with a flowing white beard, wearing a crisp white shirt and a white mundu. My jaws dropped when he introduced himself – he was one of the surviving successors of the throne! I was in company of royalty! I was given a mini tour of the palace. When I thought I have trespassed enough, I was offered piping hot coffee and conversations on topics spanning history of Hampi, to Bombay in 1950s, from Karnataka politics, to travel!

Bird watching at Hampi Boulders

Stone chariot at Vitthala temple

Lotus Mahal

Virupaksha Temple

It couldn’t get more real than him narrating the story of Hampi – someone whose ancestors have actually been a part of that story. It is believed that Kishkinda, another name for Hampi, was the capital of the Monkey Kingdom reigned by the brothers Bali and Sugreev. He said that the Vijaynagara empire was founded by two brothers, Harihar Raya I (Hakka Raya) and Bukka Raya I of Sangama dynasty. They were army generals of a neighbouring kingdom and came to Hampi while on a hunting expedition. They met a saint who advised them to establish a kingdom with Hampi as its capital. Hampi had an infinite supply of stones for building infrastructure and was strategically located to ward off the Muslim rulers. It took an alliance of 5 kingdoms, a co-ordinated attack from all sides and a well-planned communal division in Vijaynagar’s own army to defeat the mighty empire in the historic battle of Talikota. The Sultans then plundered, burnt and destroyed Hampi for 6 months after which they left. The ruinous state that they left Hampi in, is the state that it still stands – a sad reminder of the end of an Empire. It was never re-occupied.

That’s what happened when I got out of office and into HAMPI!