Tuesday 31 July 2012

Timeless Hampi

Hampi is a place I never get bored of visiting. One of the world heritage sites in Karnataka, it is the largest ruins in India. Nothing prepares one for the vastness of the Hampi ruins. While the list of places to see seems exhaustive when one starts to explore Hampi it becomes evident that the list is just the starting point and depending on personal interest one can spend anywhere between 2 days to 2 months here.

As I go around the ruins all I can think of is how beautiful this would have been during its days of glory. Maybe music filled the air when one walked along the banks of River Tunga-Badhra, hymns reverberated from the pillars of the temples and boulders around, and cries of the vendors was heard in the background.

This time as I heard the guide rattle away stories from history; my mind wandered to stories carved on the walls. I mentally made a note to thank my mom for all the bed time stories as I was able to relate the cravings to mythology. Connect the dots and discuss it. Once again I stood mesmerised by the musical pillars and stone charriot at Vittal.Recollected the day when I heard musical notes being played on them.


Took time to analyse the wall painting in Virupaksha, amused a bunch of foreign and local tourists who were evesdropping on the discussion with from mythology.

 I walked along the river enjoying ice candies bought from a local vendor and watched people bargain with the boat man to cross the river.
While I waited for the sunrise on the Anjaneya temple I realised that visiting Hampi was not only about history; it was also about nature, the landscape views, the fusion of culture and languages.
Hampi catered to my need to relax, need to explore and learn and need to reconnect with my self. I won’t be surprised if I packed my bags and went back there at the drop of a hat.

Links to Photographs
https://picasaweb.google.com/110258699064065442660/HampiHistoryAndMore?authkey=Gv1sRgCMPy5PD2trrA5AE#

2 comments: