RELIVING THE GLORY
OF HAMPI
Destiny spares none.
Not even the great monarchs of unparalleled grandeur . The rise
and fall of the Sumerian, Greek, Roman and Indus Valley civilizations
bear testimony to this fact. Only a few empires have left their
imprint on time.
The Vijayanagar
empire with its capital at Hampi in Karnataka is one such example.
It flourished between the 14th to 16th centuries. Inspired by
the saint Vidyaranya, two of his disciples- Harihara and Bukka-established
the Vijayanagar kingdom on April 18, 1336 on the banks of the
Tungabhadra river. From then on till its destruction by the Islamic
invaders from Deccan who defeated its king Ramaraya, on January
23, 1565 at Rakkasatangadi, the Vijayanagar empire became a byword
for Indian culture, Hindu temples, art and architecture. It reached
its zenith under emperor Krishnadevaraya between 1509 and 1529.
He expanded his kingdom which covered almost the entire present-day
States of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. His rule
has been extolled by historians as the golden age of Vijayanagar
empire.
A visit to Hampi,
the capital of the erstwhile Vijayanagar empire, will surely transport
anyone to the ambience of that golden age. The ruins speak eloquently
of their past glory. The beauty and magnitude of its remains lie
scattered in nearly 30 sq kms. If these ruins attract visitors
from all parts of the world even today, one could imagine the
greatness of the kingdom in its heydays. It is on record that
the inimical invaders went on their destruction spree at Hampi
for six months at a stretch before they returned home. The fact
that they could not remove some of the structures of Hampi even
with their army’s brutal power vouchsafes for the strength of
its architectural marvels. The enchanting grandeur of the ruins
is such that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation (UNESCO) has recently adopted it as a World Heritage
Centre.
One of the important
sites to be visited is the Virupaksha temple that rises
majestically at the western end of the famous Hampi bazaar. The
temple has a 120-feet tall tower on its eastern entrance. It contains
the shrines of Lord Shiva and goddesses Pampa and Bhuvaneswari.
Parts of this temple are older than the Vijayanagar kingdom itself.
This style dates back to the 11th or 12th century. When light
passes from the east through a hole near the sanctum sanctorum,
a miniature shadow of the temple tower is reflected upside down
on the wall.
Nearer to the
temple is another giant ruin in the form of Ugra Narasimha which
is a 6.7 metre tall monolith. According to an inscription nearby
" it is hewn from a single boulder in 1528 during the reign
of Krishnadevaraya".
The most splendid
monuments of Hampi are undoubtedly the ruins of the Vithala
temple complex with its 56 musical pillars. To the east of
the hall is the famous stone chariot with wheels that actually
revolve. In front of the shrine stands the great mandapa. Resting
on a richly sculpted basement, its roof is supported by huge pillars
of granite, about 15 feet in height, each consisting of a central
pillar surrounded by detached shafts, all cut from one single
block of stone. The marauders attacked several of the carved pillars
with such a fury that they are hardly more than shapeless blocks
of stones. A large portion of the central part, however, has been
destroyed completely.
Nearby is the
‘Purandara Dasara Mandapa’ which has also been declared
a protected monument.
Another noteworthy
ruin is Mahanavami Dibba or the House of Victory. It was built
when Krishnadevaraya came back from his victorious expedition
to Orissa. The spaces between the rows of the plinth-mouldings
are most elaborately and elegantly carved. The kings of Vijayanagar
used to sit on a grand throne in the House of Victory and witness
the nine-day Dussehra festival.
Westwards from
the House of Victory, the path leads to the Hazara Ramaswami temple
through two ruined gates. This devastated temple is believed to
have been the private place of worship of the royal family. The
chief attraction of the temple is the series of scenes from the
Ramayana carved on two of the inside walls of the mandapa. The
genesis of the place Hampi dates back to the age of the epic,
Ramayana, when it was the site of Kishkinda, a monkey kingdom.
Some of the other
important ruins at Humpi include the Lotus Mahal which is shaped
like a lotus flower from top. This two-storey structure has beautiful
arc ways set in geometric regularity. It was an air-conditioned
summer palace of the queen. Situated next to it is the elephant
stable, surprisingly not much damaged. Huge in size, it is a beautiful
example of the Hindu- Muslim style of architecture. Recently,
the archaeological department has found a pond called Pushkarini
tank with granite steps leading to its bottom. This tank was connected
with a channel from the river. While wandering among the ruins
one gets to see a giant idol of Lord Ganesha entering through
an arch. It is a 9-feet tall single stone statue. It is a symbol
of the concept, ‘smaller than the smallest and greater than the
greatest" – a quality attributed to God. During the excavation
the archaeological department also came across the Noblemen’s
Palace that was supposed to be the place for the aristocrats and
high officials of the era.
The Ministry
of Tourism has allocated Rs. 5 crore for a Reception and Facilitation
Centre for tourists in front of the Virupaksha temple at Hampi.
As the work of the Centre is on, the present souvenir shops in
and around the Virupaksha Temple will be relocated. Environment-friendly
buses will shortly be operating from the Centre to various monuments
in Hampi. A site management plan is also being prepared by the
Central Government. This will enable the Facilitation Centre to
have an interactive computer in order to guide the tourists about
various historical sites in Hampi. This may enable the tourists
hassle-free local trips around the place without harming the existing
monuments.
One can reach
the present ruins of Hampi from Hospet, a taluk headquarters in
Karnataka. From there it is only 13 kms away. Hospet is linked
by rail with Bangalore, Bijapur, Hubli and Guntukal. One could
also drive 350 km from Bangalore to reach this place. Since the
place is extremely warm the best time to visit is between October
and March. A number of local taxies and buses also ply between
Hospet and Hampi. Boarding and lodging facilities are available
for visitors at reasonable rates in and around Hampi.
Although its
ruins are famous all over the world, the present steps taken by
the Government to celebrate the glory of Hampi will definitely
inspire more and more tourists to go there. (PIB Features)
*Hampi
Utsav is being celebrated from 3rd November onwards
**
Inputs by M.K. Santhanam, Information Officer, PIB, Bangalore
