Hampi Badami - The Master Piece

This is a brief (!!) account of my Journey to the Southern state of Karnataka to discover the incredible ruins of medieval Hampi, the rock-cut caves of Badami and the beautiful temples of Pattadakal and Aihole. Disclaimer: A basic search on google can lead to a lot of information about these magnificent monuments and hence  I have not delved too much into the facts and history of the places

Tattva Adventures (through The 3 Wheeler Ride Travel Company - 3 व्हिलर राइड)  invites to explore Hampi & Badami on 31stAugust  2018 to 3rd September  2018 (A premium tour) was just the message which I had been waiting for past few years, from the time I heard about the Hampi Ruins from a friend.

ITINERARY:

31st August to 3rd September , 2018 .
Total Cost — 12,000/- PP + 5% GST
Includes:

Ø Traveling From Mumbai to Mumbai in Sleeper AC Coach.
Ø Private AC vehicle for Sight Seeing all days.
Ø Accommodation in AC Rooms. (Triple Sharing basis) in 3/4 star hotels
Ø 3 Breakfast.
Ø All Monument Fees & Taxes.

DAY 1 : Friday — 31st august

The adventure quotient of the trip started much before the trip even started , because it was actually cancelled and then replanned since the majority of those who had earlier confirmed for the trip had changed their mind and opted out. So it was just two of us Myself and Priya (my niece and regular travel buddy).  The adventures continued at stage Zero. We assembled at Sion  @ 4.30 pm & boarded the bus to Hospet. It’s a 15hrs journey overnight by bus. (AC SLEEPER COACH).

 Imagine our surprise when after just a 30-minute drive we stopped, only to be told that the Bus had developed a technical snag. And the bus driver also informs us that he has run out of diesel !!!! (this, at the beginning of a fifteen-hour trip)

Replacement bus arrived at 10 pm. For those familiar with the peculiarities of Mumbai traffic, the replacement Bus had to come from Borivali to Wadala (Bus Terminus) !!! The spillover of the late start reflected in both the mandatory late-night dinner break and the arrival at the destination getting delayed by over five hours.

Day 2. (Hampi) Saturday — 1st September

Krishna, our designated local guide was available at Hospet to receive us at around 1p.m. and after a much needed yet quick bath and lunch break at Hotel Clarks Inn, Hampi we started our Excursion to the famed Hampi Ruins.

A two-member group size ensured we could take advantage of the resultant flexibility and we opted for an auto-rickshaw for travel rather than by  Pvt AC vehicle as originally planned. (Talk about soaking in the local flavour!!) . Venkatesh having replaced Krishna as the local guide for the day cum Saarathi 

Colourfully painted frescoes on the walls brightened up the quiet town of Hampi. And there were monuments practically every few km.

 For the History/mythology enthusiasts, Hampi (the modern name for the ancient Kishkinda)  is nestled within the ruins of the medieval city of Vijayanagar in the state of Karnataka, on the banks of the Tungabhadra river. Set in a surreal and beautiful boulder-strewn landscape, Vijayanagara (the City of Victory) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and although the city was destroyed by marauding Moghul invaders in the 16th century, much of it remains today. Credit definitely to the ASI and Local administration which has done a good job of maintaining the monuments.
There are some magnificent Ancient ruins that are spread over 26 sq km area, many of which lie in and around Hampi Bazaar and the nearby riverside area. East of Hampi Bazaar is the UNESCO-listed 16th-century Vittala Temple, the undisputed highlight of the ruins. The Vitthala Temple is Hampi’s crowning glory.  The iconic magnificent stone chariot standing in the courtyard, which has been made famous by tourists posing with the new Rupees Fifty note is just one of the magnificent piece of sculpture in the Complex.

 

The entry fee levied by the Archaeological Survey of India definitely play a significant part in the maintenance of the Monuments. Reasonably priced at Rs.40/- per person, the ticket literally transports the visitor into a different plane and era. I really cannot speak for others, but I definitely got a feel of what the atmosphere must have been in years of ore. Occasional exposure to Bollywood ‘period’ movies did their bit in helping me visualize too :D

Missed seeing the large Ranga Mantapa with its 56 Musical Pillars (restricted for tourists now). The few Youtube VDOs of the musical pillars just whetted the appetite further to see and listen to the same but it was not to be 

 As expected, there was an electric vehicle ride from the main gate to the interior of the Vijaya Vittala Complex. This apparently is a recent move to ensure less pollution (sound and gas) in the immediate vicinity of the ancient precious monuments. For the records (as of September 2018 ) the cost of a single trip by the electric vehicle was Rs.10/- . Entirely operated by Female uniformed drivers, there was heartening sense of discipline to the whole thing.

It was nice to see many uniformed staff, security and others stationed at vantage points within all the Complexes to ensure discipline.
After a pleasant couple of hours soaking in the feel of the place, we moved onward to the next wonder.

The visit to the Royal Enclosure comprising of (Queen’s bath, Mahanavami Dibba, King’s Audience Hall, Stepped Tank, and Public tank), Hazara Rama Temple, and Zenana Enclosure (Basement of queen’s palace, Lotus Mahal, Elephant’s stables, and watchtowers) was awe-inspiring. 






It was quite easy to get transported a few Centuries back and imagine how it must have been in the Olden days at the Prime of the condition and the activities of the Royalty of that time.
The Elephant stable was an imposing edifice with arched entrances and many domes that must have once housed the magnificent state elephants.

   

The visually appealing Lotus Mahal  , an elegant example of the Hindu and Muslim styles of architecture which derives its name from its beautifully symmetric arches which resemble the petals of a Lotus opening to the Sun
The Hazara Rama Temple , the royal temple reserved for ceremonial use had some breathtaking carvings of horses, elephants, dancing girls and soldiers.

The magnificent 6.7m high awesome monolith Lakshmi  Narasimha depicting the man-lion form of Lord Vishnu and the adjoining  Badavi Linga which were on the way from Royal enclosure to Virupaksha temple was an awesome experience. . . . It was at this point that Mother Nature decided to enhance our experience further and it started drizzling lightly. The Fabulous ancient sculptures with light rains and the smell of wet earth were altogether a  Divine experience. 

The drizzle steadily increased in force and by the time we got back to our trusted steed – THE AUTO, it was pouring cats and dogs. The downpour resulted in us missing Virupaksha Temple and the Monolithic Bull. 

We did however find shelter from the weather at a quaint Café serving magnificent Coffee :)

We also missed seeing the Mustard and Peanut Ganesha ( Sasuvekalu  and Kadalekalu Ganeshas).  It was pretty late and that was it for Day 1 of sight seeing (Remember we started the day five hours late !!!)

Day 3 (Badami) Sunday 2nd September

We started off the day nice and relaxed with a long Car ride (opting out of the Auto ride because of distance about 150kms from Hampi to Badami.)  Subramanian, our trusted Sarathi cum guide for the day reassured us that a start of 10 am was good enough for the sightseeing planned. This was quite contrary to the opinion of our Mumbai operator Jigar and our Hotel reception manager who were quite insistent that we should leave early in the day in case we wished to cover Badami exhaustively. The sightseeing and exploration for the day started with Aihole. Subramanian told us there are around 125 ancient temples in Aihole all scattered throughout the village. So, we had assumed that we would need more time to visit the temples in Aihole. It was not a very happy sight to see the condition of Aihole village which was highly underdeveloped. There were many small temples all around the village which all belonged to 6th to 8th centuries. But, the roads leading to them were very bad. We really are not doing justice to our past glory by not maintaining them well. 
                      
Our actual destination was Durga temple. This temple is the most popular among all the temples in Aihole. The temple complex is huge and beautiful. As informed by Subramanian and cross verified with Ms.Google,  Durga temple was also constructed by Chalukyas during 7th-8th century and it is unique in design. The interesting part is that Durga temple is not dedicated to Goddess Durga. It is dedicated to either Shiva or Vishnu. The name originated from “fortress” (in Kannada, Durga means “fort”). The architecture style is predominantly a combination of Dravidian and Nagara style. The pillared corridor makes the temple look magnificent.     
The temple has beautiful carvings on the walls and on the ceiling. Each and every corner of the temple speaks the glory of our ancestors.

Aihole Museum

Next on the agenda was Pattadakal . Situated 13 kms from Aihole  ,and  around 22 km from Badami, Pattadakal group of monuments is one of the UNESCO World heritage sites in India. When I was planning for this trip, amongst all the places, I was attracted more to Pattadakal. As you enter the gates of Pattadakal group of monuments, you will become captivated with the beauty in front of you. The heritage site is maintained extremely well and the group of temples looks outstandingly wonderful as you walk towards them. In ancient times, Pattadakal was a site where Badami Chalukya kings were coronated and it has temples built by them during 7th and 8th centuries. The group of monuments at Pattadakal is located on the left bank of the river Malaprabha and it has 10 temples including a Jain sanctuary. The temples were built in different architectural styles including Rekha, Nagara (Northern) and Dravidian (southern) styles. As per information and Boards put up at the Complex, this was as good as a Experimental project / pilot project  for the Kings and they tried out all styles of architecture here.
The temples in Pattadakal temple complex are Virupaksha Temple, Sangameshvara Temple, Chandrashekhara temple, Mallikarjuna Temple, Kashivisvanatha Temple, Galaganatha temple, Kadasiddhesvara temple, Jambulingeswara temple, Jain temple and Papanatha temple. Each temple is extremely beautiful. The Virupaksha temple is the largest among all, Sangameshwara temple is the oldest. Kashi Vishwanatha temple was built by Rashtrakutas and this temple is in a typical Nagara style and the gopuram of this temple is fascinating. The group of these temples is an absolute treat for the eyes. The feeling when we regretfully came out of this magnificent complex was one of leaving behind something unfinished. That is when I realized, these magnificent structures are not something that you can just see and move on. They are to be experienced at leisure. Considering our duration of three days in this region and so many unvisited places, I was certainly left wondering as to how Tour operators take out one day or two-day expeditions to these Heritage sites       
Now onward to Badami where I was looking forward to be amongst the hand hewn rock Caves. History Buffs … This one is for you - (Badami) UNESCO World heritage monuments , are  best known for the  remarkable cave temples. They display the full range of Indian religious sects. Badami was formerly known as Vathapi and was the capital of Badami Chalukyas during from 540 to 757 AD. The founder of the Chalukya dynasty was Pulakesin I (535-566 AD). His sons Kirtivarma I (567-598 AD) and his brother Mangalesha (598-610 AD) were involved in the construction of the cave temples. The most powerful King among the Chalukyas was Pulakeshin II (610-642 AD) who defeated many kings including the Pallavas of Kanchipuram. Badami had seen many major wars between Chalukyas, Pallavas, Rashtrakutas. It was later occupied by Vijaynagar Empire, the Adil Shahis, the Savanur Nawabs, the Marathas and Hyder Ali before the British included it in the Bombay Presidency. It’s pretty exciting to see the monuments which are around 1600 years old.  The temples which we were going to see in this trip were built during 6th – 8th centuries !! We felt bad to see the condition of the people and the condition of such a popular place. Fortunately, the historic monuments were preserved well. Before you begin to climb the cave temples, near the parking lot, you can find beautiful Killa Masjid. The Badami cave temples are carved out of red sandstone on a gigantic hill cliff and are considered to be the example of Indian rock-cut architecture. There are four cave temples and are connected by a stepped path (Decent exercise , though the excitement does not make you feel the strain ) . For the records, we climbed to the top and covered the Caves in the descending order

 

 

 

 

 

. As you climb these steps, the view of the city, the nearby lake and the other monuments in the city become more and more beautiful. The first cave is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The main attraction in this cave is the carving of Nataraja with 18 arms and it is said that if you take any combination of the two arms of this sculpture, it makes a perfect classical dance pose.
            
Apart from this beautiful Nataraja, there are few other wonderful sculptures on the walls as well as on the ceiling of the temple. If you climb around 60 steps, you will reach the second cave temple which is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and in this temple Vishnu is depicted as Trivikirama – with one foot on earth and the other foot directing to north. There is also a representation of Vishnu as Varaha. 
This cave is the biggest among the four cave temples of Badami. The panoramic view of Badami town and Agasthya lake is extremely beautiful from this temple.

We climbed some more steps to reach the last cave temple which was dedicated to Mahaveera Jain. 
This temple was the last constructed cave temple and was not as beautiful as the other three temples. There was an old Kannada inscription at the pedestal which belonged to the 12th century.
Late evening we enjoyed the sunset on the way back to Hampi covering the Banashankari Temple .  The trip to Badami would never have been complete without a visit to the famed Banashankari temple . Located at Cholachagudd near Badami, in Bagalkot district, Karnataka, India.

The temple is popularly called Banashankari or Vanashankari since it is located in the erstwhile Tilakaaranya forest. The original temple was built by the 7th century Kalyani Chalukya kings, who worshipped goddess Banashankari as their tutelary deity.
 The temple celebrates its annual festival called Banashankari jatre, in the months of January or February. The festival comprises cultural programmes, boat festival as well as a Rath yatra, when the temple goddess is paraded around the city in a chariot.
  It was interesting to experiment with the local sweet tea and evening snack Girmitt at a restaurant close to the Temple.

The long car journey from Hampi to Badami and back had some melodious Rehman Jukebox giving us soothing company . Throughout the day, Subramanian lived up to his promise of ensuring we covered all places. His speedometer read at an average of 100kmph !! En route back to the Hotel, We saw a Huge bungalow, resembling a palace being constructed on the way and  we were provided with the interesting tidbit that it belonged to a local ex Councilman with a colorful history.
Also it was fun to see a very interesting strategy by young children at almost all village borders to cordon off the Road and ask for Donations for the soon to come Ganapati Chaturti celebrations.

Day 4 (Hampi) Monday 3rd September

The day started with a long auto ride from Hotel to the Historic Anjan(i)  Parvath/ Anjeyanadri Hill  also known as Monkey Hill. 
Folklore has it that this is the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. Lord Hanuman is also known as Anjaneya. Hence, the hill has been given the name of Anjeyanadri. There is a temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman on top of the hill. Anjeyanadri Hill is surrounded by lovely plantain and paddy fields. There are more than 575  steps to reach the summit of the hill. Though the climb involves a large number of steps, it is quite safe to ascend the hill due to the presence of the stone stairs

 

 

A cool breeze helps visitors in their climb. But the main attraction is the view of the surrounding that the hill offers. The sight of the valley and the Tungabhadra River flowing below offers a mesmerizing sight.
After the exhilarating visit to Monkey hill, it was onward to Pampa Sarovar. Pampa Sarovar is a sacred pond for the Hindus. This is believed to be one among a few Sarovars (sacred ponds) mentioned in Hindu epics and scriptures. The pond and the shrine are located in a secluded valley hidden by boulder hills at the three sides. The pond, rectangular in shape, is usually filled edge-to-edge by floating lotus. There were however no lotuses when we visited 
   The whitewashed shrine is located right next to the pond. This is a functioning temple and the idols worshiped are of Lord Shiva & his consort Parvathi (Pampa). This shrine is much ancient than many of the temples in Hampi.
A vividly painted musical instrument placed in the temple courtyard is interesting. The instrument at a time plays a drum, metal plates and a couple of bells attached to it. The whole thing is driven by a motor attached to the mechanisms. Apparently, these were the temple musical instruments originally played by the temple musicians. Now this machine plays it all together during the prayer time (typically early morning & in the evening).

Then onward it was to the magnificent Durgadevi Temple housing a  Sri Krishna Temple and awesome Durga Lakshmi and Shiva Linga .

This complex provided some awesome photo ops since there was no obvious restriction on photography.

 Around this time , I realized that I was missing my cap. Logic stated it had to be at the auto or left behind at Pampa Sarovar. We did make the trip  back to Pampa Sarovar though not very hopefully. Lo and behold , my traveling accessory was right where I had forgotten it a goodly hour back. This was in spite of it being Gokulashtami / Krishna Janmashtami and a decent  crowd at the Temple. Gratitude for that :)


 
Somewhere during the course of the day, we also managed a Coracle ride in the magnificent Sanapura Lake. Must say this was very much on the “to be experienced” list before this trip :D




Chanced upon this interesting sign  “Swimming prohibited, crocodile inside” at the Lake  (after our ride) and then realized later that we were riding our flimsy Coracle in the very same Lake !!!



The day passed by quickly enough and soon we were back at the Hotel. Onward to the Bus Stop and the 15-hour journey later, it was back at Aamchi Mumbai with loads of memories. There is nothing like getting back to your everyday routine (Mumbai or elsewhere ) for a reality check :P.
Few interesting aspects of the trip were that all our guides cum saarathis (Four of them in three days )  were Tamil speaking people (in Karnataka !!! ). On enquiry, we came to know that these were descendants of those people who had settled down at Karnataka in the early 1950s after having come here as Workforce from Tamil Nadu for construction of the Tungabadhra Dam.


It was also nice to see magnificent traditional arches at the entrance of most Village Borders. I have earlier noticed this also in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.




Also it is nice to see the use of local resources, in this case Stone being used for setting up a compound wall. Earlier had come across such use in Cuddappah region and also in and around Abu Road. 


Could click this beautiful Shiva/Shankara painting in the rather nice "Pink Mango" restaurant right next to Clarks Inn.

As always I am surprised at the way we comfortably cross State Borders / Zones (actually more like our own comfort zones)  (just a few 100 km)  and literally step into a different world totally different from our very own City streets, skylines, routines and crowd. This fabulous experience I guess is available to everyone who is willing to explore it. In few earlier posts too I had shared about the weekend getaways with nature. I do agree treks and marathons might not be doable for everyone, but this was more in the nature of a basic excursion/ expedition to a place with some mind-boggling History and Architecture. Will this inspire at least a few who read this to try such visits ? ?  Only time will tell. There are some magnificent experiences to be explored within India