On our second and third days in Hampi we hired a motorbike and did a tour
of the temples and ruins. After much
searching I have found an explanation about the landscape of Hampi that i can
understand, i will share this with you below, it really helps to understand the
history behind this unique place;
The ruins at Hampi, or Vijayanagar
("the City of Victory"), are one of the most stunning and least
visited historical sites in India. Set amidst a strange and magical landscape,
bounded by the torrential Tungabhadra River on one side and surrounded by
defensible, giant boulder strewn hills on three other sides, Hampi was the seat
of the Vijayanagar Empire for over 200 years.
Not much is known about the early history of Hampi. However,
excavations have revealed a large number of ceramics, porcelain, and inscribed
Buddhist sculptures which date back to the 2nd -3rd century AD.
The recorded history of Hampi can however only be traced back to Saint Vidyaranya who chose the location. His disciples, two brothers Harihara and Bukkaraya (popularly known as Hakka and Bukka), helped build the area in 1336 AD. Hakka Deva Raya and Bukka Deva Raya were respectively the first and second rulers of what became the great Vijayanagar Empire.
At its very peak, the Vijayanagar Empire, with Hampi as its capital city, covered much of South India with major ports including Goa, Cochin, Bhatkal under its sway. As such, Hampi became one of the largest trading centers in the world for spices, cotton, rubies, diamonds, and other precious stones and metals. Hampi's importance as a trading hub led to a significant number of foreign traders and delegates visiting it. As a result, much of the current understanding of the life in Hampi, and the greatness of the Vijayanagar Empire, is due to the graphic and glowing accounts of the city chronicled by visitors to the kingdom over the centuries from Arabia, Italy, Portugal and Russia among other countries. In addition to its importance as a trading destination, Hampi was also an important pilgrimage destination given its links to the Ramayana, and the significant support afforded to building temples in the city.
The "Golden Era" of the Vijayanagar Empire and Hampi was during the reign of King Krishna Deva Raya (AD 1509 - 1530) and his son Achyuta Deva Raya (1530 - 1542). The empire flourished and both kings were associated with the resurgence of Hinduism and for promoting arts, music, literature, and culture. Most of the beautiful monuments, temples and structures found at Hampi are attributed to the reign of these two kings. The empire was also renowned for providing support towards the renovation and reconstruction of temples throughout their empire. Famous poets such Shri Purandhara Dasa and Tenali Rama were associated with Hampi during this period.
The downfall and complete destruction of Hampi and the Vijayanagar Empire was swift and sudden. In 1565, an alliance of five Deccan Sultans (Bidar, Bijapur, Golconda, Ahmednagar and Berar) defeated the army of Vira Sadhashiva Raya in Talikota. The Sultanates' army later looted and plundered Hampi during which time the temples, palaces and the economy were destroyed - and reduced it to the ruinous state in which it remains. While the Vijayanagar Empire survived till 1672, it was barely a shade of its former self. The Golden Era of Hampi had come to a sudden end. Hampi itself was never to be re-occupied.
The recorded history of Hampi can however only be traced back to Saint Vidyaranya who chose the location. His disciples, two brothers Harihara and Bukkaraya (popularly known as Hakka and Bukka), helped build the area in 1336 AD. Hakka Deva Raya and Bukka Deva Raya were respectively the first and second rulers of what became the great Vijayanagar Empire.
At its very peak, the Vijayanagar Empire, with Hampi as its capital city, covered much of South India with major ports including Goa, Cochin, Bhatkal under its sway. As such, Hampi became one of the largest trading centers in the world for spices, cotton, rubies, diamonds, and other precious stones and metals. Hampi's importance as a trading hub led to a significant number of foreign traders and delegates visiting it. As a result, much of the current understanding of the life in Hampi, and the greatness of the Vijayanagar Empire, is due to the graphic and glowing accounts of the city chronicled by visitors to the kingdom over the centuries from Arabia, Italy, Portugal and Russia among other countries. In addition to its importance as a trading destination, Hampi was also an important pilgrimage destination given its links to the Ramayana, and the significant support afforded to building temples in the city.
The "Golden Era" of the Vijayanagar Empire and Hampi was during the reign of King Krishna Deva Raya (AD 1509 - 1530) and his son Achyuta Deva Raya (1530 - 1542). The empire flourished and both kings were associated with the resurgence of Hinduism and for promoting arts, music, literature, and culture. Most of the beautiful monuments, temples and structures found at Hampi are attributed to the reign of these two kings. The empire was also renowned for providing support towards the renovation and reconstruction of temples throughout their empire. Famous poets such Shri Purandhara Dasa and Tenali Rama were associated with Hampi during this period.
The downfall and complete destruction of Hampi and the Vijayanagar Empire was swift and sudden. In 1565, an alliance of five Deccan Sultans (Bidar, Bijapur, Golconda, Ahmednagar and Berar) defeated the army of Vira Sadhashiva Raya in Talikota. The Sultanates' army later looted and plundered Hampi during which time the temples, palaces and the economy were destroyed - and reduced it to the ruinous state in which it remains. While the Vijayanagar Empire survived till 1672, it was barely a shade of its former self. The Golden Era of Hampi had come to a sudden end. Hampi itself was never to be re-occupied.
The ruins are beautiful as
you can see, but i was surprised to see despite it being a UNESCO National
Heritage Site, there was a huge amount of rubbish everywhere (although this is
true of many of Indias most impressive sites.
Below are some photos of
some of the temples and ruins we visited, we also tried to capture the epicness
of the landscape (not sure if we got there).
Not only did Hampi have an amazing landscape, but
there was a huge amount of animals, bugs and birds. There were literally hundreds of chipmunks
living amongst our huts and the boulders, as well as geckos, lots of beautiful
butterflies, and loads of birds. Crows
are the staple wake up call in India they are everywhere from the cities, to
the beach, to the jungle. But in Hampi
there were green parrots and lots of really colourful kingfishers. Unfortunately both these and the butterflies
have so far escaped my photographic skills because they just don’t stay still,
which is very frustrating as everyone knows how much i love butterflies.
The layout of central Hampi is that there is the
town, bazaar, shanti town and temple on one side of the river and on the other
is an area called Virapapur Gaddi which is the backpacker accomodation
area. The boats that cross the river
start at 7am (ish) and finish at 6 pm (on the dot), but they are run by a
shifty bunch of young Indian men, and the price seems to depend on their
mood. The river is the where all the
locals gather, especially first thing in the morning, there are loads of people
drinking Chai and washing in the river along with the Temple elephant. That in itself is a very bizarre sight at
6am in the morning having just come off the night bus.
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