Having heard the mythological narratives surrounding this historical town declared as a World Heritage site it was imperative that one went there. On an all womens trip organized by WOW 18 women mostly strangers to each other met at Hubli airport. From Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, we were an eclectic mix of women. Mostly professionals. A small compact airport. Well equipped despite its size.

We trooped into two buses and made our way to Hospet. The dusty roads were being widened indicating that the traffic volume due to expanding business or tourism perhaps necessitated it. There were green paddy fields, profusion of sunflowers, banana plantations and the landscape was dotted with windmills.

A jumble of mammoth grey boulders shaped by water and wind into obelisks, almost-spheres casually sit around the Hampi landscape in the thousands, gathered into mini-hills, stacked into towers or proudly solitary. Folklore has it that an undersea volcano erupted spewing lava which congealed into these granite rocks. The Tungabhadra runs through it, nourishing the emerald green paddy fields, banana plantations, sunflowers. The landscape is periodically dotted with windmills. My senses reeled when I was told of all the folklore attached to this region, apart from the documented history.

The medieval southern city of Vijayanagara, City of Victory, capital of the rich and eponymous empire that ruled south India from coast to coast and included, at its prime, parts of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Orissa, was the second-largest in the 15th-century world, its size rivalled only by the urban sprawl of Beijing. Even today, four and a half centuries after it was sacked in the Battle of Talikota and summarily abandoned, the glory is evident.. This is now a World Heritage site protected by UNESCO. The gnarled tree probably stands testimony to the opulence grandeur and subsequent ravages by marauders.

You climb the 700 steps that will take you to the top of the Anjanadri Hill – believed to be the birthplace of Anjana’s son, Anjaneya, otherwise known as Hanuman – before dawn. The  sun’s first rays burnish the granite hills in shades of copper and bronze and turns the Tungabhadra into liquid gold.

Hampi is believed to be the ancient site of Kishkinda, the fabled kingdom of the Vanaras mentioned in the Ramayana. Here it was, by the Pampa Sarovara, that Rama found Shabari waiting for him, with an offering of the most delicious fruits from the forest (she had tasted  dozens  to find the best ones!); Rishyamukha, where Rama and Lakshmana met Hanuman for the first time; Matanga, the place in Kishkinda where Sugriva was safe – a curse kept his impulsive, hot-headed brother Vali from ever setting foot there; Malyavanta, where the princes of Ayodhya lived while Hanuman went to look for Sita.

It isn’t just Rama-lore in Hampi. There is also the Hemakuta Hill, where Parvati is believed to have performed years of rigorous penance to attract Shiva’s attention – she finally succeeded, turning the hermit Shiva into the householder Shankara; the Virupaksha Temple at the base of the hill celebrates their marriage.

The 41.5 sq km spread –punctuated with temples, bazaar streets and  palaces. The granite slope of the sacred Hemakuta hill is dotted with shrines. The hill is fortified on three sides and there are more than 30 shrines, elaborate structures to rudimentary single celled construction. Most of these have stepped pyramidal superstructures.

The congregation of temples around Hemkuta hill are constructed with slabs of stone positioned to weather seismic changes. The holes on these boulders were made by metal chisels and wooden tacks, which is completely eco friendly. Most of the structures and idols are monolithic which makes this site more incredible.

The Sasivakalu Ganesh  is fabled to have been constructed by a mustard seller, hence the name. The Ganesh is positioned on Parvatis lap to stress the importance of the mother.The Virupaksha temple is a live temple and it is said to be the place where one part of Sati fell after her sacrifice. The others being the Meenakshi, Kanyakumari and Ardhanariswara templ. The temple complex has a Grabha Griha and a courtyard for social activities. The Bazaar outside, the Muthu Ratna where, it is said, traders came from all over the world to trade in rubies, emeralds and other precious stones.

The Vitthala temple was built after the Orissa victory. It has a similar temple and chariot. A Musical Hall with 56 pillars playing the 12 notes of the musical octave. The Kings balance, the romance attached to it of the king donating the equivalent of his weight. The Sankirtana culture culture was given prominence with the open Hall with pillars dedicated to the legendary singer Pundara Dasa of the Bhakti cult.

The Narasimha statue represents both the Lakshmi and Ugra Nara, it is again monolithic with a hooded serpent and the architect Aryakrishna Bhattacharya has been given credit. The Badavi Lingam is the 3m high and the 3rd largest Shivalinga after Thanjavur and Cholapuram. The top is flat and people throw coins for luck.  Legend has it that it was financed by a female beggar (Badavi) The Hazaara Rama Chandra temple has the entire Ramayana carved around it, the four polished Granite Chitrakhanda pillars in the center. Only Angkor Wat has the Ramayana carved in it’s entirety. Phew!

One imagines that when the kings invested wealth in these temples surely their belief was completely sublime and the faith that God was there for them. A surreal experience indeed!

The Royal Tour included the Royal Courtyard, an enclosure with the residence and durbar of Krishnadevaraya and his two Queens. The royal enclosure is protected by double walls. A secret chamber leading to the kings residence and audience hall. Excavations found the two stone doors weighing 200 KG each with two large brass rings for perhaps being pulled open by elephants no less. Secure for sure.

The mammoth Mahanavami Dibba, a stepped platform from which the great monarch watched the 10-day long Dussehra celebrations that he first instituted unfold, a tradition which lives on to this day, in the Mysore Dussehra celebrations. These steps are 5 tiered in odd numbers. The first tier has 9 steps indicator of 9 planets , the next one has 7 steps to denote 7 days of a week , the next tier has 5 steps symbolic of the Five elements of Life and then followed by 3 steps that talks of three forms of God and finally one step that subsumed the individual that it’s oneness that is ultimately the goal of all human beings.

The Zenana Enclosure housed the Lotus Mahal, with its intricate cooling system for the Queen, its Aqueducts, Jalamahal where one saw the moons reflection, the sprinkler system, the Elephant stables to keep the ceremonial elephants. Very well planned it had an outhouse for Mahouts and a ventilation system for the elephants. The architecture with its columns and carvings was a Sanatan style of architecture.

The Queen’s Bath, a luxurious Hamam wherein the 3rd gender carried the Queens. The Indo Islamic Architecture has an octagonal water pavilion, with sandalwood pillars to scent the water, a filter, aqueducts which worked on wind pressure.

On the last day we went for a ride in a Coracle a round boat on the Tunga Bhadra river surrounded by an assortment of ravaged temples and structures. A cool breeze blew around us, Brinda sang the glory of Krishna in the Pudaradasa Bhajans and it was sublime. For that moment we were transported to those days when the royalty lived a life to rival any in many lives.

In 1520, Domingo Paes, a Portuguese traveller, visited Vijayanagara as a part of trade contingent from Portuguese Goa. He wrote his memoir as Chronica dos reis de Bisnaga, in which he stated Vijayanagara was “as large as Rome, and very beautiful to the sight … the best provided city in the world”

 The best was yet to come on the following day post Hampi when we visited Badaami and we were left wondering what if this place still existed as it were… History may have been different!