Hampi day 2 : Vijayanagara Civilization

    breakfast at our guesthouse


    entrance and also elephant parking place for the king



    24 pillars of Vishnu

    Ganesh statue carved on a big boulder.
    most structures in Hampi are carved on a one-piece boulder

    Hanuman the monkey god






    Ganesh statue.
    notice that the right tusk is broken , and on of the right hands of Ganesh
    holds the tusk.
   One popular story to account for the dark spot on the moon is that Ganesha ,
   once filled with food ( hence the pot belly )
   fell from his mouse ( Ganesh sits on a mouse , as the mouse is his transport )
   and broke his stomach
  ( hence the stitch lines across his stomach in this statue to repair his stomach )
  Chandra the moon laughed at this, at which Ganesha
  injured him by breaking off and throwing one of his tusks;
  and cursed him so that it would be forbidden to behold Chandra
  on Ganesh Chaturthi .

  also notice that one of the left hands has has different color.
  this is not the original hand from the same boulder carved , as when Hampi
  was invaded , the hand was cut . on excavation they found the real hand and
  was put back in place , but some said the hand was again stolen.
  hence they replace the hand with a hand made of clay , jaggery and eggs ,
  giving it a different colour from the original statue.

    inscription in Kannada language

    inscription in Hindi language

    Krishna Temple.
    Krishna has 8 wives and 12000 girlfriends.

    the bottom of this temple has ancient hindu architecture , while the top
    has Chinese influence in reddish color.





    Laxmi-Narasimha , half man/half lion Hindu God
    Largest statue in Hampi carved on one single stone.

    Shivalinga.
    as what was told by my guide , this is the symbol of men and women.
    the top cylinder represents the penis , while the base represents vagina.
    the water surrounding the stucture represents fertility.



    a ride to Vitthala Complex.
    costs us Rs10 per person one way.
  
    entrance to the Vitthala Temple Complex

    we got Indian pass for this that costs us Rs10 per person.
    usually foreign tourist pass will cost around Rs250




    the musical temple. when struck , the pillars resonates with specific
    musical tones


    buffalo / elephant

    most of the statues in Hampi has defects.
    when invaded , the statues are purposedly to be partially damaged ,
    so that the statues remain standing but loses it's ' power ' .


    the Vitthala Complex is the most beautiful and important architecture in Hampi

    mini version of the Temple
    at the bottom was carvings depicting the horse trading business of Hampi
    with various kingdoms all over the world.

    5 in one carvings. cobra and monkeys in different postures
    in one carving , depending on  the angle that we see it.





    Stone Chariot , most iconic structure in Hampi.


    Hanuman Temple across the river.
    Hampi is the birth place of Hanuman the monkey god.







    37'C at this time in November.
    avoid going to Hampi in summer ( may-july ) .
    in January festivals will be held in Hampi.
    it's advisable to hire tour guide as well.
    places in Hampi are easily reachable , but
    we need experienced guide to tell the stories behind the strucutures
    to make the trip more worthy.


    Malayavanta Raghunatha Temple at Matunga Hill.
    one of the few temple still in use ( as others are destroyed and abandoned )

    usually Rama is depicted as standing.
    but this temple at Matunga Hill is the only Hindu temple that
    has Rama in sitting position.
    from Ramayana Epic ,
   Rama took a rest here ( hence the sitting position ) while Hanuman
    continues the journey to Sri Lanka to rescue Rama's wife Sita
    that was abducted by the evil Ravana.


    Matunga Hills

    the big boulders seems to be arranged in place by somebody.
    according to Hindus , Hampi is the playing ground for Hanuman and
    he arranged the boulders there.
    But archeological studies found that the whole place used to be underwater
    before Hampi civilization was built ,
    and the boulders are arranged in such positions by the waves in the ocean.




    Queen's Bath.
    Luxury swimming pool for the queen.
    the place is surrounded by crocodiles outside for safety ,
    while the queen takes a bath inside with live music and rose petals.




    Lotus Mahal


    Lotus Mahal has clever architecture.
    water are pumped to the higher floor , and supplied downwards to the
    ground floor with clay pipes. while water is flowing down , small holes
    made in the clay pipes sprays water droplets arount the castle ,
    working as an air conditioner.

     the Elephant Stable.
     the place where the king keeps his elephants.
     story said that the middle portions is the place for the king's
     special Albino Elephant.
     

    Hospet , nearest city about 13km from Hampi
    another 5 hours return trip back to Belgaum.
   


    Day 1 Part I : en route ( click here )
    Day 1 Part II : Hemakuta Hill ( click here )

    Hampi , Karnataka , India
    November 2014
    special thanks to Odeng of Belgaum for organizing this trip.

This entry was posted in ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,. Bookmark the permalink.