Whispering Hampi

Unreal and enchanting, the desolated ruins of Hampi blotch a bizarre landscape that will leave you spellbound. The moment your eyes will meet the city in deep slumber of its historical limbo, dichotomy will set in, about the glorious past of the Vijayanagaram Empire and the remnants of time that will come between you and to the approaching past, neglected and dilapidated under the pride of being modern and civilized. As you make your headway to the empire stopped in time, heaps of giant boulders perched precariously over miles of undulating terrain, with their rusty hues offset by jade-green palm groves, banana plantations and paddy fields will eventually slow your motion in the growing cacophony of the modern life. Nevertheless, While it’s possible to see the ancient ruins and temples of this old world - which is now a World Heritage Site - in a day or two, but this goes against Hampi’s relaxed kingly grain. Plan on a lingering season for a while to listen to the fallen city walls and temple courtyards, what do they whisper in the age of alienation.

But, Hampi is changing. And it is changing very rapidly. Once, the ghetto of the mass travellers, the traditional Hampi Bazaar, with its adjacent villages, cramped with budget lodges, shops and restaurants, under the towering and majestic Virupaksha Temple is watching a rapid change of tranquil Virupapur Gaddi across the river, a new place for hang out is on making. However, with every wave of tourists, the historic Hampi is changing its character, and there is something about this heritage town, you must see, before it is completely swept by change. Make it a point to wander around the remnants of the bridge that once stood between Anegundi and Hampi, now lies crumbled, fallen by the banks of the river Tungabhadra. Standing at the edge, lose yourself mindlessly around the rocks and boulders strewn around, and forget the everlasting tension of the mundane. Visit the mute chapters of history of the land, as you locate the patches of greenery forming around the hillocks, across the river, the land that was once used to be the mother kingdom of the monkey tribes of the Ramayana - Kishkinda.

As you travel through the sleepy past of Hampi, you will live the story of a time back in 14^th century Anegundi, which was under the Hoysala chieftain brothers Harihara and Bukka. During their years of wilderness, a seer from the Sringeri Shankaracharya Mutt, Vidyaranya guided them to build a city of victory, now known as Vijayanagar. With river Tungabhadra as its witness, the seeds of a dynasty ruled India for 350 years, and eventually, included Vijayanagara or Vidyanagara in the kingdom, as its capital city. As you walk through Hampi, amidst the craggy cliffs and boulders - temples, markets, palaces, step-wells, stables are carved everywhere around you, where once life used to sprout, inside the circle of seven layers of walls, now only the broken remnants of the fallen past.

The lingering canals and aqueducts can still be seen with water flowing carelessly, have preserved Hampi as a great haven for birding enthusiasts. However, if adventure fuels your life, rock climbing is another option to spend great outdoor time. Although, it is not known, how Vijayanagar became Hampi, but you may trace its origin in the ghost town with over 100 monuments, scattered in the memory, called Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage, in the heartland of South India.

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