The Monolithic Nandi, carved out of a single stone with detailed carvings especially on its rear, would probably cause any other tourist to turn around, as it does not come across as a very promising gateway. However curious people or lost tourists, who have ventured into the beyond would enter into a whole new magical world. This hidden city neatly tucked into a valley concealed by ample boulders is an isolated and little known part of the ruins of the Vijayanagar Empire. It houses the Achyutaraya temple, situated atop the hill, overlooking a vast area wherein a large area is flanked by pillars on either sides, assumed to be a marketplace during the Golden Era of the Vijayanagar Dynasty. The other Half of the valley comprises of an intricately built temple with carvings similar to its other counterparts, which are the Vithalla Temple, the Viupaksha Temple and the Krishna Temple. However, due to minimal restoration, the carvings here seem more authentic than the ones in the other temples, being more intricate. The outer wall of the temple depicts a lot of water flowing out. The inner walls too have carvings representative of water, perhaps highlighting the importance of water. The pillars in the temple have intricate carvings of the incarnation Lord Vishnu and the importance of the Narasimha, believed to be another incarnation of Vishnu, is highlighted in the recurring sculptures of he Narasimha. Despite the little damage done by the restoration by bringing out random statues found from that era and lacing them where the idol was not originally supposed to be, this place seems like the ideal meditation ground without any idols, much like the Lotus Temple in New Delhi. However, one must ensure to carry a map of sorts before visiting this maze meets Jurrasic Park to avoid getting lost in this place.The early morning walk up to the monkey temple was a rather exhausting one. We walked down the long winding road at 7 in the morning past the various other guesthouses, each with their own inviting advertisement. Once we got past all the shops selling all sorts of Indian souvenirs, we came to an unadopted road, repaired by the locals. Several houses flanked this narrow winding stretch, which housed not only the locals but also the abundant wildlife of dogs, cows and buffaloes adopted by them. Famished, as we hadn’t eaten anything, we stopped at a small shop to buy a dozen raw bananas, which left a sort of unpleasant coating in the mouth. Also, we filled up our dehydrated selves with as much water as the scorching temperatures rose further. Despite all these minor setbacks, we continued all the way till the winding and uneven staircase of the monkey temple, which easily had about four hundred steps. We somehow managed to keep our spirits up till at least he first half of the climb atop this hill on which was situated the monkey temple. However the climb just seemed like a never-ending one. After a couple of pit stops, our group’s number was reduced to a mere 7 from a group of 16. Reaching up to the top of the mountain was no less than conquering Mount Everest. As we heaved a huge sigh of relief, sucking up all the oxygen we’d run out of, we were absolutely mesmerized by the view of an entire valley of Hampi. The ruins of the Vijayanagara Empire stood strong and tall on the banks of the perennial Tungabhadra, surrounded by innumerable boulders of all forms and dimensions. This temple unlike other extravagant South Indian temples was a simplistic four-walled room with a conical peak housing a simple idle of Hanuman. This perhaps was the reason that there were minimal tourists and the ideals of the temple remained intact. Another reason for this could probably be the abundance of monkeys who aren’t entirely welcoming to visitors and often try an steal a banana or two or in our case a couple of shoes and jackets. Also, the long climb may seem a little intimidating for lazy tourists like me. So, after we successfully climbed down this temple, I chose to share an auto back to the guest house along with other lazy members of the group to reach the magical hut for breakfast an hour before the high spirited souls who chose to walk back the seven kilometer stretch.After a long day of travelling and exploration, the busy restaurant at the Sai Guest House was packed and abuzz with excitement as we shared our explorations of the entire day. For the first half of the evening, there was a buzz in the air as we decided what to order for dinner from the extravagant menu of cuisines from around the world that the restaurant had to offer. After a short class meeting with Alison, the music at the ‘magical hut’ was shut off to play a couple of documentaries about Hampi. Most of us painstakingly sat these incredibly informative yet dull documentaries, waiting for our dinner to be prepared. We watched nearly two and a half chapters of these documentaries as an rather bored looking man rattled on and on about the same footage. Once my dinner of Chicken Lasagne, baked in a tandoor arrived, I diverted my attention to the hot dish in which sheets of pasta were neatly layered alternating between cheese and minced chicken, topped with a stringy mozzarella cheese. As the documentaries were brought to an end and I was full up with the lasagna, cozy in my sweater in the chilly evening air, I walked, lazily to my room to crash onto my bed, only to wake up in the morning to my snoring roommate. |