Hampi : God's abode - Indeed its mysterious !

Background:
There are times when you are drawn towards God, though this all is governed by his will.
All we need to have is an unending faith and we are drawn towards him at some point of time in life.
Though, I have always been able to connect to God but in Oct’08 the faith strengthened even more. Rather I would say , not strengthened because it never got weak but recently I experienced the presence of God even more closely. I have been able to feel him in many instances. He reaches us through various signs and drops cues on our ways. We need to get enlightened to start picking them which always existed.

Some related instances to be unveiled later :
1. On my trip back home for diwali, I met this angle , very calm and composed – Wait for the mystery to unwind.
2. Shivyog – Would cover this in next blog script. Meanwhile you may visit, http://www.shivyog.com/ and read few of the articles. I am sure, this would bring a positive change in you.
3. The Secret – Authored by Rhonda Byrne. Would write my experience with it.
4. Lucie, Hampi Connection , Vipassana – I am yet to explore and experience this. However, would write about it shortly.

Hampi Visit

A beautiful day !
Very few places touch our soul and we thank God that he blessed us in this life to experience his presence. That’s what I did, standing so high (we climbed to the white temple at the tip of the mountain) that I could see the entire Hampi. I was at the birth place of Hanuman ji where devotees were offering prayers and seeking blessings from Hanuman ji and Anjani mata (Hanuman ji’s mother). There also is a cave where Anjani mata used to sit. Being there, I felt at peace with myself as if all negativity and pessimistic thoughts wiped off. There was cool breeze with bright sun , it was so fresh all around as if the earth was born just few minutes back. Hardly there were 30 people in and around the temple. They say the number was so high (30) because a group of villagers from Madhya Pradesh (ladies & men) had come for a festival. They come there every year and sing melodious prayers. They were around 15 in number. Rest 15 were foreigners and hardly 6 Indians including the pujari in the temple. While the group of villagers sang prayers sitting in colorful clothes in front of the temple, the foreigners were also sitting in and around the temple. We along with few of them did explored few water bodies between the big rocks with expansed as far as we could see. This was the scene at 4:00 pm in the evening. I was transfixed and just could not stop thanking God over and over again to give me the privilege to experience such a beautiful day in my life. It was similar to what I felt visiting Vaishno Devi in year 2002.

Read below to unfold many such instances and discover that you are lucky, if you visit ‘Hampi’.

What is Hampi and what’s special about the place :
Hampi is a place in India which has both historic & religious significance. Hampi, the capital city of Vijayanagara Empire, was founded by two brothers Harihara and Bukkaraya (more popularly known as Hakka and Bukka).It was not just the largest Hindu empire of its time, but was also one of the largest trading centres of the world. The markets in Hampi were always crowded with merchants from all over the world to barter their goods in exchange of spices and cotton, grown abundantly in the area. Rubies, diamonds and all precious stones were sold on the streets in the scale of seers (litre like measurement, commonly used even today in many parts of rural India). Gold and silver were the currencies.
Hampi, built in the year 1336 flourished for year but as the saying goes, everything that goes up must come down. It was true in case of Hampi also. After seeing its golden reign during King Krishna Deva Raya (AD 1509 - 1529), Hampi fell down to the attacks of the five Sultans of Deccan - Bidar, Bijapur, Golconda, Ahmednagar and Berar in the year 1565. The city was looted for a period of 6 months. The temples were destroyed and the markets were plundered. The golden empire had come to an end.
The ruins of Hampi, as it is known today, is a vast open museum of history, architecture and religion. Hampi is in the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites.
Spread over an area more than 25 square kilometers (10 square miles), Hampi ruins is packed with giant temples, palaces, market streets, aquatic structures , fortifications and an abundance of other ancient monuments.

Weather at Hampi :
Hampi’s climate is generally dry & hot. March to early June is the summer. Monsoon brings some wet weather that typically lasts from late June to early August. The colder period of the year is from November to February.
Irrespective of the climate, Hampi is open for visitors all round the year. Tourist crowd (and prices too!) drops during the summer & rainy seasons. Day temperature in summer can reach close to 40 deg C (104 deg F). If you are planning to tour during this season wear protective loose cotton cloths, headwear (hat or scarf) & eye gear. Carry plenty of drinking water and sun block cream during the tour.

One of the bonuses of touring Hampi during off season is the quietness and the relative seclusion of the sites. You may also visit Hampi during the winter (Nov-Feb) period and join the mob in style!

How to reach Hampi:
You may not get a direct connection to Hampi (Hospet). That is your travel may include a combination of multiple modes of transport (that is a combination of buses, trains etc).
In most cases your main entry point for Hampi is the Hospet Town .That’s the nearest bus station and railway station for Hampi. So from wherever you are planning for Hampi, look for Hospet as Hampi would not be listed in the railway/bus destination lists. Form Hospet town Hampi ruins site is 14 kilometers (9 miles) away. Take a local bus or auto-rickshaw.

Hampi – 500 km (approx) from Bangalore.
Train
- Hampi express from Bangalore (8 hours), Hampi passenger (14 hours)
- From Hospet in an auto-rickshaw 30 min to Hampi.
Road
- Volvo bus or personal vehicle take 6.5 hours.

For more details visit : http://www.hampi.in/

Places in Hampi which you may like to visit :
Though the list is long and any place you walk to offers something new.
Still few places which you should cover are as below.
These can be covered in 2-3 days.
1. Virupaksha Temple
2. Hanuman birth place
3. Vithala Temple – Stone Chariot
4. Hampi bazaar
5. Hampi village
6. Unesco office
7. Varaha Temple
8. Matanga hill to view the sun set
9. Sugreeva’s caves

For details visit : http://www.hampi.in.hampi.htm/

Also do not Miss ! :
1. Ride in Dongi
2. Lunch at ‘Mango Tree’
3. Dinner at ‘Shanthi restaurant’ which is an Italian restaurant.
4. Ice cream and milk shake at the famous shop behind the stone chariot in Hampi bazaar.
5. Buy few clothes or belts or lamp shades or accessories or craft etc. They reflect the colorful lambani culture.

How did I land up in Hampi ?
I was actually not very interested in visiting Hampi. Sid and Amit planned to visit the place to find ‘Bali ka khazana’. The plan to find khazana was already being discussed in our house since past 2 nights and I was very sure that the plan would be foiled like many other plans until one evening I found Sid and Amit planning to book tickets. And they did come back in 15 min with tickets in their hands. They were already familiar with the place as they both as part of their course ‘Cluster study’ have been to Hampi.

They were to leave for the Hampi in evening and it was Saturday. During the course of time, I was also swept away with their curiosity and excitement and they booked my tickets as well.
In night, we were on Bangalore station, sight of a railway station turns me off and I always feel like running away. That day we were to see even more. The train which was 1 hour late arrived at 10:30 pm and above all it was a passenger train. Sid and me were almost sure that we do not want to go but it was difficult to persuade Amit to get down and during this conversation which lasted 45 min , the train moved and we came to know that the passenger train takes 15 hours to reach Hospet. Amit knew that but we were too late to book tickets for express train so he did the booking in passenger train. But thanks to Amit who did not give up and courtesy him , we were heading towards Hampi. With lot of confusion about our seats in train, we slept to wake up in morning at the sight of beautiful mountains and rustic patch of life along the railway track. By now we started enjoying but were still apprehensive and oblivious to what lay ahead. Journey continues until we reach Hospet ……………… in the meantime know about the place a little more to build the excitement.

The discussion about the majestic Hampi over the nights in our house which prompted me to come to the place have been illustrated below under ‘ Folklores’ and ‘Mythology’

Folklores :
This place is said to be mysterious. Some of the folklores making rounds are as stated below.
1. Tungabhadra river, moonlit night, fairies are believed to be visiting the place. Once in olden times, a man went to see the fairies taking bath and he disappeared.
2. The place is believed to have jewels embedded in rocks, mountains and remains of edifices.
Once upon a time, a shepherd did get the jewels(King Bali ka khazana) but after that hedisappeared and later he was believed to be seen with his goats at night.
3. It is also believed that in earlier days traders used to come to Hampi for trade. While returning back , with the fear if getting robbed off their precious stones , they used to hide their belongings on the mountains. So now also, in rainy season, the rain brings with it jewels for many and people do go and stand under mountains to test their luck and some turn out to be be lucky indeed !
4. Recent mystery making rounds : There is a mystery as believed by locals that the bridge broke, as there is a force which works against the place to be connected to the rest of the people.

Mythology :
King Bali was elder brother of Sugreev. Bali went to fight with a devil and this fight took them to a cave. Months passed and people could see nothing but hear loud sounds and subsequent to this, one day they found blood flowing out of the cave. Fearing Bali to be killed by the devil, the inhabitants of the kingdom closed the cave by placing a big stone at the entrance. But in reality, Bali was alive and the devil was injured. After years, Bali came out, killing the devil. Presuming Bali was dead, Sugreev was throned as the king and was married to Bali’s wife as well.Years later when Bali came back victorious, he was shocked to see these developments. He was enraged and wanted his throne and wife back from Sugreev. Considering Sugreev was his brother, he didn’t kill him but dethroned and out-casted him from the community to wanders in the jungle for years until Sugreev met Hanuman in the jungle.

Hanuman along with Ram and Lakshman was planning to invade Lanka to get Sita back. Sugreev narrated his plight to Ram and Laxman and promised full support of Bali’s army, if Ram could help oust Bali and help Sugreev reign as the king. Ram , Lakshman and Hanuman did agree to the deal. One fine day, Ram saw Bali busy in some work. Bali’s back was towards Ram, seeing this as an opportunity, Ram aimed at Bali with his bow and arrow and injured him. At this, Bali said to Ram , ‘a brave human always challenges another human from front’. At this Ram said , that you are not a human , you are partial human. During this Bali could identify that he was fortunate to be killed by Lord Ram. Bali went on to praise lord Ram and said that Ram should have at least once come and spoken to him for the army, and he would have happily given not only the army but all the possible support to him.

The saga lives till date. The moment we enter Hampi, we see various temples and ruins depicting the fight between Sugreev and Bali in the form of very beautiful engravings and carved sculptures.

Hope you enjoyed the mysterious aspect of Hampi covered in Folklores & Mythology !!!

…………………We have ‘Arrived Hampi’ !!! : The trio - Amit , Sid and myself

“The air that blow is light, the sun that shine is bright.
Holiness is in what you sense, uniqueness is in how you dress.”

The place is magical. As you step in, you feel you are in a different world. All tourists and residents wear uniquely shaped, colorful, vibrant, lively, mirror studded and embroidered clothes. You would have never seen such clothes anywhere. The dress is the gift from Lambani culture. ‘Lambani’ – Years ago there was a group of people who came from Rajasthan and settled here. They are known as Lambani’s. They have painted the streets of Hampi with life. Their colored outfit, jewelry and intricate hairdo is sure to catch your attention.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Day 1
We arrived Hampi after 15 hours of treacherous journey. First thing on our minds was to take shower and have lunch, it was already 1:30 pm.
We banked on Amit to make stay arrangements as he had spent 3 months in Hampi for his NIFT intern project. Sid and me followed Amit as he started walking towards the cottages which were across the river. After walking for over 1.5 Km under the Sun with our luggage , when we forced Amit to let us know as to where were we heading , he revealed we were going to those cottages(could not be seen anywhere) and have to take a ferry next. It’s then Sid took the charge and we immediately took a U turn and reached a one of those many ‘home + roof top restaurant’. There is a general trend, people run roof top restaurants and give 2-3 rooms of their house to the tourists. People are very enterprising there ! They being enterprising is revealed in the narration that follows.

While Amit and Sid went to find the place where we were to stay, I bought a Hampi map. It is a must ! Don’t you forget to grab one as soon as you land there.

Our room & Mango tree
The house in which we stayed was on the bank of Tungabhadra river. We stayed in this cosy and cool ground floor room overlooking the fresh, blue, busy water in the river and lush green Coconut trees.
After a quick shower we were ready for lunch. We were so hungry that we decided we will have lunch at any good restaurant on our way to start sightseeing. Amit proposed we should go to ‘Mango Tree’ which is just 1 km away. As we were fresh after bath, we could afford to walk almost 1.5 km (Amit has wrong estimates on distances J). Trust me this time , we were not disappointed, Mango Tree is a very famous restaurant in Hampi. Seating arrangement is done by cutting a mountain in terraces and you may sit on any of the terrace to enjoy the food with a clear view of the valley in front of you. Across the river is Hampi village where we would go the next day. The restaurant is called ‘Mango tree’ because it is covered by a very old and sprawling Mango Tree. And don’t miss the ‘Swing’ hanging down from the mango tree branches. Unfortunately now a doll rests on the swing because someone did get hurt from the swing. Still you may get pictures clicked !!!

After our elaborate lunch at Mango Tree, I was told by Amit and Sid about various places in Hampi which we could cover in next 2 days.

Now the question is – how to cover Hampi in 2 days
Our choice !!! On foot to cover maximum ruins, auto-rickshaw and dongi was our choice.
Though you may hire bicycle or mopeds to cover a wider area ,sots located 5 kilometers(3 miles) apart. You can include an occasional ferry crossing and the auto-rickshaw ride or hire a car. You can also hire a driver-guide as a package or hire ‘spot guides’ locally at each major attraction. If you need assistance to hire a trained guide for full-day / half-day, contact the tourist info center in Hampi Bazaar near Virupaksha Temple.

Attempt to visit Stone Chariot at Vithal temple
(but it was far, Sunset on the way)
First place on our agenda was ‘Stone Chariot’ at Vithala temple. Sid was curious to see the ‘Stone Chariot’ so we headed towards it. After walking 2 km , we realized, it would not be a good idea to trail the path which we were not sure about so we stopped after passing through few caves. We planned to enjoy the Tungabhadra river patch from where people take ‘Dongi’ to go to the Hampi village (we would be going there on Day 2). This patch where we were is stopped is one of the most beautiful sight in Hampi with ‘Shivling’ made all over the place. So be careful while walking ! On your back are the remains of kingdom’s courtyard, on left caves (from where you arrived from) and river stretch as far as you can view, on right you have a very old temple and way to Stone Chariot (where we would go on Day 2) and we faced the river. On both side of river there were big huge rocks which appeared tapering towards the Hampi village. Admist rocks you could see ‘Nandi’ (Lord Shiv’s disciple). I wonder who could have carved a Nandi there. As we stayed there for sometime, I could see a foreigner who had come with his wife and a cute 2-3 years daughter. He was enquiring from the Dongi owners about several changes that have been made to the place since 10 years when he last visited this place. He was so delighted to be here again after 10 years with his family. I was surprised to see , how popular this place is among foreigners except among Indians. As it was getting dark we all were walking back to the ‘Hampi Bazaar’ the place where we stayed. It’s now when we met 2 French people who were in India to work on hi-fi projects. They had heard so much about Hampi that they somehow accommodated 1 day plan to visit the place, at this I was left wondering if, are we also aware of places around us as much as these people. As they were to leave for Bangalore in the evening, after bidding a good bye to them we climbed low heights right opposite to Virupaksha temple (we were near to the ground where annual festivals are celebrated) to have a beautiful view of Hampi at dusk.

The Virupaksha temple in Hampi bazaar was looking extremely beautiful from a distance of half a kilometer. Capturing few pictures, we climbed a little ahead and discovered that if we descend on the other side there is another valley covered with huge temples in a row. We did not descend there rather spent time near a small and very old temple or you may say a holy place where resided hanuman ji. Someone had lit a mustard oil diya (lamp) even in such far and quite place. Right outside the temple, we found a special variety of Tulsi plant with a very strong aroma for which we collected the seeds. Then arrived, here also a foreign couple who were dumbstruck with the vastness and beauty of the place.

As we came down, Amit told us about the huge open space, every year Dussehra mela is held here. Also other events are organized here. Now as we walked towards the Hampi bazaar it started getting more and more bright with bulbs and decoration alongside the road. There were tiny lamps tinkling all over the place, especially in Lambani shops. It felt like Diwali , celebration time !!!

Memorable Instance in Hampi Bazaar at Milk shake shop :
Before I miss to mention, in Hampi bazaar you see a colossal 20 feet tall structure and it is the ’Wooden chariot’.
As we were drawn towards the hustle bustle of the city, we paused at the famous Juice shop for Ice cream and shakes. Another small incident, there was a foreign couple and a group of 5-6 other foreigners. The streets were busy, not with vehicle , but with people busy in various activities. The temple was lit all over, people were heading towards the Virupaksha temple. 2 little boys with their monkey were trying to get money from the tourists. Lambani ladies were selling their crafts and there were few vegetable sellers. Suddenly a dog cried, the vegetable seller had hit the dog. The couple sitting in the ice cream shop got restless and the girl ran to rescue the dog while we were still preparing ourselves to help the dog, she did scold the vegetable seller as well. Sid joined the girl and offered the dog his ice-cream.

Dinner
After ice cream we went to our rooms to freshen up and came out for dinner. It was a beautiful Italian restaurant around 500 meters ahead of Virupaksha temple walking towards the river. Food awesome! Paintings you would have never seen before! Hospitality unparalleled! Music and ambience Italian! The name of the restaurant is ‘Shanthi’ restaurant but it’s very Italian in every sense contrary to the name. You get all kind of cookies and puddings here, rare would you see any Indian face, the staff at the hotel speak many languages and I am sure you may confuse them with Italians. I would like to make a special mention of the glowing paintings, they are big wall sized, glowing fluorescent depicting Indian mythology. These look even lovelier under candle lit ambience which you may like to enjoy by relaxing on the chairs or hugging yourself amidst the pillows and mattresses.
After relishing dinner at the restaurant, we planned for a stroll along the river. The colorful clothes outside the shops attracted me and I did order for a pair of loose fit but knee length smart white Arabic pants which I collected the other day in the morning. After the stroll we went to bed at 11:00 pm for a good rest to start our day at 5:00 am the next day.And yes, before going to sleep we had booked the tickets to return back to Bangalore by convincing Amit who was difficult to persuade to leave for Bangalore the next day, because the plan to stay in Hampi was for 3 days.

We came early as the trip was not a planned one and I had to join office. We left for Hampi on Saturday night and reached there Sunday 1:00 pm. After spending 2 days & 1 night we returned back to Bangalore on Tuesday morning by starting Sunday night from Hampi.

--------------------------------------------------------
Day 2
Second day started at 5:00 am. Sid and I were ready to visit the Virupaksha temple.
We were glad we could make it early in the morning to the temple for darshan and aarti. The mandir was untouched, original, grand and cool in the morning mist. Unlike other places, it was not commercialized. The people visiting the temple were very different too. It’s rare to see any person from city. Only people to be seen are local people, few youngsters and foreigners.

Amit preferred to doze off in the room, we asked him to get ready while we were away. We came back, Amit was all ready and we were ready to explore the places we could not cover on Day 1. The list was long and the distances were large as well as we were to cross the river and go to Hampi village. Hampi village is where the locals live. Unesco has an office there, Kishkinda trust office is also on the other side. Cottages were also on the other side. Amit decided to meet up Meera who was his friend and we were also hoping to seek her guidance to cover maximum places the same day as we were leaving the same evening.

Amit fixed up with Meera to meet at 10:00 am in Hampi bazaar for which Meera who lived in Hampi village had to cover the river in a dongi to reach Hampi bazaar (the side where we lived).
After coming from Virupaksha temple and making the plan, it was already 7:00 am. Amit, Sid and myself all loaded with water bottle, camera, handy cam, sun block, hats, eye gear, tissues started from our place. We checked out of our room and left the luggage with the Hanuman ‘house owner’ which we were to collect from him in the evening. Hanuman was true to his name, very gentle and humble person. I am hoping to meet him again when we go to Hampi again.

Breakfast
Hunting for a place to have breakfast, hardly did we walk 300 metres from our house, we saw an old lady making few interesting things, which we had not seen earlier. It was like eggs in a egg tray but they were not eggs.We asked her if we can have breakfast at her place as it didn’t appear to a restaurant and to our delight she ushered us in her house, which was a room with few chairs and a table and it was actually a small eatery or restaurant for that matter. Here she served us white eggs kind of eatable called ‘ guntu pongal’ made of rice and dosas. The breakfast was delicious. This lady was being helped by her daughter in law who was serving us as well as helping her kids get ready for school inside the other room. The house was like a tunnel. Must say people in Hampi are enterprising.
While we walked towards the Stone chariot, we decide on the palces we would cover on the second day. These were Stone chariot at the Vithal temple, Birth place of hanuman, Trip in dongi to Hampi village and few others places, which would be finalized after talking to Meera whom we were meeting after 2 hours. We had already been to Virupaksha temple , Mango Tree and Shanthi restaurant.

Amit & Sid at the onset of Day 2 - just after the breakfast

Stone Chariot at Vithal temple
It was 8:00 am , we were heading towards our first destination “stone chariot”. Oblivious of the distance and a vague idea of direction. We crossed Hampi bazaar then reached the same patch of water with dongi’s inverted all over the land, it’s the same place where we stopped our expedition yesterday.

We steered forward, across many temple remains, small mountains, bushes, vast stone stretch and planned to drop the idea to go to stone chariot as we had already covered close to 3 km. Sid insisted that we should continue, so we did ! It’s now that we realized we could have come to this place by Dongi, which we insisted but Amit said that these dongis take you to Hampi village and not the stone chariot. And finally after 1.5 km more we reached a huge temple. It was more of a kingdom. And in the middle were many temples and there it was the Stone chariot. Standing tall (close to 20 ft) and glimmering in the sunshine. Finally !!! we arrived there and clicked few pictures. In the courtyard, before entering the place we were to get the tickets to enter the place.

There was a queue of all foreign nationals buying the entry tickets. We entered the premise to see a part of the large kingdom. Stone chariot stood in between surrounded by prayer rooms, grand bath areas. Most fascinating apart from Stone Chariot were the musical pillars. Each pillar emanates a different sound, altogether completes the sargam. But these pillars have become weak and can fall anytime so this portion is heavely guarded by archaelogical department gaurds. What is sad, they take bribe of 10 Rs. to play for 5 minutes. We did not relent to this option. What we also saw was the work which government has undertaken to preserve the monuments in most orginial form. Though , the work is slow but it is underway. Splendid we came out to see a European man little far playing high music on the rented Wagon R. It was a spiritual music though we hardly could understand a word. Later we did comprehend a little, it was hare krishna , hare krishna, krishna krisha hare hare, hare ram, hare ram,ram ram hare hare sung by Meera Khaden that what he told us. But it was very refreshing to hear the high spirited music and delightful to meet him for his sincerity in what he was doing and enjoying.We waved good bye to him which was the only thing he could understand in our 10 min conversation. We hurried up to walk towards Hampi bazaar to meet Meera.

As we were already late, we waited for Meera near Tungabhadra river patch. (Amit guessed, she would land here in Dongi and he was right !!!) There we see Meera from far coming in a dongi. A fair thin lady , dressed in black from top to bottom. With a close hug to Amit and a quick hello to us as Amit introduced her to us, she proceeded looking to buy her cigars as soon as she got down from the dongi. Once she had her cigarettes, we 4 moved towards, the Hampi bazaar.

Meeting with ‘Meera’
Meera is a 54 year old lady from Belgium who had come to Hampi to visit the place when she was in her 20s. She was so touched by the spirituality and calmness of the place that she came back again to Hampi after few months to settle there alone, leaving her family back in Belgium. It’s been 21 years now that Meera is in Hampi, the beautiful carefree girl is now an independent mature, busy career woman. Her complexion is fair and the body structure is petite with an average height. She is here since she was 20. Loves this place ! She lives in a cave with 3 dogs, UP, Puppy and Siddhu and she has a cat too in the prayer room.

I had heard about Meera a lot before meeting her and when I first saw her, I could not stop looking at her and the way she spoke in hindi with english and french accent. She wore unique ‘western yet ethnic dresses’ with a bag on her shoulder, few files in her right hand and low flat sandals. You can’t miss the hairdo. Hair is black though scanty but they are tied up impeccably without even one strand of her tresses coming on her face.

She is a well known personality in Hampi. There was something about her which impressed me; she walked in the place with the grace of a queen of Hampi. With demure she spreads magic around her. A smile here and a tickle there, equal treatment to all the animals and human beings.I was bowled over by her confidence and grace with which she was returning the wishes of the people who shouted out their wishes aloud from their shops. So many people were just coming in our way and bowing to her as she walked across the place as the queen walk past with head held high and smoking in the air under the sun.

Waiting for the Auto-rickshaw – Green paddy fields
Now with Meera along with us , we headed towards Hampi village. Though, she did get angry with us for this because she had come all the way from Hampi village to Hampi bazaar to meet us and we were instead ready to go to Hampi village. She agreed to the idea of we going to Hampi village but before that she wanted to complete some work in the bazaar. So there we were on the Hampi streets walking with her. After making few calls she suggested us few places to visit and also invited us to start our Hampi village tour from her cave.
Hampi bazaar and Hampi village are separated by a river running across, which needs to be covered by dongi or ferry. [This picture was clicked after reaching Hampi village, the other side shows Hampi bazaar and Virupaksha temple ]I wanted to enjoy the dongi ride but dongis are on the way to the Vithal temple and now we were near to Virupaksha temple so the only option was to take ferry. The ferry ride was short but we enjoyed. We shared a ferry with around 20 people. We sat on the brim of boats and paid Rs. 10 each. The moment we stepped down from the ferry we could see the cottages we were considering for stay arrangements the earlier day. 4 of us walked past the row of thatched and rustic cottages which were occupied by foreigners. Covering almost 800 meters we were take an auto-rickshaw to go to Meera’s cave where she would check if her maid has come and her dogs are fine and we were to proceed to Kishkinda trust office (Meera’s place of work). In fact the options we had were to either take mopeds or get an auto-rickshaw. We preferred auto-rickshaw as we were to travel around the place very quickly. So there we were hunting for auto-rickshaw. Unable to get one , Meera called up her auto-rickshaw friends. One of them arrived in about 20 min. In the meantime we had a quick refreshment of cold drink and biscuits and Meera enjoyed her smoke. While we waited, it was pin drop silence with occasional sound of auto-rickshaw. The weather was hot and dry. Just opposite to where we were sitting, there were lush green paddy fields which stretched as far as we could see. The water running in the fields twinkled under the bright sunshine. White birds gently moved across the green fields as they had all the time in the world. Looking at this , I felt so fresh and cool as I have washed my eyes. With all this, I was suddenly so happy as if an angel contrived that happiness around me. It was heaven !!!

Meera’s Cave
Then arrived the auto-rickshaw. It surely could have not accommodated 4 of us but in no time Meera asked the driver to create a little space for her on his seat. Meera shared the seat with her driver friend and discussed health and family well-being while we advanced to her cave. We had 4 km of bumpy ride in auto-rickshaw, after which we Meera waved a good bye to the auto-rickshaw. Then we walked the low (off-season) flowing but a busy river with a dam on it and ascended a mountain to reach to her cave.

Even after arriving outside the cave we could not figure out where it was as it was covered behind the bushes and blossom of yellow and pink flowers. We followed Meera and bent the same way as she did to enter a landscape area. It had a boundary of plants, also there was a lot of small plantation her and there in the place. Following a muddy path and taking 10 steps we were there is Meera’s hut, right next to it was her Cave. The cave was guarded by weak looking but ferocious dogs. The place where we sat was her hut. With the thatched and asbestos roof, it had a smoky look but it was very clean and we could smell the incense stick ‘agarbatti’. Hut was like a square platform, The front part where we sat was only as wide to accommodate 4 of us sitting there. At the top was a mosquito net which Meera used to untie by pulling a rope. Then there was a door , inside which we could see the worship place. We did not enter inside it but could see that it was a dark room, with various Hindu god’s idols and pictures, a mustard diya was glimmering to light up the room, incense sticks emitted fumes. There were big temple bells hanging from the roof as far as I can remember. All this indicated Meera’s elaborate prayer schedules. And there in the dark room , we suddenly noticed a pair of 2 shiny blue lights. It was a cat. Yes, Meera had a cat too and she used to stay inside prayer room.
After a quick chat, Sid’s curiosity led him towards the cave to see the dogs. Unable to see the dogs who were resting inside, he advanced a little ahead in the cave. He complained to Meera that he wasn’t able to see the dogs and just then at Meera’s call, the chained dogs came howling badly on Sid for which he had to run to escape. Though he was safe but he panted for few minutes.
After checking upon the maid, if she had come on time and was doing the work properly, giving her few more instructions Meera joined us to tour the place. She had promised us that if the maid would be at home and dogs would have been fed properly she would come along with us.

Kishkinda Trust office & Hoova Café
After coming out of Meera’s cave, when we walked down the mountain and crossed the river to start our tour, I was amazed to see another auto-rickshaw waiting for us. He is the guy who could not come earlier and had sent his friend (with whom we came to Meera’s place and waved him good bye reaching there). It was already 1:00 pm and we were hungry. So we planned to have lunch in the village where we were heading in this new auto-rickshaw. Again it was the same arrangement, Meera shared the seat with the driver friend and we 3 took the back seat. Another bumpy ride of 3 km took us to the village. Before I go ahead , I would like to elaborate on the ride. Hampi is so beautiful , it feels as if God has arranged everything very impeccably. Despite sunshine the air was cool and light, water was pure, sky was blue and clear. Lush green never ending paddy fields with coconut trees in between or at the corners and the view of large stone structures in various shapes is sure to enchant you. Sid and myself insisted to visit Hanuman temple while Amit was interested to see the caves which had some kind of paintings. I am saying some kind of paintings because we did not visit the palce as Meera told us it was not possible for us to cover caves in this trip , also according to her there were no paintings in the caves. She promised to accompany us to Hanuman temple but we would have to accompany her to her work place i.e. Kishkinda trust office. So we arrived in auto-rickshaw at her office at 2:00 p.m. It was a like a huge village house with a courtyard transformed into the office. The courtyard is made into famous café called ‘Hoova café’. The courtyard was covered with the painted tin shades, while the sink was made of plaster of paris and the handwash room had mud walls. The food which was served there was prepared in the adjacent kitchen by 2 young boys and a small girl. They cooked authentic South Indian food. We entered the place through the main entrance of the office. The doors are low in height so I did hit my head in the door. We entered in a small office, standing at the entrance of 1st room we could see through doors to 2 more rooms. The house was apparently very cool so it was a relief from the scorching heat. The first room had crafts, clothes exhibited on the walls. We entered 2nd room in the row, it was the working place for Meera. This room had had a table chair and a computer for Meera and 2 chairs for guests. The 3rd room, was used as a godown or the work place. We did not enter in the 3rd room though the rooms were very well lit and were bright enough with sunlight seeping through windows. We exited in café from the door which is just behind Meera’s chair. I banged my head again, the doors are very low !

Lunch at Hoova café and knowing Meera
Sid and I ordered dosa and curry, as it was the only familiar option available at that time. Meera was busy making calls and completing her work. In the meantime , Amit went to visit Unesco office to meet his old friends (residents of the place), also he was to go to the place where he used to dine during his 2 months internship. Both the places were near to Kishkinda trust office. Within 1 hour Amit returned back to take us along to the place where he used to dine. Before we moved to that place we enjoyed the company of a pup and a cat. Not sure about the pup but cat was Meera’s cat. Meera fed the pup with bun crumps, but called someone to get dry milk powder, which she mixed in water and fed her cat.

Meera sat on a table in the Hoova café and while feeding the pup and cat she narrated her courtship tales when Amit was trying to flirt with her and we praised her beauty and attitude. She then told us one of the many stories of the time when she was young, how did a guy went crazy about her and gifted her wine bottles during a candle lit romantic dinner. No wonder Meera would have been very beautiful and attractive, her face and eyes still exudes a charm. Though the face is wrinkled now but she is still enthusiastic, chirpy, carefree with wit in her answers is sure to bowl u over.

Visit to the restaurant designed by Amit
It was almost 3:00 pm now and we were to join Amit to the place where he used to dine. We went there for 20 min and were floored by the hospitality of the owner of the restaurant. He served a grand south Indian thali for Amit and we had to literally stop him serving us as we had our lunch in Hoova. Still he served us soft drinks. And we did not pay for anything , you know why ? Amit designed the whole space. The owner of the restaurant was not doing well financially but had this huge space. Amit encouraged him to open a restaurant in the available space, he had also drawn the entire sketch of the restaurant. The owner showed the A4 size yellow colored chart paper on which Amit had drawn the plan with attention to details.it was touching to see how he had preserved the paper which was sign by Amit with a 2 years back date. The restaurant today looks identical to what Amit envisioned. The owner who is very well of financially now praised Amit with a spark in his eye and invited us to come more often. It was overwhelming to see Amit’s efforts and the owners confidence in Amit was exemplary too. We sat under a shade on the right hand side of the vast open to air, fenced and low walled restaurant. On the table next to us, were a French couple with a French lady, all 3 were 50 + in age. They met each other in Hampi. They had been to Hampi before as well. The gentleman was a retired engineer from Arcelor and he knew a lot about Mittal. We were delighted to know how high they thought of Indians. His wife was a child psychologist. Another very independent French lady who was with them was here in Hampi to relax and enjoy all on her own. She used to work for development of under developed countries and was actively involved in the development projects in South Africa. A brief introduction and a light humorous chat while we dined came to an end with exchange of visiting cards, E-mail address and phone numbers as we were to proceed to see the broken bridge. Before I proceed, I would like to mention the context of the discussion which made us sad. It was when they very specifically enquired about the recent Mysore pub incident in which the girls were beaten up, at this they felt very sorry and were curious to know from us the state of affairs. Assuring them that this was shocking for us too and the pubs in India are safe to be visited, we bid adieu to them to proceed to the broken bridge.

We were now to visit the broken bridge, before that I would like to introduce Shama.

Who is Shama Pawar ?
Earlier in the day, during the bumpy ride to Meera’s cave , Amit and Meera pointed to the row of cottage’s owned by Shama Pawar. Shama Pawar is the daughter of Sharad Pawar’s (Indian politician) elder brother. She stays in Hampi since many years. Hampi is like her kingdom. Kishkinda trust also , I believe was started by her. She is a globe trotter. Half of the year she travels across various foreign lands and rest of the time in Hampi with her 2 boys. Her husband is a German who stays in Germany.
She receives huge grants and funds for the development of Hampi, a declared world heritage site. Almost all the artisans in Hampi work in the projects run by her. Many students, especially from NIFT do their internships with her. She holds exhibitions to display and sell products. High class parties are held at her places which are attended by people from all over the world. It is said that she owns half of the Hampi starting from land to restaurant to other possible grand things.

The Broken bridge
Meera could not join us as she was busy winding her day’s work to come with us to Hanuman temple. Sid , Amit and I walked 2 km to reach the sight of the bridge which collapsed. It is the same bridge about which I wrote under folklores. It was sunny but little cool ! On our way, Amit stopped in front of a big black gate. It was the guesthouse owned by Shama Pawar. The first look of it indicated that it is a less frequented place. It was painted yellow , with few dongis and an old jeep in the campus which I believe, were used to cross the river and go to Hampi bazaar and Hospet.
Half a kilometer ahead was the broken bridge. From a distance we could see a big blue colored police van and the police personnel resting under shade. Just in front of the police van we were delighted to see 4 ducks, which were making different geometrical designs. Capturing few pictures we headed towards the broken bridge which was just 30 steps away. I had never seen anything like it before. The huge cement structure lay flat on the ground and covering a stretch of half a kilometer of the river. There were iron rods and wires hanging lose from top to bottom. Incident happened almost 2-3 months back but villagers were coming even now to see the site. Just next to it there were temple remains and in one temple we saw a Nandi (Lord Shiva’s primary follower) who was facing the bridge and appeared to supervise all the activities in and around the place. We left the place in 10 min to walk back 3 km to go the Kishkinda trust office to meet Meera.

Meet Meera again to go to Hanuman temple
It was around 3:15 pm, Meera quickly winded her work while we had waited for her in the Hoova café which was bustling this time on the arrival of a foreign couple and the restaurant staff was busy chatting with each other, playing around and preparing for the evening. We were now going to Hanuman temple, it was the most sought out location since the time we started our tour but somehow it was getting delayed. Now finally we 4 were going. Again there was a trouble with auto-rickshaw. We could see one, but it was crowded, Meera ordered the person to come back dropping the passengers until then we decided to wait at tall gate near to the Kishkinda trust office. As mentioned earlier , Meera is very agile, within minutes she jumped and sat on a 7 feet high structure while Sid preferred to climb it from back. While we waited , we again got a chance to interact with Meera who went on telling us that Hampi is the best place in the whole world. When we asked her if she ever missed her family, she told us that she has long forgotten them and visited them only twice around 10 years back after coming to Hampi to settle here for good. Then arrived our auto-rickshaw to take us to Hanuman temple which was 5 kilometers away from here. This is the place which we wanted to visit since the time we landed in Hampi.We reached there around 4:00 pm.

The Hanuman temple
The temple was at a great height, we had to take a flight of around 1000s of stairs, Amit and Meera decided to stay back while Sid and I took the flight without wasting any time to reach the Hanuman temple. The stairs were carved out of mountains hence they were twisted and narrow. Uneven throughout, with plants and trees blocking our way in between , it was an exciting journey. We met several people who were climbing the stairs in groups. Most of the people, apart from 4 ladies whom we met were all foreigners so all were very well prepared with water , sun block creams eye gears etc. These 4 ladies from Madhya Pradesh were the first one whom we met while climbing. They were thirsty so we offered them water and we were friends now so they told us that they come here every year with a group of people whom we would meet as we go a little ahead. Singing in the praise of Hanuman, we crossed them several times and did pass by us many a times. It was getting more steep, sunny and difficult to climb. But anyone who passed by cheered others. It was this strength which took us to the top. On the way we did come across, few French and Swiss people. I believe the whole moment was very magical. We all shared something in common as we smiled and cheered each other. A guy from Switzerland was friends with us and he clicked a picture of Sid and I the moment we reached the temple.

Before we were to ascend a certain height to view and enter the temple we were stopped by a old person who was guarding everyone shoes. He pointed us towards the temple and offered to take care of our shoes with a smile. I was touched though this did not last for long. Leaving our shoes and after 15 steps, we stood right in front of the temple. It was a white colored small beautiful temple. It is at such great height that it was visible even when we were touring Hampi. So it was a dream come true to reach here. Before we entered the temple, we met again the complete group of people from Madhya Pradesh who had set the whole environment very lively and holy with their folk songs in the praise of Lord Hanuman. With us few other foreigners also sat and enjoyed the music. Next we entered the temple. I was spell bound. A feeling of us being very fortunate crept into me. It was a very well managed and quite temple with few pandits sitting and resting inside. It was utmost peace around. Sid and I stood in front of Hanuman ji’s orange colored sculpture and offered our prayers. Sound of the mandir bell echoed as we struck it in praise of the Lord. Next to it was the Anjani mata (hanuman’s mother). I was seeing Anjani mata for the first time. It was a very holy feeling. After offering prayers to Anjani mata here, we came out. A feeling of peace and bliss prevailed. The group was still singing songs and 1 or 2 foreigners sat on various corners of the mountains, oblivious to what was happening around. Some were just lost in thoughts enjoying the wind while some were reading books. We visited a Shiva temple, which was in under a tree on which devotees had tied threads.

Meeting Lucie & Zoe
Now was the time to explore this picturesque place. We took our shoes and climbed a rock mountain next to the temple. It was breathtaking to note that standing here we could see the entire landscape of Hampi. All the places to which we have been over these 2 days could be pinpointed. We could see clearly the Tungabhadra river dividing the Hampi village and Hampi bazaar. After enjoying the site , we saw some foreigners, some of those who accompanied us going far ahead exploring the chain of never ending rock mountains. There were water bodies and sharp fissures between mountains. We did not go any far but chose to stay close to the temple. We stayed there for 20 min, clicked pictures and were all set to descend as Meera and Ravi have been waiting. As we prepared to descend, we saw to foreign ladies, with their shoes clasped in hands and held close to their body were trying to enter into the Hanuman temple and a man was shouting on them. Even we were surprised that why did they not leave their shoe with the man. The man started shouting even more and one lady out of the two went back towards the man and the other climbed the low height and came towards us. She came and stood next to us and started calling someone as ‘Zoie’. We could not understand anything but could feel that there was some problem as the other person also responded faintly. We asked this lady , if we could help her. She introduced herself as Lucie and her daughter as Zoie. They had come from Canada. They wanted to visit the temple but the person who guarded shoes demanded huge amount of money. At this, they decided to carry shoes to the temple in hand. When they did this, the man started shouting and Zoie (the daughter) felt very bad by his abuse and body language and decided to go back without seeing the temple. Lucie wanted her daughter to see the temple, so this time we called out for her daughter. We scolded the shoe man and Zoie came up to join us.

During a formal introduction between us , we came to know that Lucie was a professor in a design institute. Wasn’t it a coincidence for Lucie and Sid to meet other. Sid is also a designer.
Lucie , was so very delighted to see Sid that she repeatedly praised the lord Hanuman and recognized the coincidence. She always wanted to visit a design institute in India and she saw the dream coming true. With a note to meet again in Bangalore, Sid and I bid adieu to Lucie and Zoe who were staying back in Hampi for 6 more days. After coming to Bangalore, we did meet up Lucie and Zoe who were to stay in Bangalore for 3-4 days. During this time we came to know more about them.

Coming back from Hanuman temple
It was much easier to get down and we took half the time to get down then to get to the top. It was 5:15 pm. We took exactly 1 hour from the time we started scaling up. Meera and Amit were waiting for us. Now the plan was to drop Meera to her cave and we would take a dongi to cross the river to get to the Hampi bazaar and after refreshment we could leave to Hospet (30 min auto-rickshaw) to board our Volvo for Bangalore.

Towards the end of our journey
As per the plan we walked towards the Meera’s cave, in the way she stopped to buy kerosene oil and we enjoyed bananas from a local seller. It was tiring to walk to her place but there wasn’t anyother option. Many foreigners did cross us on their Moped. We hoped, we should have also taken 2 mopeds but that was an instant thought. Thought actually our plan was perfect to not to take Moped, else we would have not been able to cover so many places within 2 days as you cross over Hampi bazaar to Hampi village in 10-15 min as compared to Moped drive between these places.

'Tea' on the way
Walking past many bumpy village roads, we stopped at a place near to Meera’s cave. This is the place where she takes tea every evening; it was a big steel glass which was brimming with tea. As we sat outside the hut shaped one room house, Meera introduced us to a young man with whom she communicated in French. On the other 2 chairs next to us, there sat a couple, the guy smiled and appreciated looking at the girl who was making a sketch of the house, outside of which we were sitting. Just behind us was a swing made up by tying a cloth to the 2 plants. It was so peaceful to experience the beauty of life. While we are busy in our work, we never go to any such places, these foreigners were the ones who were in real terms enjoying the life. Life is simplicity ! Life is, doing what we like endlessly ! They are living it. We are spending it.

Before leaving the place, I promised myself, now that I have the realization; I would continue visiting such places and will live life and not let it go in vain. Meera and we walked 15 more minutes to be at Meera’s cave.

First meeting with the lanky man who had 6 Dogs

Again we were to cross the low flowing river with a dam on it and lay in front of us was the mountain on which it was Meera’s cave. Suddenly on crossing the river, we saw few dogs running towards Meera affectionately followed by a man on whom Meera started grumbling. We asked her the reason of her discomfort. She said he is leaving today and she would have to take care of his 6 dogs, which we heard him requesting to her as well, when he walked past us in opposite direction in jiffy. Meera complained that he goes pretty often and so many dogs have to be managed by her. We climbed the mountain to reach Meers’a cave, thanked and waved her good bye as she directed us to take a dongi from a little ahead to reach Hampi bazaar.

After bidding adieu to Meera and meeting Roger
We walked and descended the mountain to see the same man on whom Meera was grumbling now walking in our direction. The lanky man walked with long strides ahead of us. We followed him, and sat in the dongi with him, 4 of us in the dongi with the dongi man. As we settled in the dongi, this lanky man was clicking pictures of the dongi man and few other local dongi owners who had come to bid adieu to him. As we were to move, dongi owner told us per person he would charge 120, which sounded pretty high for such a small distance. We told them we were Meera’s friends and we know that it’s hardly 30-50 Rs. At this the dongi man denied saying that it’s not true and he doubted that we know Meera. Soon another dongi owner validated saying that we were true and he had seen us with Meera during the day. At this we closed the deal on 35 Rs for each. We were very excited as the dongi left the shore. We felt Pirates of Caribbean. At the onset, we asked the lanky man, who he was and where was he going. His name was Roger. He was leaving for Bangalore. From Bangalore he was to leave for Hong Kong tonight. We were surprised, how can this man go to Hong Kong. Let me describe you his appearance. He looked like a nomad with a big back pack. Hair as if he never combed, old faded T-shirt and pajamas. He wasn’t wearing any shoes also. He went on telling us that he has been in India for 20 years. His base has been Goa and he stays for long time in Hampi. He was the manager of the world famous band ‘Prem Joshua’. He travels across the world and was now leaving to make arrangements in Honk Kong for a grand show before his team arrives.

Long awaited dongi ride
Though we were talking with Roger, we also enjoyed the ride through the peaceful ‘Tungabhadra river’. As we were nearing the shore to reach Hampi bazaar, we were very near to the large stones on both sides through which we made our way. We were told the shine and big holes on the stones were caused by water. We also again saw the Nandi carved out of a big stone which we saw the earlier day. The dongi ride was one of the best moments we spent at Hampi.

On the shore
We were on the shore now, with exchange of contact details we bid adieu to yet another special and interesting person whom we met in Hampi. Roger made his way towards the Hampi bazaar and we sat on the shore for some time as our bus was late in night and it was just 6:00 pm. We clicked some pictures. Amit was too lazy to walk so he lay flat on the ground and made necessary calls. It’s rare to get mobile signals in Hampi. Sid was still energetic, jumping and posing on and under the rocks. This uneven cemented shore stretch had uncountable ‘Shivlings’ so we were very wary while walking.

Towards Hampi bazaar
Regaining some energy we moved to the Hampi bazaar to buy few souvenirs and gifts. Buying lamp shades and stone carving souvenirs ‘Lord Ganesh’ we wanted to have quick refreshment again at our favorite ‘Shanthi restaurant’. We had finger chips and oven baked, dark chocolate cake and headed towards the place we stayed to collect our luggage which was with ‘Hanuman’ our guest house owner. We were already touched by his hospitality throughout and top it all he arranged for an auto-rickshaw to take us to Hospet from where we were to board our bus for Bangalore at 10:30 pm. He bid adieu to Hanuman with a promise to be back soon and stay in his guest house whenever we are back again.

Going to Hospet
The ride to Hospet was through a little scary dark road though we enjoyed the cool breeze.
In 30 minutes, we collected our boarding pass for our bus. Subsequent to this, we had dinner to board the bus which started half an hour late. Sitting in the bus I thanked God for such a wonderful experience and in no time I slept to wake up in Bangalore at 5:30 am in the morning on a Tuesday.

Staying in Bangalore for so many years , I never visited Hampi. I was ignorant. Those who are reading this blog, I would recommend each one of you to visit this place, especially if you are inclined to spirituality. Others can also visit Hampi for its historic significance.

I would also like to go again to view sunset from Matanga hill which I missed this time.
Would also explore the row of temples which I could see from the place, we collected special ‘Tulsi’ on the first day.

Get Lucky
Such is the magic of Hampi !!!

About Hampi
For more details about the place please visit the website : http://www.hampi.in/

Disclaimer
My script is only a small overview of my personal experience.

People have written several guide books which are very popular in various languages within outside India. Please read them for detailed narration.