Our first day of exploratory work,was a different take from the previous days. Today I went with an expectation to see more and know better, not just the historical ruins of Hampi but the markets as well.
We started our day of tales with a tribal lady who because of the myriad colors she adorned herself with gathered my attention. A seller of Lambani handcrafted goods, she suited her shop well. As she explained her art, I drew a mental similarity with Kutch work. Lambani work is like the jumbled surface of a Rubik's cube, with patches of different colors embroidered with mirrors and motifs. Moving on to another trader of colors, was a man selling clothes, locally made,something very common among the tourists here. His was a tale of the past where hundreds of families stayed in the locale; there was an old charm to this place. UNESCO's steps to making this a preserved territory cost those families to be washed down to other places, people losing their livelihood and the home becoming nothing like home for the locals. He questioned the organization's motive, when he said, "If their plan was to shut down our shops and move us away, why let us establish our shops in the first place?' His tale was one that had lost hope for betterment and progression. Wandering around the market, seeing the shops, conversing with merchants made it evident that other than Lambani work and soft stone carvings, Hampi has not much of its authentic art and craft to offer (excluding its art on walls).
Banjara lady-Lambani craft
Soft stone carving
Having summed up our market adventures, duty called us to go explore history. Constant bargaining is all that one needs to get an auto fixed for the day, and doing the same in the local language gets even better. Our attractions for the day were the Vittala temple, Queen's bath, Zanana enclosures, Lotus mahal and Hazarama temple. But we were lucky enough to get some bounty on the way. The first one was the bhojanasala which translates to dinning hall. It is the first of kind natural dining space I have ever seen or even heard of. The idea of carving plates and bowl onto stone to make a dinning hall for pilgrims was captivating. Craftsmanship of that era is unforgettable and unquestionable but such strategies are surprising.
Taking the road to Vittala temple came with devotion of time,but the finale was worth the wait. The place was a monochrome palette of sand yellow. Sand colored walkways, same colored pillars and halls with a touch of rust and moss made monochrome look magical. The stone chariot at the center,was rightly placed. It was a masterpiece. Each enclosure on the sides had a different purpose - a marriage hall or meeting hall. Each pillar was an unmatched beauty. The musical pillars are a discontinued attraction. Nevertheless, this temple in its entirety is a marvel. This carnival of carvings continued as we saw the Hazarama Temple. Rightly as the name suggests, the walls of the temple showcase thousand stories of the Ramayana in the carvings. It is like a comic strip of the Hindu mythology. Having seen everything on the surface, now we had to look beneath, underground to be specific. The underground temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Having seen a lot of temples, this didn't excite me as much. The difference in the level from surface to ground i.e. the temple foundation measured the dept of the Queen's bath that was on our way to the Lotus mahal. The lotus mahal was architecturally very different from the temples so far. It was more of a Mughal structure with a beautiful play on perspective, reminding me of Delhi's architecture scene. The Zanana enclosure or elephant stables was quite similar on the same terms. Standing inside the living space for an elephant I felt diminutive in comparison. In awe of the magnanimity, I found two kids who were as much awestruck as I was. The last attraction for the day was Akka Tangi Gudda which translates to Sister Stones. Fancy thing is that according to legends, two sisters came to Hampi and ridiculed the town to the extent that enraged the Goddess into giving them a bane and turning them into stones. My assumption was quite different; I thought its so called because of the way the two boulders remain in balance joint in one spot. Turns out that there is a deeper story!
Bhojanasala
Vittala temple
Stone chariot
Musical pillars in Vittala temple
Queen's bath
Hazarama temple
Thousand stories on the wall
Lotus mahal
Underground Shiva temple
Zanana enclosure
Sister stones
All this while we lost track of time and hunger was my alarm. We headed back to the banks of Tungabhadra when I happen to meet a fellow traveler on the boat. Engaging in a conversation with her wasn't a tough task as she seemed happily interactive. It was her third day in Hampi and she had seen as much as us. What got the two of us interested was her being an Art student from Scotland. From sharing our experience in Hampi we ended up sitting down for a meal together. She described herself to be a solo traveler who has traveled from Europe through the Antipodes and has finally reached India. The book Shantaram fueled her trip to India quite as much as her Indian friends. I was eager to know about her travels,the perks of traveling solo, also the vulnerability involved. She answered all of them, making a point that having traveled alone, she has met innumerable people,stayed with them instead of a hotel, which makes the travel memories more personal and intimate. This does have the perks of having no bounds, no dictatorship but at the same time there were times when she felt insecure and vulnerable. But in the longer run these moments of lowness makes one stronger and fierce. Hearing stories from a gypsy was my long awaited desire and it came to me in the most unexpected way. After all the site visiting, the highlight for me was meeting her as it was not just a fulfillment of a desire but also knowing a new person in myself; one that can converse with a stranger, share and connect.
Stepping back while being in the reality is what today was about - whether it was standing by the musical pillars and imagining what they could possibly sound like in olden times or even making a new friend as freely as a kid.
Maybe moving back a little is the way to move forward.
