Musafir

As we move on towards the Royal Enclosure, we start seeing old palace basements and towers. We feel a bit of emptiness as we move here. The buildings that once stood elegantly are no longer there. They are barren, filled with bushes and partly unexcavated.

Guard Tower: The first monument that comes across is the guard tower. The tower is in a typical Mohammadean architecture and still intact. It is built with stone and from its top, one can keep a watch on the road leading to the Royal Enclosure.

The tower has narrow steps to its upper floor and and would have been protected round the clock . There is space to house at least 20 soldiers inside. It has curved arches inside making it look beautiful from inside.

The Mint Compound: The Guard Tower secures the entrance to the Mint Compound. This is the place where the currency was minted. Obviously, this place bore the brunt of the invaders. Only thing we see today are remains of broken walls. The building must have been huge and well protected, each of the sections well divided. The basement of the building is still intact.

At a distance from the mint building inside the enclosure, there are a Mosque and a pavilion. There are fortified walls between the Mint and the inner buildings. The area is filled with bushes and there is no tourist activity. It is better not to venture alone to the Mosque area.

The Dannayaka’s Enclosure: Just near the mint compound on the other side, there is a view point. You need to climb some big steps to reach to the top of a stone from which we can have  view of the entire area. The Dannayaka’s (General of the army) enclosure is a vast area with the residential structures of the army generals.

As any other structure in the Royal Enclosure, these buildings are also taken down and only the empty basements and walls are left out. Imagining the glorious days the area and its people had seen, our eyes will definitely be moistened.  Excavations are sill on to bring the un-explored parts of the enclosure to light.

Granaries: Just after the View point and towards the entrance of the Royal Enclosure, we find three round granaries that were used to store pulses and paddy for distribution for people in need. They have also been taken down and only remains are the outer structure of the granaries. They should have been really big considering their size.

The buildings described above just gives us a glimpse of the massive constructions which lie ahead inside the Royal Enclosure.

We, the children of Andhra Pradesh grew up listening to its stories like how a hare chased a dog and how precious stones were sold by weight in this kingdom. Whatever it is, the Vijayanagar empire always fascinated me. By the time i planned the trip to Hampi, i had already read about the kingdom, its kings and how this glorious empire came to an end.

Hampi, as it is seen today is situated in the North Western Part of Karnataka near the town of Hospet. The best part of the village is it has still not been affected by the rising tourist population.

Hampi is a place which is hot all through the year and best avoided during the summer. I visited the place in December and still faced very humid conditions and my skin got tanned. There are good places to stay and some are Air Conditioned for the benefit of foreigners. The cost of the accommodation varies with seasons, the least in Summer where there will be few people visiting the place.

Hampi is an area covering 33 square kilometres and the temples and ruins are located in 3 other villages adjoining Hampi. The best mode of transport is a bicycle through which one can navigate to any part of the village. Motor bikes can be rented but there are some places where one cannot reach by bikes and then a bicycle comes in handy.

The whole of Hampi is physically divided into two areas, the Sacred Enclosure and the Royal Enclosure. The area covered under the Sacred Enclosure is full of temples and the Royal Enclosure is the place where you can find the ruins of the palaces and the government buildings. Excavations are held even today giving to the world, new ruins and temples. The ASI needs to be appreciated for a wonderful job.

Before embarking on this journey, it is must that we know something about the Vijayanagar Empire and about the circumstances in which the glorious kingdom came to an end. I will start with a brief history of the empire.

To be continued……