Wednesday 11 June 2014

Hampi "rocks"!

Its my B'day this month. Six years back, when I was still in India, we took a trip to Hampi on my B'day. Situated in Karnataka, Hampi is an ancient, rocky town, and the rock formations and the temples that are strewn around the place are simply mind blowing. It is a UNESCO world heritage site, and the stark beauty of the place bears testimony to the legacy left by the Vijaynagar Empire that once ruled that region during the 14th Century.

The rock formations are just amazing:





















So is the temple architecture that resonates with the stark beauty of the surrounding landscape....


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I especially liked the rock engravings, some of which depict episodes from the Ramayana. Interestingly, it is said that while on his mission to rescue Sita from the clutches of Ravana, Rama and Lakshmana took the help of the monkey army led by Sugreev who stayed in the valleys of Hampi. With their help, he built the stone bridge across the Indian Ocean to Sri Lanka, and eventually killed Ravana and rescued Sita.































We even crossed a river on round boats made of bamboo and palm leaves to reach the Sugreeva valley, and the whole experience was fun. We even encountered scenes of bucolic life, cattle and all, and the unhurried sense of life there was really nice.















And yes, Hampi also is famous for the Tungabhadra Dam.