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Post by anshjain97 on Aug 3, 2013 13:44:09 GMT
We had taken a short break to Hampi in Oct 2012. Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was once the centre of the Vijayanagara empire from 1336 to 1565. Now it's home to many ruins- such as of temples- but has one main functioning temple. It was approx 7 hrs drive from Bangalore. Throughout the drive one could see how endemic corruption is in road construction- constant diversions due to frequent rebuilding of poor quality. More tax money wasted. The landscape was hilly and dotted with windmills. Here's a truck carrying part of a windmill. A signboard: As Hampi is primarily the main site and not a real functioning city, the nearest town with the main hotels, restaurants and shops is 15 km away and is called Hospet. Our hotel was here. A signboard of a hotel in Hospet where we had good lunch. Here's the hotel we stayed at. Next day we hired a car and driver to visit Hampi. Having seen many Hindu temples, I don't really visit them as a tourist but the architecture here was very nice. The entrance to the site. A map of the area. Here was the first sight: the Sasikevalu Ganesha Temple. The inscription being talked about is this one: The area behind was hilly and so provided nice views. It is known as the Sunset Point. More views:
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Post by htmb on Aug 3, 2013 15:02:37 GMT
Nice views, Ansh. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your photographs.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2013 15:18:45 GMT
Interesting. I know that there are a lot of Unesco World Heritage sites and it is impossible to have heard of all of them, but I am always embarrassed when I hear of a new one that I have never heard of.
I am also always intrigued by whatever caused such massive sites to be abandoned over the centuries.
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Post by anshjain97 on Aug 4, 2013 14:40:37 GMT
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Post by anshjain97 on Aug 13, 2013 10:24:21 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2013 10:56:19 GMT
That's a really extensive site to visit. The carved wooden ceiling in one of those temples is spectacular, but of course all of the stone carvings everywhere are just as impressive (and of course harder to do!). Lakshmi Narasmiha doesn't look like he would win any beauty contests. Some of the other incarnations of Lord Vishnu are considerably more appealing.
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Post by anshjain97 on Aug 13, 2013 12:10:04 GMT
Yeah- I liked the ceiling too. Although my favourite sights here was the last one I saw (will show later), I found all quite impressive. I typically don't visit Hindu temples when out but these were the exceptions- favourite Hindu temples I've seen by a long shot.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 13, 2013 15:47:18 GMT
What an amazing, vast site! Excellent job of reporting, Ansh. Your pictures of the trip there, particularly the one one with the truck carrying part of a windmill, really give an idea of how huge the area is and what feats of engineering were required to create the temples. I'm eager to see more.
In Reply #3, in the photo captioned "Next stop was the main temple in Hampi- called the Virupaksha Temple", is that modern housing on the right side of the picture, or an original part of the temple complex?
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Post by anshjain97 on Aug 13, 2013 16:11:11 GMT
Hi Bixa. The housing you mentioned is not part of the temple. It is modern- and maybe illegal. The government is razing down many illegal establishments near the historic sites after many warnings which went unheeded.
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Post by anshjain97 on Aug 14, 2013 15:44:02 GMT
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Post by htmb on Aug 14, 2013 20:57:13 GMT
The information boards are very helpful and add to your interesting narrative. The underground Siva Temple is fascinating. Was it wet because it had rained a lot recently?
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Post by anshjain97 on Aug 15, 2013 1:45:32 GMT
The day before we went to Hampi- the day we reached- there was a short drizzle. Not something which can cause waterlogging. And as you can see the rest of the place is completely dry.
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Post by anshjain97 on Aug 18, 2013 13:59:58 GMT
The Zanana Enclosure is home to the Lotus Mahal. A close up And looking through it: And looking around the enclosure: We then move on to the Elephant Stables. Inside one of these: Now, let's move to another enclosure, called the Royal Enclosure. Will get back to this later:
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2013 14:49:25 GMT
The Lotus Mahal is definitely one of my favourites. What is the rate for one week, full board?
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Post by anshjain97 on Aug 18, 2013 15:41:52 GMT
It's free but expect lots of mosquitoes
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Post by lola on Aug 19, 2013 13:57:09 GMT
Wow. Thanks, anshjain.
Elephant stable!
What languages are printed on the signs, if I may be so ignorant?
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Post by anshjain97 on Aug 19, 2013 14:44:02 GMT
Hi, thanks.
The text directly above the English text on the sight info boards is in Hindi. But for eg the first langauge signs eg in #3's last pic is in Kannada (state language).
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Post by lola on Aug 19, 2013 14:56:22 GMT
Thanks! Kannada is beautiful script.
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Post by anshjain97 on Aug 23, 2013 12:50:05 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2013 20:49:08 GMT
I'm wondering if monuments like this have all been steam cleaned or something. They all seem remarkably tidy -- which is good -- but I'm wondering how much work has been done on them.
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Post by lugg on Aug 26, 2013 19:11:07 GMT
Fascinating report Ansh, thank you.
A few questions if I may .. The scenery / surroundings look so arid - was this the time of year or is this typical of the area?
Was the underground Shiva temple always so or is it the passage of time?
11 stables for the elephants - I guess that each housed more than one ?
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Post by anshjain97 on Aug 27, 2013 16:55:20 GMT
Hi lugg, thanks.
I would guess it's just the area. We went just 2 months after the monsoons and there was a slight rain when we went there...so must be the area rather than the time of the year.
Sorry, can't answer the other two questions; your guesses are as good as mine. However, the Underground Siva Temple is among the oldest in Hampi and also not too popular a sight. Maybe it's just not maintained well enough?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2013 22:37:46 GMT
Is there any fee to visit this site? I know that even if there is, it will seem ridiculously small to just about all of us.
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Post by anshjain97 on Aug 28, 2013 12:02:32 GMT
Hi, there's no fee to enter Hampi. However if I remember correctly, there is a small fee to enter for example the Virupaksha Temple and the Vitthal Temple. It is probably more expensive for foreigners.
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Post by nycgirl on Aug 28, 2013 15:09:47 GMT
Great photos. I especially like the one of the archways of the Zanana Enclosure.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 3, 2013 16:06:55 GMT
Thanks so much for this beautifully complete report, Ansh. That last photo is so stunning, it made me go back & look at the whole thing again. What an amazing feat of art and engineering.
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Post by anshjain97 on Sept 13, 2013 11:05:40 GMT
Thanks for the feedback, guys. I thought some street pictures of the town of Hospet would be in order, but I don't have any pictures. However, here are some pictures of the area around the Tungabhadra Dam. Tungabhadra is the name of the river which runs through Hampi. The main attraction was a botanical garden. On the left is the Tungabhadra Dam.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2013 11:23:41 GMT
Do you know the name of those strange tall trees with the open gaps? Are they just some kind of pine or fir tree?
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Post by anshjain97 on Sept 13, 2013 11:28:31 GMT
No, sorry, I've no idea. I've always been bad at identifying trees and even animals!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2013 12:10:48 GMT
Hampi is one place I missed out on seeing while in India, I didn't have enough time to do a detour. It's good to see you posting this about it, ansh.
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