Hampi - Caught between Times

From the dust, all shall rise…

With nothing but an innumerable number of huge boulders strewn all around the main archaeological site of Hampi, is rather desolate. The wind blows recklessly here. Scared stone structures of the temples and sanctum sanctuaries are scattered all around. Some structures like that of Lord Narasimha with big bulging eyes and that of Goddess Parvati holding baby Lord Ganesha on her lap will surely make you pause on your track. And you can feel yourself rewind back to times when this courtyard used to be buzzing with life and activities. Even today Hampi continues to be an important religious center, housing the Virupaksha Temple.

As you make your way across the pale yellow rocks, you will realize you have stepped out of the 21st century only to enter some time in the 14th century. Caught between the times of then and now the ruins of Hampi have delicately preserved an era when clearly prosperity was in abundance.

Forlorn, abandoned and nearly forgotten Hampi is a quaint little town in the state of Karnataka, India which holds the highest prestige of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, it is considered to be the world's second-largest medieval-era city after Beijing, and probably India's one of richest civilizations that once existed.

The chronicles of the Vijayanagara Empire of Hampi spreads over a ruin of 4,100 hectares with more than 1,600 surviving remains of the last great Hindu kingdom in South India under Harihara I and Bukka I. Conquered and destroyed by a coalition of Muslim sultanates, around 1565, the history got buried and this glorious city of India faded away from the memories of the people.

It can be aptly said that Hampi is such a place where every rock carries a story of its own. This place is mysterious and mythical at the same time. And it will be your job to unearth as many stories as possible.

Today most of Hampi is gone. Even in its most dilapidated state, Hampi can be said to proudly proclaim that it has witnessed one of the best times of India, which today allows us to catch up with a time long lost.