I can claim that I have seen the whole country from down south Kanya Kumari to up north Ladakh and from far west from the Western borders of Jaislamer to east Gauhati but my heart swelled and I was thrilled with joy and became very proud of my country, India and my state Karnataka when I visited a town in ruins – Hampi. It is called by several names. Some say Hampi in Ruins, or Devastated Hampi and some call it as ‘Forgotten Hampi’ It was the capital of Vijayanagar Empire. Famous travelers like Nicolo di Conti from Italy and Domingo Paes from Portugal and others who visited the empire have given graphic accounts of the rich culture etc. of Hampi. Now when a visitor goes to the said town, he would see enormous ruins of an extinguished empire scattered throughout. There are enormous boulders and rock formations of red stones. UNESCO has declared that town as a heritage site.
Hampi in its glorious days was a magnificent city with temples and palaces. Hampi was founded and built in the year 1336 by two brothers Hukka and Bukka and they were guided by their mentor and Guru, Vidyaranya. It had a population of over half a million. It is linked to the mythological King Sri Rama also. It is believed that Sri Rama met Hanuman in Hampi. The empire flourished in 1300 to 1600 A.D. There were temples built in hundreds, some of which even today stand. Sri Purandara Dasa, famous for his devotional songs and Tenali RamaKrishna, the court jester lived during this period.. The city was important for devotees and poets as an evidence to the religious inclination of Hampi. Public ceremonies and festivals were celebrated in their true meaning.
It was not just the largest Hindu empire of its time, but was also one of the largest trading centres of the world. The markets in Hampi were always crowded with merchants from all over the world to barter their goods in exchange of spices and cotton, grown abundantly in the area. Rubies, diamonds and all precious stones were sold on the streets in the scale of seers and litre like measurement. Gold and silver were the currencies.
The empire that was built with Hampi as capital was known as Vijaya Nagara Empire. The most famous king of Vijaya Nagar Empire was Krishna Devaraya who ruked the empire between 1509 and 1530. He was responsible for erecting large number of temples and structures which can still be found at the site. But the empire’s downfall started after the Moghuls invaded the empire and mercilessly destroyed everything connected with Hindu culture and it is said that they looted the city continuously for six month leaving the beautiful Hampi in ruins.
But I should mention one temple Vijaya Vithala Temple which survived the loot and destruction. It even now stands with all it’s grandeur. The construction of this temple started during the reign of King Krishna Deva Raya in the year 1513 AD. The project was so colossal that the additions continued for almost five decades until the Empire fell down in the year 1565 AD
The temple stands on a strong stone basement with richly carved designs of the King’s army and dancing girls. The carvings on this temple give an insight into the architectural splendour achieved by the artisans of Vijayanagara Empire. The temple consists of 56 musical pillars. When tapped gently, these pillars produce musical sounds. These pillars are popularly known as Musical Pillars or Sa Re Ga Ma pillars after the Saptha Swaras ( Seven musical notes ) of the Indian Classical Music. Any number of words would fail to do justice to this wonderful monument dedicated to Lord Vitthala or Lord Vishnu.