Anegundi - Mother of Hampi !!!

The next day, we decided to go to Anegundi.  It was going to be a great surprise since none of us knew anything about the place. The place was totally different from Hampi that we had visited yesterday. It felt more like someone's home rather than a tourist place.

Silent Observer.

A grandfather is playing with his grandson.They were being in their own world and didn't care about anything that was going on around them.

We could see the local villagers, women as well as the children in and around the streets. I could feel them being cautious about us being there. For some reason, we were making them uncomfortable. This suggested that anegundi is more of a rural village rather than a tourist place even though it's considered to be a tourist place. There were hardly any tourists on the streets. Even the temples structures, as well as other local buildings,  looked different from the ones that we had visited last day.

Schools were present on the other side of the wall.

Schools were present beside the temple complex and we could here the children repeating their lessons as well as playing on the ground.

Children playing on the school playground. Even though the school is constructed beside the temple, we couldn't see the children since they were on the other side of the wall.

Children were also seen on the streets when even though they are supposed to be in school. This suggests that not every single child goes to school.

Women are seen waiting in queue to collect water from the roadside tap for their daily purposes.

People were engaged in their daily routines. The women were seen indulged in both personal and work activities. Local shops are set up along the roadside.

Sri Ranganath Chariot.

We even saw the magnificent Sri Ranganath Chariot placed right in the middle of the road. The chariot is to be used during the festival. The temple's Chariot Festival(Radhotsavam) takes place on Chaitra Shuddha Pournami every year and thousands of people come to see the Chariot Festival. Only On this auspicious day, people are allowed to perform a PradakshiNaa within the inner Praakaara surrounding the main temple. Numerous volunteers throng to this temple on this day to manage the crowd and help the temple management in maintaining the crowds.

"Roller coaster" Ride Down The Hill.....

After having lunch at the Mango Tree Restaurant, we visited three more temples including the Narasimha temple. The structures of the temple were incomplete as it was destroyed by the Mughal empire due to religious conflicts. Only the ruins remain.

The Climb.

We had to climb a lot to see the temples. And it was worth the trek. The view on top of the rock structures was unbelievably good.

Innocence.

 We also met some adorable school kids on the way. They too came on a study tour. Their smiles were so pure and innocent. They were so happy and were greeting us. It reminded me of the best days in my school.

We went cycling and it felt so good. Also, I experienced my "roller coaster ride" while cycling down the hill. What really happened was that I couldn't hit the brakes and control the speed. And as I further rode down the hill, the speed increased. Luckily, I didn't hit anything or anyone on the way (I almost did....:)). People around me were shouting at me and I almost gave my facilitator a Heart attack.  When I reflect back, I understand how dangerous the incident was. Something worse could have happened and I am thankful that nothing did. Even though it was a not so good sight for others nor it was unintentional,  it was the best thing that happened to me that day. I was completely unaware of everything around me. I felt I was free and I could feel the wind blowing. It was very cold and I felt happy. The people around me sounded as if they were cheering me or something of that sort. Anyways, it was literally one of the best experience.

Sunset at Hampi.

We had to leave soon as the last boat is at 6:00 in the evening. We were fortunate to see the sunset as well. The sky turned red and it was so beautiful. 

Ride Back Home.

We were completely exhausted after a long day. We couldn't visit all the temples in Hampi nor we could completely observe the temples that we already visited. We just got to know a little about of each of the temples that we visited. Since there was too much information, it was difficult for us, especially me to grasp every single detail. But at the end, this is just the first day.


One thing that I still couldn't figure out is that " Why tripods are not allowed to be used while taking photos". I mean, tripods are not weapons and the only function of a tripod is to hold the camera still. Eddie's large frame camera requires the use of a tripod. I felt bad as well as confused when the security tried to stop him from taking photos with his still camera. I mean Hampi is a tourist place and on top of that it is a World renowned heritage site. People of different backgrounds from all over the world, as well as the country, are visiting the place. Photography is allowed, but the use of a tripod is not allowed ???. How does that even make any sense?

It's Story Time

After reaching back to the resort, we got in the pool and had a great time. We also shared the days experience with each other. It was really interesting to hear the stories that others had to tell. One of the lessons that I have learned, after listening to one of the stories is that "Be happy with you do. Imagination is the key. Don't do something just to prove or impress someone else". I am also glad that Eddie shared his story with us. I could understand what and how it felt like to go through those times. One of the messages that is still stuck in my mind is that "Your rejection is a bliss in disguise. You learn through pain. Be the person who you want it to be. You will have a lot of rejection and its fine cause it's a part of your learning. It becomes a problem only when you begin to reject 'yourself'. And that's  FAILURE. Today has been a great day and I am thankful to be able to spend time with these amazing people I am with.

Hampi Dumpy... Here We Come !!!

It's 6:00 in the morning and everyone's sleeping. It is a beautiful sight outside. The sky is filled with many shades of colors. And what I felt at that moment is indescribable. Soon, it was time to get up and get ready. The ride is almost over as we were nearing to the destination. And after awhile...we reached the station. We rushed to get down from the train, pushing and pulling everything around us.

It's 7:45 in the morning and we are standing outside Hospet Train Station, a little over 30 km away from our resort " Kishkinda Heritage Resort ". After freshening up, we all had a hearty breakfast and left for Hampi.

A lot like Home.

Hampi felt a lot like home. It was so beautiful and special that I instantly fell in love with it. The whole atmosphere around was pretty calm.

The Daily Routine

While waiting for the boat, we could see the local people indulged in their daily routines. The heat was pretty harsh for the tourists as well as the animals in and around. 

The Boat Ride

 Finally, we took the boat to get to the other side of the river. We could see the magnificent structure of Virupaksha Temple even before we crossed the river. Carts are set up on either side of the pathway selling beautiful craft works. Everything was so beautiful that we all felt like shopping. But instead, we all decided to see everything around us before we get into the shopping mode.

Virupaksha Temple.

The first place that we visited in Hampi is Virupaksha Temple, the oldest and the only functional temple in Hampi.  We got to know a lot about the structure of the temple and also listened to a few stories. One of the things that I still remember after listening to our faculty is that the head gears of the king that ruled the place and the temple structure have a connection and they follow the gopura style of architecture. The structure is oddly shaped, declining towards the sky. This suggests the conversation with God.

The Temple Complex.

I have seen monkeys but not this many at a place. They were naughty as usual and it was hilarious to observe them. When I further researched on the existence of monkeys in virupaksha temple,  I found out that the Anjaneya hill located in Hampi is considered to be the birthplace of Hanuman, the Monkey God. Virupaksha temple, as well as other temples in Hampi, has a lot of references to Ramayana, the ancient Indian epic poem.

A narrow channel of the Tungabhadra river flows along the temple complex. The temple has a monolithic structure constructed in seven levels. The number 7 is auspicious as it is considered to be the symbolic representation of the world in the Hindu culture. Granite stones are used.  Both male and female carvings are present inside the temple. Since the Bhakti movement, feminism has been in cultured in the portrayals and therefore both the male and female carvings have the same physical features.

Then, we carried on to see few more temple since we had some time left. We climbed up the hill, the Hemkuta Hill. As we reached the top of the hill, we could see the ruins of an old Jain temple. Eddie set on to take pictures using his large frame camera. And as he began to set up his camera on his tripod, a security guy came running to stop him from doing so. Apparently, it is not allowed. Photography is allowed, but the use of the tripod is not allowed. It felt strange for me. If photography is allowed, then why the use of the tripod is not allowed.

After visiting the temple, we headed out for lunch at the Mango Tree Restaurant. We all were pretty tired cause of the heat, but as soon as we entered the restaurant, it felt revitalizing. The overall atmosphere inside the restaurant was in contrast to the surrounding.

"Chai , Chai , Coffee , Coffee"

Yeah !!! The day we have all been waiting for has finally come. I am super excited...We all are. It's just 7:00 in the evening and each one of us can't even wait for the trip to already start. We all met at our campus and took a van to the train station. There was a huge crowd at the station and everyone's busy moving across the platform. For some weird reason, we reached the station quite early and had to wait for a while for our train. We expected a lot more traffic on the way. The Hampi Express is at 9:30 p.m. Each one of us carried our heavy bags across the lane to finally reach our platform. The air around us filled with the beautiful smell of food and all we could hear was "CHAI, CHAI, COFFEE, CHAI, COFFEE" and CHAI, IDLY , VADA , DOSA ". Eventhough we all had our dinners from home , listening to  this constant chanterer made us even more hungrier. It was busy and loud. Everyone's talking and mixed emotions filled the air too. After a while , the moment that all of us were waiting for . Oh My God !!! The train has finally arrived , though a bit late (...And do we care. No!!)

We almost filled up with the entire coach . My seat number was 58, lower birth. (Honestly , I didnt know what people meant by upper , middle and lower birth , until now ). We stayed up late and played charades with Eddie . We met a few strangers and they were kind enough to share their sweets with us. Apparently , we were making a lot of noise , that the TTR had to come in a few times ,  just to scold us. And Did we listen to him???. NO!!!. We had a lot of fun and I am sure that we all will cherish these moments forever.

It was late past midnight and we finally decided to end the day.  The train bathrooms are really yucky. And that's the only thing that I didnt like in the whole day. But the train ride was kind enough to cradle me to sleep...and that's the next best thing I experienced in my train journey.

Dont Worry , Be Hampi : The End Note.

This trip was beyond amazing. And... that is because I got the opportunity to spend my Interim with the most fabulous people as well as I had my first train journey experience. I know that it was a shocking news to everyone that I went with. But yeah, its the truth. People in my life have already asked me this question a million times...How was the trip dear?. And What all did you do there ?. To those who already don't know where I went during my first Interim Course " Temple Town Tales ", I just visited the most beautiful Hampi, a village and a temple town, now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. My course members included two Srishti faculty, one visiting faculty and 20 of us. We started our journey from Monday, 5 December 2016 and reached back home on Wednesday, 14 December 2016 spending 8 days in Hampi, Karnataka.

Well, this is Us. Don't Worry, Be Hampi.

Well, its been a while since I returned back from my trip and when I reflect back on my trip, what I realize is that every single story has two versions. Every single decision that a person takes has its own consequences, sometimes good and sometimes not so good. The other thing that I have learned from this trip is that the only way to experience a place in its true essence is by having conversations and collecting stories. Collecting stories does not mean that you have to be well versed in the local language, it just means that you have to observe a little.