Impact of Hampi

What impact can a stone have upon you? What if the stone emits seven notes of music? What if every stone has a story to tell? Story of a magnificent past. A past so grand, that even the spectacles of the left over dilapidated structures take us in its awe? These were my feelings when I visited Hampi. Hampi has had left a great impact upon me. I keep on telling myself what if I was present when the kingdom of Hampi was at its peak?

The history of Hampi can be traced back to the Ramayana and Mahabharata. It was known as Pampa Kshetra in the Puranas. It is the Kishkinda region from the Ramayana. This is where Lord Rama met Hanuman for the first time. Now can you describe the impact of standing on the same place where Lord Rama and Lord Hanumana once stood in words? Yes, words are too short to describe such a life changing impact. Yet, I am giving it a try.

Hampi rose to power during the period of 1336 to 1565. It was the largest and strongest capital of the Deccan Region. It was during this time that the city was transformed into a fortified state. It had a population of more than a million people, of different nationalities. There were Europeans, Egyptians and even the South Africans. The twenty foot high granite walls of the capital is still intact at some places. Now that is enough to leave a great impact upon you. But wait there is still more in Hampi.

There is the monolithic Kadali Kallu Ganesh. The idol of the Lord stands tall five meters in height. That left me spell bound. Its craftsmen had succeeded in bringing the gigantic image of the Elephant God in front of my eyes.

Then I went to the Vitthala temple. A massive chariot made up of stone welcomed me at the gate. It is here that the pillars of the stone emit notes of music. Not just notes of music, but you can hear sound of tabla from one pillar when tapped. The other pillar emits the music of sitar when tapped. So all the musical instruments are present in these stones. I was told that during the times of the great King of Hampi Krishnadevarai, his second wife Shantala who was a dancer, danced in this hall. The music was played by tapping the pillars. All the pillars were covered with the satin curtains and the queen danced for her lord the King.

Such was the impact of visiting this site, that for some time I felt that I was the King. I sat on the throne. The guide tapped the pillars. The music was still there. The queen came dancing in front of my eyes. Indeed Hampi can transform you to another world. Such is its impact. 

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.