THE FIELD OF KINGDOMS
HAMPI
Hampi was in our bucket list for long. The
place has everything that could possibly pull us towards itself – the story of
a lost kingdom, architectural marvels from our past that we could boast of and
a rugged yet alluring landscape. Hampi being a UNESCO World Heritage site was
an added attraction (my love for these old, dull, decaying structures is now
well known to my readers). So Hampi had to be in our trip when we visited
Karnataka this year.
Hampi, the historical and mythological city is
located in Karnataka. From Bengaluru, the distance of Hampi is about 365 km and
from Hyderabad, it is 380 km. So you can easily access the place from both
Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Hospet is the nearest town. Thus Hampi can serve as a
great weekend destination from Bangalore and Hyderabad.
What is the History of Hampi?
Hampi is full of stories
– stories from the historical past as well as the mythological anecdotes.
Infact, the history of the place gradually mingles with the folklore and then
subtly blends with mythology.
Hampi is also known as
the Pampa Kshetra and Kiskinda Kshetra. These magical stories of Hampi are
inexorably linked with the Hindu mythology.
Pampa was the daughter of
Lord Brahma. She was a fierce devotee of Lord Shiva. The Lord pleased with her
devotion wanted to grant her a boon. She wanted him as her husband. Lord Shiva
had to give in to Pampa’s demand, but before marrying her, the Lord did penance
at the Hemakuta Hills (He was already married to Parvati). And then it rained
gold on the hill. “Hema” is the Sanskrit term for gold and hence the hill came
to be known as Hemakuta Hills.
Hampi is also known as
Kiskinda Kshetra. It is said that the Vanara kingdom of Kiskinda of the
Ramayana was actually here. The Kiskinda episode of the Hindu epic Ramayana was
based here at Hampi. Infact, it is believed that Anjaneya Hills was the
birthplace of Hanuman, the faithful devotee of Lord Rama.
Those were the
mythological stories around Hampi. The history starts with the popular folklore
that two local chieftains Hakka and Bukka were on a hunting expedition when
they viewed an unusual sight. A hound was chasing a hare which was normal. But
suddenly, the hare became all-powerful and started chasing the hound. Hakka and
Bukka reported this strange incident to their guru (master) Vidyaranya. The
Guru could foresee the place to be special and asked his disciples to shift
their local capital to that very place. Thus one of the richest and most
beautiful kingdoms were born. This was during 1323 when the two brothers laid
the foundation of the Sangama dynasty, the first rulers of Vijaynagar, the City
of Victory. From 1323 to 1565 for almost 200 years, four dynasties ruled over
Hampi and made the Vijaynagar empire one of the richest and famous empires.
Hampi was also one of the biggest trading centres of those times and the
markets of Hampi were always abuzz with traders and merchants not only from
India but also from other parts of the world. No wonder that we see so many
market areas in Hampi!
Hampi had reached its
pinnacle during the reign of Krishna Deva Raya of Tuluva dynasty who ruled
between 1509 to 1529. Hampi at that time reached great heights under the
progressive and international trading practices. Also, the art and architecture
flourished with beautiful and magnificent temples being made around the city.
But the golden era of Hampi did not last long. The empire was brutally attacked by the Deccan Sultans during 1565 and Hampi fell under their attack. The Deccan Sultans looted and ransacked the city for almost six months leaving only mass destruction everywhere. The temples were damaged and the markets were robbed; ultimately nothing left of the great empire. The empire was ruled by different kings after the massive attack, but it could never regain its lost glory. Gradually, the city lost its strategic importance and gradually lost into oblivion. The city
became a ghost city.
THANK YOU
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