Hampi - ruins of the Vijayanagar dynasty (11)

As we concluded our most memorable visit of Hampi, the eeriness that followed the destruction & siege of Hampi still lingers in my mind...like a collage...the empty sanctums, destroyed temples, the lotus mahal with the royal women enjoying a lovely evening breeze, the many mantapas destroyed...the empty bazaars...those beautifully carved pillars standing like mute witnesses...

What could have really happened to the Capital of this great Vijayanagar kingdom in the aftermath of the devastating war of Talikota is truly unfathomable...For a moment, i let loose my emotions & briefly asked myself - suppose the structures of Hampi had life and mind of their own, & the siege and destruction was taking place, what would these human creations of divine stature be going through? What would the pillars of Vitthala temple be crying as the destruction happened? What would the temples be saying without their masters within? I imagined for a moment, how magnificent and grand would the divine couple, Lakshmi - Narasimha have been, had they remained in their pristine beauty? It is no wonder that Hampi remained a haunted place for many centuries after the siege. It is only during the British that the ruins began to be discovered & real archaeological restoration efforts were begun, finally culminating in the title of the much deserved and long awaited "WORLD HERITAGE SITE" tag long after India attained independence. The ruins still haunt me...for, every stone, every piece of art & architecture, every pillar, has a story, a narrative behind it. While it may not be possible to get a guide who can explain the grandeur to give a real life experience of Hampi, a true enthusiast will not be disappointed if he / she is truly honest to oneself.  

As i reminisced on the experience of Hampi, i realized that the sun had set long ago on the glorious Vijayanagar empire. I let out a deep breath; with a heavy heart and bulged eyes, i silently thanked all those who had taken incalculable pains to restore Hampi to the present state, so we can soak in her magnificence...& for those few serious enthusiasts, to bask in the glorious historical past...