Hampi II

Note: I see some of the titles on the photos are cut off. If you go to the album view, you can see all the full titles.

One more note about the Vittala (sonic) Temple. There are 81 pillars that all ring a different note and can be made sharp or flat. The pillars used to be played especially for the pleasure of the Queen. Strings of silk and cotton were strung around the base of the temple to amplify the sound. It is no longer possible to play the temple due to damage and wear over the years. Basava bribed a guard he knew, and when the conservation police left, we had a demonstration. It was ethereal! He only struck the pillars with his fingertips, but they used to use sticks and metal instruments for more sound! Very cool!

Hampi II
Sorry but the Hampi photos will be a little out of order. We were using two cameras and switching memory cards. (After we got back from Hampi, we took GB to see Elvis, since he is a huge blues fan and had read so much about him on the blog. The picture of GB and the kittens and the one of the girl on the bike were from back in Goa.)
The next group of pictures is day three in Hampi (pronounced Humpi by the men). You will note that GB is absent or sitting in many photos! He claims “too much Humpi makes a man tired!”

At the end of day two, Nicole and I went down the river in the bamboo bowl called a coracle! The river had swollen, the road was under water, and most of the boatman refused to navigate the rive. Our guide, Basava, is native to Hampi and found the best, strongest oarsman to take us. It is an experience most don’t get to do. (Basava was born and raised in Hampi and he and his father used to herd the family goats through the fields and actually sleep over in the courtyards and temples, many of which you are no longer allowed to even touch!) The boat was very stable once everyone was seated. Basava made a stop and took us to some very special lingam sites (50 Phallic nubs carved into the rocks that the women pour milk on). When back in the boat, Nicole agreed to a spin of the basket that almost cost me my lunch – it was very fast! A second area was underwater so we took another boat basket to the main area we needed to go. The bowl was full of water when we first saw it and I worried about a leak but it was fine.

We stayed in the village of Anegundi. It was the original capital in the 1200’s. Here we stayed with a lady named Shama, who, when she came to the area many years ago, just fell in love with it. She is called the Queen of Hampi since she is the force behind preserving Hampi. Many of the sites, including the Underground Shiva Temple was only uncovered recently. The site has only been fenced and worked on for the past 15 years. Shama bought herself some land to build an amazing house, and then started addressing some of the issues that she saw around her. As with many rural areas in India, there were major issues of waste management, people leaving agriculture for the quicker money of tourism, and inequality of women. Shama set up a banana leaf industry, which hires mainly local women, to harvest the banana leaves, dry them, peel them, and twist them into a very strong rope. They bring in design students from the cities to come and spend some time with them and design products they can make. They also take orders from big fashion houses, but they have their own handicraft shop were they sell the end products – beautiful organic bags and purses and self-standing pots and storage boxes and floor mats. All are beautifully made down to the last detail, very strong, and long-lasting. There is also a sewing house for making purses, linings, etc. They have a punch machine for making buttons out of coconut shells! www.exploreruralindia.org (click on “search by site”, and pick Anegundi). E-mail is Shorbhakishkinda@yahoo.co.in.

So, the local women are making money, working in a clean and safe place, and playing a very active role in the village. They plant trees all through the village streets, organize waste management, and keep the men in check by banning drinking in public and making it safe for women to go out in the streets even at night. Shama now has help from heritage and conservation organizations, but most of this, empowering and restoring a whole ancient village, she did all on her own. It is inspiring to see the impact that one person can have.

Nicole and I arose at 5:30am to climb the Hanuman Temple. It is the birthplace of the Monkey God. Basava led the way and GB stayed at the guest house. We climbed 600 steps to get to the top. Watch for the white set of stairs going up to a temple! The view was spectacular, as you will see in the photos. We were above the rocks, the banana plantations, the rice paddies, while overlooking the river and the ruins of Hampi! Too cool! Then add a bunch of cheeky monkeys trying to get in your pockets and unzip your bags!

The Pundit arrived to open the Temple and give us a blessing. He had no sooner started than his cell phone started blasting music from the next room. His assistant informed him he had a call but he said he would call back! I brought the Hanuman book that GB had given me and it was blessed and a flower pressed in it! I received my first Tikka – the red stripe on the forehead to show the third eye blessing.

I believe we went home and slept but woke up for a walking tour of the town and home to lunch. We went to the Fort and walked through paddy fields to some ancient cave paintings.

Friday morning we were up at 7 am for a nine hour trip back to Goa, passing 1000 cows in the road, 2000 speed bumps, 3000 dogs, and 4000 men just standing around (while the women are all inside cooking and cleaning)! Nicole went in to buy some cold drinks for us, and when the shopkeeper woman was pulling the drinks out of the coolers, she noticed she had a broken wrist in a cast. Nicole went to help her, while her husband sat on a chair next to the counter, typing away on his mobile phone.