a trip with brother, Hampi-1

...continued from a trip with brother, Bhadravati and Kumathi.

Even though we hit the sack around 11 PM, we rose early. By 7-45 we left our lodge Mayura Bhuvaneshwari. Plan for the day was to explore the ruins and shrines near Chakratirtha. During the last visit i.e. in Dec 2024 with my friend Sridhar, we failed to reach the two Sahasralinga in the maze of boulders. This time I wanted to accomplish it. I spotted an eatery at the main junction of Kamalapur, the place was already buzzing but we found a vacant table. It was self-service kind of place so I got the token and waited at the counter manned by two men. I noticed there were more take-away customers and most of them in a hurry and the counter was chaotic. One of the customers ended up assisting the eatery staff in fetching items from the kitchen. Yet he was smiling and asking for his order... anna, nann parcel kodi, maguna schoolige bidbeku. After eating I got some kadlebele vada packed to have later. Also we had apple, pear and water in our bags.

We drove straight to the inner parking area which is next to the historic pathway called Kampabhupa Marga. A board planted here describes the path as follows:

ವಿಜಯನಗರ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯದ ರಾಜಧಾನಿಯಾದ ಹಂಪಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅರಸರು ಅವಶ್ಯಕತೆಗೆ ಅನುಗುಣವಾಗಿ ಹಲವು ಪ್ರಾಚೀನ ಮಾರ್ಗಗಳನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಮಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಅಂತಹ ಪ್ರಾಚೀನ ಮಾರ್ಗಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕಂಪಭೂಪ ಮಾರ್ಗವು ಒಂದಾಗಿದ್ದು ಪ್ರಮುಖವಾಗಿದೆ. ಈ ಮಾರ್ಗವನ್ನು ವೀರ ಹರಿಹರರಾಯನ (ಕ್ರಿ.ಶ. ೧೩೭೭-೧೪೦೪) ಪುತ್ರ ಕಂಪಭೂಪನ ಆದೇಶದ ಮೇರೆಗೆ ತುಂಗಭದ್ರಾ ನದಿಯ ದಡದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಶಾಲವಾದ ಕಲ್ಲಿನ ಮಾರ್ಗವನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಮಿಸಲಾಯಿತೆಂದು ತಿಳಿದುಬರುತ್ತದೆ. ಈ ಮಾರ್ಗ ವಿರೂಪಾಕ್ಷ ಬಜಾರ್ ಬೀದಿಯನ್ನು ಚಕ್ರತೀರ್ಥದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅಲ್ಲಂದ ಮುಂದೆ ವಿಠಲಾಪುರದ ಎರಡು ಅಂತಸ್ತಿನ ದ್ವಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಸಂಪರ್ಕ ಕಲ್ಪಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ವಿರೂಪಾಕ್ಷ ಬಜಾರ್ ಬೀದಿಯ ಪ್ರಾರಂಭವಾಗುವ ಈ ಮಾರ್ಗವು ಬಂಡೆಗಳ ಗುಂಪಿನ ನಡುವೆ ಕಿರಿದಾದ ಹಾದಿಯ ಮೂಲಕ ಹಾದು ಹೋಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಇದನ್ನು 'ಒನಕೆ ಕಿಂಡಿ' ಅಥವಾ ಕಿಟಕಿ-ನೋಟ ಎಂದು ಸಹ ಸ್ಥಳೀಯರು ಕರೆಯುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಈ ಬಂಡೆಗಳು ಗುಹೆಯಂತಹ ದಾರಿಯನ್ನು ಕೈಗಳನ್ನು ಮಡಚಿ ನಿಂತಿರುವಂತಹ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯ ಉಬ್ಬು ಶಿಲ್ಪವನ್ನು ಕೆತ್ತಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಇದು ಈ ಮಾರ್ಗವನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಮಿಸಿದ ಕಂಪಭೂಪನದ್ದು ಎಂದೇ ಊಹಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಈ ಮಾರ್ಗವು ನದಿತೀರದಲ್ಲಿರುವುದರಿಂದ ನದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನೀರು ಹೆಚ್ಚಾದಾಗ, ಇದು ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣವಾಗಿ ನೀರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಳುಗಿ ತನ್ನ ಸಂಪರ್ಕವನ್ನು ಕಳೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ.

In Hampi, the capital of the Vijayanagara empire, the rulers built many ancient paths. One of the most important of these ancient routes is the Kampabhupa Pathway. A broad stone pathway along the banks of the Turgabhadra is said to have been laid on the orders of Kampabhupa, the son of Vira Harihara Raya (1377 1404 CE). It connects the Virupaksha Bazaar Street to Chakratirtha and beyond, towards the double-storeyed gateway of Vittalapura. This pathway, starting at the eastern end of the Virupaksha bazaar passes through a narrow passage between a group of boulders, also called the 'Onake Kindi' (view through a window). A bas relief sculpture of a standing maid figure with folded hands in Anjali mudra is thought to be Kampabhupa, who ordered the construction of the pathway. When the water in the river rises this pathway is completely submerged.

This is a collage of pictures taken during two earlier trips. This natural rock formation is the 'Onake Kindi' mentioned in the previous paragraph. In the inset is my friend Sridhar posing with Kampabhupa's idol.

This is the time of the year when Tungabhadra's water level is low which is good for tourists. Here's a peaceful scene next to the ancient pathway. This is the point where the west flowing Tungabhadra takes a sharp turn towards north, flows northeast for a kilometer and half and then turns southeast. This spot is called Chakratirtha. In Hindu culture the spot where a river or stream turns north / south is considered holy. Hence one can find at least one shrine at such spots. Hampi being the capital of Vijayanagara Samrajya, one of the greatest empires of the medieval world, Chakratirtha is bound to be extraordinary.

At Chakrathirta Tungabhadra flows between two massive boulder-heap hills. The natural beauty of the rocks is breathtaking. One need not have any talents to take great pictures here, such is the beauty of the place. Here's the reflection of a partially submerged water carved rock. One can gaze at the rocks and let imagination take over.

Chakrathirta attracts tourists for not just the natural beauty and shrines but also for boat rides. There are regular row boats and motorized boats as well. Even though a coracle ride costs ₹500 upwards per person, people go for it.

We went past the ghat at Chakrathirta and Kodandarama Devastana and the headed towards the maze of rocks. Sahasralinga was to the right, but I was trying to find a way in this maze.

Last time, we gave up at one point where the going go tough. Instead we went found a spot high up in the rocks very close to Dashavatara sculpture. This time I just followed the ruined ancient pathway knowing it would lead to some shrine if not the Sahasralinga. Indeed the path lead to this structure concealed in a heap of rocks. On the left are two shrines.. idols carved on rocks left in their original positions. Wondering what kind of a mind created this amazing structure.

The first shrine. Based on the presence of Trishul & Damaru, I guess this female deity seen here is Parvati. No idea who the standing male idol represents.

The neighboring shrine is more spacious. The deity seen here seems to be Vishnu.

Or maybe its Harihara, the form which is part Shiva and part Vishnu.

The tunnel like passage opens up to this space littered with semifinished blocks of an incomplete structure. Notice the sculpture on the left side of the entrance. That seems to be sage Vyaghrapada a great devotee of Shiva.

The name Vyaghrapada is made of two words Vyaghra and Pada meaning tiger and feet. As per Hindu lore, this sage was granted legs of a tiger by Shiva to enable him to reach the most difficult places to gather flowers. 

Here's the deity of the shrine- Shiva accompanied by Nandi, Parvati and another figure which seems like Bhringi. This seems like a rare form of Shiva shown with a sword and bow, instead of Trishul & Damaru. Also Shiva is resting his hand on some curved object. Parvati's too is shown with sword and bow.

See how close the temple is to the water. In fact, this shrine along with the boulders here would be submerged during a good rainy season.

Imagine when mighty Tungabhadra has to flow in this narrow space between two boulder heap hills. Naturally water level would rise submerging the boulders, shrines and manatapas here. Here the water flows from left to right.

Looking to the left.. that's where the river turned northwards. The long manatapa seen at the end of water is Kodandarama Devastana ghat. In the background is Mathanga Betta.

Looking to the right.. Tungabhadra flows for about a kilometer and then turns southeast. In the background a hill can be seen. That's Anjanadri Betta, the birthplace of Hanuman. The hill is named after Hanuman's mother Anajanadevi. Discovering this group of hidden shrines was inspiring. Now, the focus has to be Sahasralinga. I asked the passing coracle guy about Sahasralinga. The guy without bothering to stop told me to climb the big rock. How's that for directions!

So, we traced back the way we came in and turned left. I noticed a group of four men climbing a two-step boulder. Out of hunch I asked them about Sahasralinga. Yes, join us. Deepak and I followed them. Once on top of the boulder, Sahasralinga came into view.

The first group of Linga. This group has around 850 Lingas in it. If not for the central square and rectangle there would be more than 900 Linga. At the bottom right corner is a symbolic etching of a prostrating couple. As to the significance of worshipping this many number of Linga could be to remain immersed in rituals for a long time.. mind control.

A few yards away is the second group. This one looks less crowded.

One of the guys from the group which led us here had been here earlier too. He was saying that there are a lot of Linga sculptures here. He was right, we could spot several.

Having spent over fifteen minutes admiring the Sahasralingas, we wanted to move on. There was no need to trace back our steps, instead we could go down towards the waters and walk along it. This is the way we climbed down. There's a sculpture hidden among one of the rocks here, a very unusual place for a shrine.

Of the three sculptures, one is incomplete and two seems to be complete, both are female deities. The one deity on the right has at least six pair of arms and three heads. I have no clue as to what Devi this image represents. As to the semifinished blocks lying here indicates ongoing work. For some reason the project was abandoned. Probably the great war which brought the fall of Vijayanagara was the reason. Imagine.. if the work had continued, what kind of structures we would be looking at today.

Here's another shrine dedicated to Shiva  & Parvati. The four armed Shiva is holding Trishula, Damaru, sword and Kamandala. I think Shiva's sword is called Chandrahasa. The sculptor has given Shiva thick long hair, perhaps the intention was to create matted hair.

Hampi is one place you get to see a competition between natural and manmade sculptures. Notice the lines created by varying water level.

Two Nandi sitting on the opposite side. I guess they are part of the two great Sahasralinga. It is said that Nandi's head is always turned. While it looks at Shivalinga with left eye, the right eye is looking at Parvati.

While I went back to the hidden shrine for the second time, Deepak rested on a rock next to the water. This is where I saw an otter pop it's head out and dive back immediately. I wish that beautiful creature had remained above water for a few seconds. Locally otter is called neernayi, literally meaning water dog. There are signs warning people to stay away from them since their bites can cause grievous injuries. 

On this long bad are several Shiva Linga. I guess Chakrathirta was a busy place during Vijayanagara times. Has to be going by the number of shrines and manatapas.

We decided to move on. Next we wanted to climb up to one of the mantapas. We wanted to take a break from sunlight and rest a while at the top. Will continue in the following post- a trip with brother, Hampi-2.

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a trip with brother, Bhadravati and Kumathi

..continued from a trip with brother, Chandragutti-2.

One thing I hadn't mentioned in the previous post was about the stop at Kinara Restaurant a few kilometers on Shivamogga-Tirthahalli highway. It was suggested by our a friend from Bhadravati, we decided to try out fish there even though it was slightly out of the way. Yes, steamed fish with chilly curry was awesome, Deepak and I thoroughly enjoyed the snack. We got a few plates packed for dinner as well. After checking into the hotel at Bhadravathi, I felt better after a long bath. We had fish and cucumbers over drinks.. that was dinner. Then we crashed out!

We woke up around 6 AM, freshened up and started our tour of Paper Town the township of Mysore Paper Mills (MPM). Paper Town was our home until 1977. I have a lot of memories of those years but Deepak remembered a few things.. he was still in UKG when we moved out of Bhadravati. He was coming here after a gap of 48 years!

For our generation, Bhadravati is synonymous to Visvesvaraya Iron & Steel Ltd and Mysore Paper Mills. VISL was the big brother, it was much larger in terms of area and employment. Both factories were situated on the left bank of Bhadra river. Since it's establishment, VISL received iron ore via a ropeway from Kemmangundi. Iron ore was also transported in railway wagons. I still have memories of  seeing carriers hauling iron ore at Kemmangundi the hill station on Baba Budangiri range. Well, the two thriving public sector units providing employment to thousands and greatly supporting Bhadravati's economy were victims of politics and mismanagement. There were several failed attempts to revive the units before all hope was lost in the mid 90s. Today the two townships Steel Town and Paper Town are ghost townships. However, some of the employees continue to reside in the quarters to this day.

The two townships collectively was called New Town. Old Town is the original Bhadravati which is situated on the right bank. The townships had all kinds of amenities including educational institutions, parks and a movie theatre. Most, if not all, kids of New Town went to St. Charles Borromeo School which was situated in the Steel Town, close to the railway line.

Here are a few pictures of our tour. This is the main gate of MPM. Even though the paper mills are in a state of neglect, the main gate looks very functional. Yes, there are guards on duty round the clock. Less than a kilometer from this gate are the living quarters grouped into wards.

That's our street, most of the trees of that time have survived. I still remember this Ficus vividly. Boys from other wards used to prowl around felling figs from this Ficus.

Our street consisted of twin houses i.e. they shared one common wall but had separate spaces on three sides. This is the house we lived in, it was much more elegant back then. Now it looks like the houses have been painted with leftover material. The present occupant has added a bad looking two-wheeler parking shelter, and that wooden gate too is a recent addition. We had several trees here... mango, coconut, jackfruit, and Parijata. Now it's worn a bare look.

The open ground on one side of our street. It's the same, thankfully no new constructions here. Adjoining the ground is a park with a stage. During Ganesh Chaturthi, cultural activities were conducted on the stage. Life those days was something else.

That's Deepak, trying to recall memories. He remembered a small circular platform under a Honge tree opposite our house which we called round katte. That was our usual play spot.

At the end of our street was a junction which was also a bus-stop. We boarded those colorful buses , named after Hindu gods, with other school going kids. Bus fare per kid was five paise. The bus dropped off in front of the school and continued it's way to Old Town. This tree with a platform around it is a landmark called Aralikatte. This was Paper Town's bus-stand.

From Aralikatte we headed towards Bhadra river. During our stay here we would walk the 1.7 km path to immerse Ganesha idol in the flowing waters of Bhadra. From the outskirts of our colony, it was a dirt road, a lonely stretch. Presently the path is dusty and even more lonely. This is the foot bridge connecting Paper Town and Sunnadahalli village. The village was known for a temple - Sunnadahalli Anjaneya Devastana. I remember seeing a bellada gaana ~ jaggery mill here... the bright orange glow under a huge pan of boiling sugarcane juice. The odor emanating from the boiling liquid was quite strong but it wasn't bad. The liquid was boiled until it turned into a thick golden paste. Then hot paste was poured into large pans or molds and allowed to cool and solidify.

Deepak and spent about half an hour on the shore but we did not make it to Sunndadahalli. The rising sun was getting a bit uncomfortable to be out in the open. We headed back to Paper Town and then continued towards Steel Town. I could recall a number of places but Deepak was clueless. Lastly we went to our school St. Charles Borromeo School. The original building is still the same, even the color I think. In the 90s a new wing was added without spoiling the original look. Of course one major change is shifting the school gate to the side road from the main road. We wanted to see the inside of the school but our friend Srinivas informed us that the authorities are not allowing any visitors, even alumni members for some reason. That was little disappointing, we had to let go f wishes at times. Deepak's memory here is the flight of steps descending into a cave like chamber where the LKG classroom was. I too remember that well.

The last stop of the morning was Srinivas' home. Two more friends Nagaraj and Anil were also there. I was happy to see them and meet Srini's folks. We had a tasty breakfast, chatted and bid goodbye to our friends. We had to rush a bit because it was almost noon and we had travel 175 km to reach Kumathi well before sunset. We picked up a few snacks and cucumbers for the way.

We were heading to Kumathi to see the two anthropomorphic statues which are believed to be prehistoric. I'd seen them a decade ago. This trip was for Deepak. I had plans of camping near the statues which is situated in an open field between two villages namely Kumathi and Valase. I'd carried a tent and other required stuff. The last 17 km of the 175 km was through rural belt. Though the terrain was barren barring shrubs it looked wild. As we approached the spot, I realized the place was seeing a lot more traffic presently. The place had changed greatly in the past decade. I gave gave on the idea of camping. It was decided that we head to Kamalapur / Hampi after seeing the statues.

Like my visit of Dec 2013, today's visit too was late afternoon. My wish was to see these artifacts in morning light, looks like it may never happen. Anyway, I was happy that Deepak could see them. His first attempt to reach Kumathi in 2021 was a failure. His wish is about to be fulfilled.

Like I said before this place has changed a lot, it's lost it's innocence. In 2013 this was an open field, barren and unused. However today the place has turned into a farm. Rows of papaya saplings and lines of drip irrigation pipes cover this land. A year later, the statues would be partly concealed by grown up trees. That's Deepak, curious to see the statues up close. The two statues are identifiable easily.. one is like a bird with spread out wings, and the other looks like a man in a robe. Both statues are made of similar stone which happens to be granite. While the monk is around 11 feet tall, the bird is 10 feet. For them to be standing, a good portion remains buried. Considering the buried portions these statues are around 18 feet high.

The bird.

The monk.

Local lore is that there were two demons who happened to cross their path with an ascetic in an unpleasant way. The effect of the ascetic curse turned them into stones. Well, there can be other theories and explanations. There's one more site with somewhat similar statue in a remote location inside Tamil Nadu.

After spending several minutes with our still friends, we chatted with the people occupying the land. Apparently they have purchased the land for the sake of cultivation and settled here. A government scheme has funded their project with which a shed has been erected. The owner is an elderly woman, she and her children take care of the farm. They grew vegetables and watermelon. The Ajji was kind enough to give us two watermelon.

Having seen the prehistoric statues, we said bye to the place. We had decided to reach Kamalpur and check into Hotel Mayura Bhuvaneshwari, a 100 km journey. It was a nonstop journey, we reached the lodge by 8-30 or so. Being in the middle of the week, rooms were available. We checked in, freshened up, sat down for drinks, and opted for room service over the dining hall. Plan for the morning was a tour of Hampi. Not the usual hotspots, but to see the lesser visited spots.

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