a trip with brother, Hampi-5

..continued from a trip with brother, Hampi-4.

The second half of the tour commenced at Krishna Devastna & Bazaar. We must've spent more than hour admiring the stone work and, the remains of stucco art on the two towers of the temple i.e. the two Gopuras. In between we rested a bit too, we had to take breaks from the blazing sunlight. One relic of this temple which is unique is the donation chest made of granite blocks. The chest has two lids each with an opening for dropping cash or jewelry. Sheltered under a manatapa, the chest would be under heavy security during Vijayanagara times. Now, the monument is just an exhibit, seen by a fraction of tourists visiting Hampi.

Done with Krishna temple & market place, we head out towards Kamalapur and then to Malyavanta Gudda. The hillock is situated on Kamalapur-Kampli road, just 2.2 km from Kamalapur bus-stand. Though I'd visited Hampi half dozen times, this is only my second visit. The first time was Dec 2024 with Sridhar, it was midday when we came here.

This time we planned to come here late afternoon with a plan to see the Sun set. The short steep road going up the hill is okay for smaller passenger vehicles. Buses have to drop off people at the base and, they'll have to do the short trek.

Half way up the hill is this four-pillared manatapa. Besides it is a small flat ground. I guess this place was cart & cattle parking place during Vijayanagara times. We parked the car off the road and decided to check out the spot.

Another view of the Mantapa, and the southern Gopura of Malayavanta Raghunatha temple complex. Deepak wanted to launch his DJI Mini2 to shoot the wild hills and their rocky outcrops. We found a convenient spot on the side, it was partly shaded too. Yeah, sunlight was still blazing.

While Deepal got busy with his little flying machine, I took out my seldome used Canon and took a few shots. In the drier districts of Karnataka, especially on rocky hills one can see this silvery barked tree called Twanpani Mara. A fully grown tree seldom exceeds an height of 20 feet. It's wood is soft and decays fast. At the most it could be used at fuel. Apart from it's silvery bark, the other attraction of this tree is it's seeds. The seeds have two wings. When the seed frees itself, it spins like a propeller and floats down gently. Hence the tree is called propeller tree. It's botanical name is Gyrocarpus americanus.

During the winter months, the tree is bare except for bunches of seeds. Once the green wings dry and turn brownish-grey they get separated. Being situated on elevated & windy spots the seeds get spread out naturally. One can rarely this tree on flat open grounds. While on this topic, you might want to read an older blogpost on spinning seeds.

Here's a collage of a few shots.. a jagged surface of a sedimentary rock. After-life beauty of a wild plant. A weathered twig. Lastly, a bottle bap embedded in some kind of binding matter, probably mortar.

Bird's eyeview of Malyavanta Gudda. The temple complex can be spotted on the hill. Yes, this picture was captured by Deepak's bird.

Done with flying the bird and shooting random objects we pack up and head towards the temple.

This is the parking space, good enough for half a dozen cars and bikes. In plan, this is the eastern gate, technically the main gate however, the southern gate is grander since it faces the approach road. From here instead of entering the temple through the Gopura, you take the narrow path straight ahead, it leads to a staircase which in turn takes you to a group of manatapas atop the rock formation. That spot gives an interesting view of the temple and surrounding hills. Sridhar and I had been there however, this time I didn't suggest that.

This being a east-facing temple, it was pretty dim at this time of the day. The complex consist of three temples, one pillared hall, plenty of open space and a few large trees. The trees makes it even more dim. So we just looked around and rested. The open ground between Raghunatha Devastana and Kalyana Mantapa are two trees, Neem and Frangipani. Together they create a great ambiance, a great place to rest. At one of the corners lies a sculpture of a woman and fish. No ides what it depicts. Perhaps it's a kind of memorial stone. While people moved around on the ground, a red-faced monkey was picking something from Neem branches.. maybe ripe fruits.

Here's a collage of Frangipani, one of my favorite flowers. It's fragrance is mild and pleasant. Frangipani thrives where there's granite. You can find Frangipanis close to the summits of Savandurga and Chitradurga.

While one lone monkey was peacefully browsing Neem branches, a bunch of them were monkeying. Those four rowdies have piled up on that seemingly timid fellow. Deepak captured this amusing invaluable scene.

We got up and slowly made our way to the rear gate which leads to the sunset drama stage. There was a busload of French tourists thoroughly enjoying their tour of Hampi. A good number of them were elderly, trying to make the best of their time. See this picture.. the lower part is in shadow and the upper part is lit up in light quickly turning golden. Note the main temple's Shikhara, it's part natural rock and part brick-mortar construction. Earlier I had mentioned about a mantapa atop the rock formation. Now that's seen. That's a seldom visited spot.

Here we have the Shikharas of the main temple on the right, and the subsiadary temple on the left. The perimeter wall has cast its shadow and a narrow band of light has escaped through the narrow passage.

That's the Kalyana Mantapa and the southern Gopura. In the foreground is an incomplete sculpture of a lathe-turned wheel. In fact, if you look to the right, there's another one.

As we stepped out of the passage, Bala Hanuman leapt in front of us! This kid knew how to surprise people, and pose for pictures.

We learnt that this little Hanuman is trying to raise funds for medical treatment of a family member. I think the French tourists donated generously.

The southern Gopura seen from the elevated spot behind the complex. The design of ancient temple towers is much more than what meets the eyes. There's a rocket science connection to these structures.

Outside the walls of Raghunatha temple complex is a small shrine dedicated to Shiva. It's like a cave shrine, one has to bend low inside. That shrine is below this boulder and exactly below it's Shikhara is the Shiva Linga. Suryadeva has entered the stage and the audience was gathering. I realized that quite a crowd had turned up suddenly. Well, most of them wanted front row seats and we opted for the last row.

We didn't capture the dramatic moments as such but here's a good one by Deepak.

That's Anjanadri Betta, believed to be the birthplace of Hanuman. It's quite a landmark, hard to miss it while photographing in and around Hampi. We could see lights turning on out there. Off late the hill has gained popularity and people throng to it almost round the clock. We too had planned to go there in the morning.

We called it a day and headed back to Mayura Bhuvaneshwari. Over drinks and snacks we chatted past happenings.. sour, sweet and bitter memories.

Our trip is coming to its end and I'll wrap it up in the final post- a trip with brother, Anjanadri and Onake Kindi.

......... 

a trip with brother, Hampi-4

...continued from a trip with brother, Hampi-3.

The post lunch plan of the day was to see places without walking around much. So we had picked Sri Krishna Devalaya, one of the larger temple complexes of Hampae, and Krishna Bazaar. Let me quickly list out the larger temple complexes of Hampae here: 1. Virupaksha Devastana, 2. Sri Krishna Devastana, 3. Achyuthraya Swamy Devastana, 4. Vittala Devastana, 5. Hazara Rama Devastana, 6. Pattabhirama Devastana, 7. Malyavatha Raghunatha Devastana and 8. Anantashayana Gudi. All these complexes, including Sri Krishna Devastana, have a large main temple, subsidiary temples, Kalyana Manatapa, kitchen & well, and some of them have colonnades. Of these eight temple complexes, two of them have market spaces associated to them i.e. #1, #2 and #3. The other point is only #1 and #7 are active temples, rest are inactive i.e. no rituals take place since there are no deities.

In the previous post I'd covered the main Gopura and just started looking at the northern Gopura, a smaller structure compared but better preserved. The structure is decorated richly with stucco art of floral patterns and Kirtimukhas. This winged creature made this picture interesting, it gives a sense of scale of the artwork.

In Chalukyan and Hoysala temples, one can see Kirtmukha images in stone but temples built during Vijayanagara sport stucco art. Image the same image in stone. Each has it's pros and cons, each needed artists trained appropriately.

Turning our attention to the temple's large pillared hall which is called as Mahamantapa. The hall consists of approximately 64 pillars i.e. a 8x8 matrix. A Marathi speaking group were resting in the hall. Yeah, everyone needed a break from sunlight.

Two diagonal views of the hall from the front. It was a tricky thing to photograph this temple with light blazing into the lens. The right time to visit most temples is mornings, between 8 AM and 10-30 AM. That's when rays light up the interiors nicely.

Every pillar is unique in terms of the images it has. Each pillar has at least 12 images. The image could be a human form, animal, bird, plant, imaginary creature or geometric pattern. The pillars on the outer lines are complex compared to the inner ones.

View of the outer two rows.

The hall has three entrances; east, north and south. The side entrances have balustrades. Originally these ruined elephant sculptures had trunks stretched out implying a gesture of welcoming.

After the Mahamantapa is the closed hall called as Sabhamantapa or Rangamantapa. The closed hall has two side entrances with balustraded steps. Here, the balustrade features an imaginary creature called Yali. Further into the temple comes the Anthrala (vestibule) and then the Garbhagriha (sanctum). There's a pradakshinapatha (circumambulatory passage) around the Garbhagriha.

Opposite the steps is the southern gateway of the complex which is kept locked. Tourists can enter only from the eastern entrance. Surely there was a Gopura like the one seen on the northern gateway, however only a fraction of the structure remains now.

We move to the rear of the complex. Here's a tiny structure with a three tier Shikhara. Though a subsidiary shrine, the quality of construction is same from bottom to top.

Diagonal view from the southwestern corner. The main temple's dimension in plan is approximately 42m x 14m i.e. it's footprint is abut 590 sqm. Imagine the manpower to built it, leave alone the manpower requirement of the entire complex. Only a super wealthy kingdom could indulge in such lavish buildings. And, Vijayanagara had hundreds of complexes built during it's time. Now imagine the amount of effort gone into temple constructions of all the kingdoms and empires put together.. Ganga,  Kadamba, Chalukya, Kakatiya, Hoysala, Kalachuri, Chola, Pandya, and many many more. I guess construction industry supported the economy in a huge way by providing employment to thousands of people.

Now, this is an interesting view. Three Shikharas in one frame. The right and middle are tiny structures and the on the left is the Shikhara of the main temple. Unlike Chalukyan and Hoysala temples, Vijayanagara temples have plain outer walls barring obligatory decor.

Among the subsidiary shrines, this is the largest which is dedicated to Amman. Note the Shikhara design is different.

The Amman temple seems like a Dwikutachala since it has two sanctums. The second sanctum seems like a add on. On the left is the colonnade along the inner security wall, and the northern gateway. The Gopura of the gateway seems undamaged when seen from the front of the temple however it has a gaping hole exposing the brickwork inside.

Closer look at the Gopura and its innards.

Such a handsome structure. Wondering if the damage was caused by nature or man. 

I could not shoot more pictures of the temple's front because of sun's position. There were a few more interesting things to see like an inscription slab and another subsidiary shrine. I'll make another visit here in the future and make sure it's in the morning. Coming back to the southern side, that wall and gateway is part of the outer perimeter of this complex. To my right, out of sight is a structure which could be the granary.

This plain walled stone-mortar structure with two openings on its sides must be the granary.

At the side and rear is a staircase. Deepak climbed the narrow stairs sideways, leaning on the wall. Guess he was trying to avoid stepping  on the edges in case they chipped away.  I can't remember if he said there were openings at the top. Usually granaries have narrow openings at the top.

Done with the tour of the temple tour we headed out but not before taking a shot at this wall of fish. If you notice carefully, there's an inscription on the block above the fish. Surprisingly, the script isn't Kannada or Telugu, it seems like Devanagari script.

It was still 3-30 and our next and last destination of the day- Malyavanta Raghunatha Devastana. The temple is situated on a hillock and a popular sunset point. We wanted to end the day peacefully..

This story will continue in a trip with brother, Hampi-5.

.........

Talarigatta Hebbagilu

The ancient capital of Vijayanagara empire Hampae was a fortified city. The wealthy city had several tiers of fortification. Naturally a fortified city would have a number of gateways within and on the perimeter. There are at least six gateways namely the Domed gateway, Bhimana Hebbagilu, Talarighatta Hebbagilu, Talwarghatta gateway, Sringarada Hebbagilu, Huvina Bagilu and Penukonda Hebbagilu. Also, there's Kadae Bagilu (the last gateway) situated across Tungabhadra, close to Anegundi entrance. There could be many more gateways on the outer walls yet to be discovered.

These gateways not only regulated traffic inflow into the city but also worked as toll gates. They were tax collection points for incoming and outgoing merchandise. Each of the gateways are unique in their physical forms and their names have been derived out of their forms or location or information from inscriptions.

The very first gateway I'd seen was Talarigatta Hebbagilu. In fact I've passed through it several times while going to Vittala temple complex. It is named so because it is situated on the road to Talarigatta the river crossing from the right bank to the left bank. At the river crossing itself is another gateway named Talwarghatta gateway on the opposite bank. The two names Talarighatta and Talwarghatta sound close enough. Probably the former is a corrupt form of the latter.

A board planted at the site describes the monument as follows:

ತಾಳಾರಿಘಟ್ಟ ಬಾಗಿಲು
ಶಾಸನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅರೆಶಂಖರಬಾವಿ ಬಾಗಿಲು ಎಂದು ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಿತಗೊಂಡಿರುವ ಈ ದ್ವಾರವು ವಿಜಯನಗರ ಪಟ್ಟಣದ ಈಶಾನ್ಯಕ್ಕಿದ್ದು ತುಂಗಭದ್ರಾ ನದಿಯ ತೀರದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ತಾಳಾರಿಘಟ್ಟಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗುವ ಮುಖ್ಯದ್ವಾರವಾಗಿದೆ. ಕಿರಿದಾದ ಈ ದ್ವಾರವು ಇಕ್ಕೆಲಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಜಧಾನಿಯನ್ನು ಸುತ್ತುವರೆದಿರುವ ಕೋಟೆಗೋಡೆಯನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿದೆ. ಈ ದ್ವಾರವು ಎರಡು ಅಂತಸ್ತುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನಿರ್ಮಾಣಗೊಂಡಿದ್ದು ಮೇಲಿನ ಅಂತಸ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾವಲುಗಾರರಿಗೆ ಒಂದು ಸಣ್ಣ ಮಂಟಪವನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿದೆ. ಈ ಮಂಟಪವನ್ನು ಗಾರೆಯಿಂದ ನಿರ್ಮಿಸಿದ ಕಮಾನುಗಳಿಂದ ಅಲಂಕರಿಸಲಾಗಿವೆ. ದ್ವಾರದ ಉತ್ತರ ಮತ್ತು ದಕ್ಷಿಣಕ್ಕೆ ಮಂದಿರಗಳಿದ್ದು ಉತ್ತರಕ್ಕೆ ವೀರಾಂಜನೇಯ ಮೂರ್ತಿಯಿದೆ.

Talarigatta Gate
Known as 'Aresankara Devara Bagilu' as per inscription, this gateway is strategically located to the north, north-east of Vijayanagara city leading to the river from known as 'Talarigatta' (toll collection point). The gate way, which is narrow, is built in to the fortification wall which enclosed the capital city. This is two storied structure with a provision for guard pavilion in the first storey, the latter having beautifully cut-pilaster decoration. On the southern and northern side of this gateway are shrine and there is a sculpture of Veeranjaneya on the northern side.

Tourists must make time to see these gateways closely since they are important landmarks. Who knows how many skirmishes had occurred at these sites. Who knows how many soldiers were martyred protecting Hampae? Who knows how many betrayals were prevented at these sites.

.........

a trip with brother, Hampi-3

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

The first half of the day was spent in and around Chakrathirta. We discovered shrines hidden among the boulders on the right bank of Tungabhadra. Then we went to the twin natural caverns, where inside one of the caverns is a prehistoric painting. Then we rested in the other cave and went to the double storied mantapa of Vysaraya Matha. There we rested again and enjoyed the panoramic view. Then we saw the two Vishnu temples and Varaha temple before going to Yantrodharaka Hanuman Devastana. By then it was nearing lunch time, we headed back to the car and planned to drive to KSTDC lodge for lunch. However, midway we noticed the open-air eatery, we stopped and decided to try food here. It was a good decision, the experience of having food under a Neem tree was nice. The eatery was right besides this ancient stepped well.

And, on the opposite side of the road is an ancient temple dedicated to Hanuman.

During my last trip i.e. in Dec 2024 with Sridhar, we used to lunch and nap at KSTDC ...two hours of daylight lost. We decided to skip nap, instead we headed back to Krishna Bazaar. We parked Deepak's Brio and walked down to the ancient market place. The idea was to look around without moving too much. With hardly any tourists here, the place was peaceful. We parked ourselves inside the pavilions. I was imagining stalls, merchandise, sellers and buyers. Surely, in the crowd would be stealthy ones looking for opportunities to pinch valuables. Maybe even beggars and urchins.

Amazing that this simple construction has been standing for centuries. I guess the space enclosed between four columns was one stall. Probably merchants rented out the required number of stalls to set up their shops.

ASI board planted here describes the monument as follows: 

ಕೃಷ್ಣ ದೇವಾಲಯದ ಮುಂಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ರಥಬೀದಿಯನ್ನು ಒಳಗೊಂಡ ಪ್ರದೇಶವೇ ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಬಜಾರು. ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಬಜಾರನ್ನು ಶಾಸನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕೃಷ್ಣ ದೇವರ ತೇರುಬೀದಿ, ಕೃಷ್ಣಾಪುರ ಪೇಟೆಯೆಂದು ಕರೆಯಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಉತ್ಸವ ಸಂದರ್ಭಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕೃಷ್ಣನ ವಿಗ್ರಹವನ್ನು ರಥದಲ್ಲಿಟ್ಟು ರಥೋತ್ಸವ ನಡೆಸಲಾಗುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಬಜಾರು ವಿಜಯನಗರ ಆಳ್ವಿಕೆಯ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ` ಸಾಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಕ, ಧಾರ್ಮಿಕ ಆಚರಣೆಗಳ ಕೇಂದ್ರವಾಗಿರದೆ, ಪ್ರಮುಖ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಕೇಂದ್ರವೂ ಆಗಿದ್ದಿತು. ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಪೇಟೆಯು ಸುಮಾರು ಅರ್ಧ ಕೀ.ಮಿ. ಉದ್ದ ಮತ್ತು ೪೯.೫ ಮೀಟರ್ ಅಗಲದಷ್ಟು ವಿಸ್ತಾರತೆಯನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿದೆ. ಪೇಟೆಯ ಎಡ ಮತ್ತು ಬಲ ಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಮಾರು ಮೂರು ಅಡಿಗಳ ಅಧಿಷ್ಠಾನ ಹೊಂದಿದ ಸಾಲು ಮಂಟಪಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಈಶಾನ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಪವಿತ್ರ ಪುಷ್ಕರಣಿಯನ್ನು ಕಾಣಬಹುದು.

ಈ ಪೇಟೆಯ ವಾಯುವ್ಯ ದಿಕ್ಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಖ್ಯ ರಸ್ತೆಗೆ ಹೊಂದಿಕೊಂಡಂತೆ ದೊಡ್ಡದಾದ ಕಲ್ಲಿನಿಂದ ನಿರ್ಮಿಸಿದ ತೊಟ್ಟಿಯಂತಹ ಪೆಟ್ಟಿಗೆಯನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಮಿಸಿದ್ದು, ಚಿಕ್ಕ ಮಂಟಪವನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿದೆ. ಈ ಪೆಟ್ಟಿಗೆಗೆ ಸಣ್ಣ ರಂಧ್ರವಿದ್ದು, ಇದರಲ್ಲಿ ಭಕ್ತರು, ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಿಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ನೀಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದರೆನ್ನಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಇದನ್ನು ಅಂದಿನ ವರ್ತಕರು ದೇಣಿಗೆ ಕೃಷ್ಣ ದೇವಾಲಯದ ಹುಂಡಿಯೆಂದೇ ಹೇಳಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಇಲ್ಲಿನ ಪುರಾತತ್ವ ಉತ್ಪನನದ ಸಂದರ್ಭದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೃಷ್ಣ ದೇವಾಲಯದ ಬಳಿ ಚೀನಾದ ಮಣ್ಣಿನ ಬಟ್ಟಲುಗಳು ಪತ್ತೆಯಾಗಿದ್ದು, ಕ್ರಿ.ಶ. ೧೫೪೫ರ ಅವಧಿಯ ಸದಾಶಿವರಾಯನ ಕಾಲದ ಶಾಸನವೊಂದರಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರತಿ ಸೋಮವಾರ ಮಾರಾಟವಾದ ಸರಕುಗಳ ಮೇಲೆ ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರತಿ ಅಂಗಡಿಯಿಂದ ಒಂದು ನಾಣ್ಯವನ್ನು ತೆರಿಗೆಯಾಗಿ ಸಂಗ್ರಹಿಸಲಾಗುತ್ತಿತ್ತು ಎಂದು ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಿಸಿದೆ. ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಬಜಾರು ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ದವಸ ಧಾನ್ಯಗಳ ಪ್ರಮುಖ ಮಾರುಕಟ್ಟೆಯಾಗಿತ್ತೆಂಬುದು ಅಚ್ಯುತರಾಯನ ಶಾಸನವೊಂದರಿಂದ ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.

Krishna Bazaar is one of the recently excavated sites of Hampi. The inscription mentions it as the Chariot Street of Lord Krishna. The idol of Krishna used to be placed in the chariot for a procession during festivities and celebrations. Krishna Bazaar was not only a centre of cultural and religious practices but also a major market place of the metropolis. Krishna Bazaar is over half a kilometre in length and about 49.5 metres in width. There are long rows of pavilions along the Bazaar Street on 3 feet high adhistana (platform). The sacred pushkarani (pond/tank) is located on the north east of this bazaar.

To the northwest of this bazaar, along the main road there is a small pavilion with a large rectangular chest carved out of a huge boulder. This chest has a small opening on top in which devotees and visitors used to offer donations. Vijayanagara was famous for its trade. Chinese porcelain items were discovered near Krishna temple during the excavation. The 1545 C.E. inscription of the Sadashiva period mentions that tax was collected on sold goods every Monday and one coin was collected from each shop. It is clear from the Achyutaraya's inscription, that Krishna Bazaar was a major market for grains.

The bazaar's water tank is similar to many other water tanks seen at Hampi. Stepped sides and central mantapa. I wonder what the purpose of that mantapa was. Place for meditation? Notice the sculpture on the base.. big fish eating small fish. Was it a message to the businessmen.. grow or be eaten.

One thing about ancient monuments is the level of attention given to every structure. There was no discrimination. See the detailed work in this Shikhara. Even the canopy slabs are so well finished.

Another board planted in the vicinity gives an insight into the trade aspect of Vijayanagara empire. Here are the transcriptions:

ವಿಜಯನಗರ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿ ಮತ್ತು ಇಲ್ಲಿನ ಹಲವು ವಸ್ತುಗಳು ಏಷ್ಯಾ ಮತ್ತು ಯುರೋಪಿನ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಿಗಳನ್ನು ಆಕರ್ಷಿಸಿತ್ತು. ವಿಜಯನಗರದ ರಾಜಧಾನಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅಪಾರವಾಗಿ ಬೆಳೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ವಹಿವಾಟಿನಿಂದಾಗಿ ಅರಸರು ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯದ ವಿವಿಧ ಭಾಗಗಳಿಗೆ ರಾಜಧಾನಿಯಿಂದ ಉತ್ತಮ ರಸ್ತೆ ಹಾಗೂ ಸಾರಿಗೆ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯನ್ನು ಕಲ್ಪಿಸಿದ್ದರು. ಹಂಪಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರವು ತನ್ನ ಉತ್ತುಂಗ ಮಟ್ಟವನ್ನು ತಲುಪಿತ್ತು ಎಂಬುದಕ್ಕೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿನ ಏಳು ಬಜಾರುಗಳು ಸಾಕ್ಷಿಯಾಗಿ ನಿಂತಿವೆ.

ವ್ಯಾಪಾರವು ಮೂಲತಃ ಕೃಷಿ ಆಧಾರಿತವಾಗಿದ್ದರೂ ಸಕ್ಕರೆ, ರೇಷ್ಮೆ, ಸಂಬಾರ ದಿನಸುಗಳು, ಬಟ್ಟೆ ಮತ್ತು ಕಬ್ಬಿಣ ಉತ್ಪಾದಿಸುವ ಕೈಗಾರಿಕೆಗಳೂ ಇದ್ದವು. ವಿಜಯನಗರದ ಪೇಟೆಗಳು ತನ್ನ 'ಪುರ'ಗಳ ನಡುವಣ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಕ್ಕೂ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧವಾಗಿದ್ದು ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಬಹಿರಂಗವಾಗಿ ಚಿನ್ನ, ಬೆಳ್ಳಿ, ಮುತ್ತು ರತ್ನ, ವಜ್ರ ವೈಡೂರಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾರುತ್ತಿದ್ದರೆಂದು ಅಬ್ದುಲ್ ರಜಾಕ್ ತಿಳಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ.

ನಗರ ಪೇಟೆಗಳ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಸಾರಿಗೆಯ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಶಾಸನಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ ಕೃತಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ವಿವರಣೆಗಳಿವೆ. ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಅರಬರು ಕುದುರೆ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರವನ್ನು ನಡೆಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಸೈನ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಬೇಕಾದ ಆನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಶ್ರೀಲಂಕಾದಿಂದ ತರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದರೆಂದು ತಿಳಿಯುತ್ತದೆ. ಇಂತಹ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರದ ಚಿತ್ರಗಳು ದೇವಾಲಯಗಳ ಶಿಲ್ಪಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮತ್ತು ಮಹಾನವಮಿ ದಿಬ್ಬದ ಪಟ್ಟಿಕೆಗಳ ಮೇಲೆ ಕಂಡುಬರುತ್ತವೆ. 

ಬೋಗದ ವಸ್ತುಗಳು, ಹವಳ, ಪಾದರಸ, ಸೀಸ, ತವರ, ಕರ್ಪೂರ ಹಾಗೂ ಸೈನ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಅವಶ್ಯಕವಾದ ಕುದುರೆ, ಆನೆ ಮುಂತಾದವು ವಿಜಯನಗರ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಪ್ರಮುಖವಾಗಿ ಆಮದು ಆಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದವು, ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಅಕ್ಕಿ, ಗೋಧಿ, ಶುಂಠಿ, ಸಕ್ಕರೆ, ರೇಷ್ಮೆ, ಸಂಬಾರ ದಿನಸುಗಳು, ಬಟ್ಟೆ ಮುಂತಾದವು ವಿಜಯನಗರ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯದಿಂದ ಬೇರೆ ದೇಶಗಳಿಗೆ ರಫ್ತು ಆಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದವು. ಹೀಗೆ ವಿಜಯನಗರ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಆರ್ಥಿಕ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿಯು ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗಿ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮತ್ತು ವಾಣಿಜ್ಯವನ್ನೇ' ಆಧರಿಸಿತ್ತು. ಆದರೆ ಕ್ರಿ.ಶ. ೧೫೬೫ರಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಜಯನಗರ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯ ಪತನವಾದ ನಂತರ ವಿದೇಶಿಗರು ತಮ್ಮ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಸಂಬಂಧಗಳನ್ನು ಕಳೆದುಕೊಂಡರು. ಆ ನಂತರ ನಗರವು ಪಾಳು ಬಿದ್ದಿತು.

The cosmopolitan culture of the Vijayanagara Empire attracted traders from Asian and European countries. The flourishing trade within the capital forced the rulers to connect the different parts of the empire with the capital city.

Overall, there are seven bazaars which indicate that business was flourishing.
The economy was primarily agro-based, although several industries produced sugar, silk, spices, clothes, iron, etc Abdul Razzaq describes to the prevalence of inland trade, with gold, silver, gems, diamonds, and precious stones being sold in an openly.

Inscriptions and written accounts talk about the hectic flow of traffic and movement of merchandise and goods through the city's bazaars. Horses were brought by the Arabs, and elephants from Sri Lanka, for the Vijayanagara army. Such trades have been captured in sculptures found in the temples, and on the bands of Mahanavami Dibba.

The Vijayanagara Empire imported luxurious items like corals, mercury, lead, tin, camphor, and horses & elephants needed for the army. Similarly, rice, wheat, ginger, sugar, silk, spices, and clothes were exported from the kingdom. After the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire in 1565 C.E., the trade-ties with foreign countries was lost. The city was in ruins soon after this.

This market is called Krishna Bazaar since it is situated opposite Sri Krishna Devalaya temple complex. That's my guess. The complex's Gopura is an imposing structure despite its ruined condition. At least one tier of the Gopura is missing if not more. With sunlight blazing into the camera lens, the picture turned out hazy.

This is an interesting object situated between the market place and temple complex. This is the chest in which donations were collected. What a solid chest with heavy lids! I guess coins and jewelry were dropped in. Wondering how the donations were used.. for building more temples and mantapas? Towards maintenance of water tanks and roads?

Vishnu's symbols Shankha, Chakra & Naama along with Sun & Moon are engraved on the side facing Krishna temple. The lids have holes in them, one circular and the other square. Probably the holes too were kept covered in the nights. Surely there would guards watching this treasure chest around the clock.

When you are at Hampi and visiting Krishna temple, make sure you see this monument. Yes, that's Krishna temple complex's Gopura. Also, in the same class as this chest is the monolithic water trough near Hazara Rama Devastana.

The imposing remains of the Gopura. One must feel humbled at the sight of monuments.

Close to the Gopura is a board describing the temple complex:

ಈ ದೇವಾಲಯವು ಬಾಲಕೃಷ್ಣನಿಗೆ ಮುಡಿಪಾಗಿದೆ. ದೇವಾಲಯದ ಆವರಣದೊಳಗಿರುವ ಶಿಲಾಶಾಸನವು ಕ್ರಿ.ಶ. 1515 ರಲ್ಲಿ ಕೃಷ್ಣದೇವರಾಯನು ಉದಯಗಿರಿಯಿಂದ ತಂದ ಬಾಲಕೃಷ್ಣನ ವಿಗ್ರಹವನ್ನು ಸ್ಥಾಪಿಸಿದನೆಂದು ದಾಖಲಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಈ ವಿಗ್ರಹವು ಈಗ ಚೆನೈನಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಎಗ್ಮೊರಿನ ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ವಸ್ತುಸಂಗ್ರಹಾಲಯದಲ್ಲಿದೆ. ದೇವಾಲಯವು ಎರಡು ಪ್ರಾಕಾರಗಳಿಂದ ಸುತ್ತುವರಿಯಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿದೆ. ಆಯತಾಕಾರದ ಒಳ ಆವರಣವದಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಖ್ಯ ದೇವಾಲಯ, ಉಪದೇಗುಲಗಳು, ಮಂಟಪಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಇತರ ರಚನೆಗಳಿವೆ. ಮುಖ್ಯ ದೇವಾಲಯವು ಗರ್ಭಗೃಹ, ಅಂತರಾಳ, ಪ್ರದಕ್ಷಿಣಾಪಥ, ರಂಗಮಂಟಪ ಮತ್ತು ಮಹಾಮಂಟಪ ಹಾಗೂ ಜೀರ್ಣೋದ್ದಾರಗೊಂಡ ಮಂಟಪಗಳನ್ನು ಒಳಗೊಂಡಿದೆ. ರಂಗಮಂಟಪ ಮತ್ತು ಮಹಾಮಂಟಪಗಳ ಕಂಬಗಳ ಮೇಲೆ ವಿಷ್ಣುವಿನ ಹತ್ತು ಅವತಾರಗಳನ್ನು ಒಳಗೊಂಡ ಸುಂದರ ಕೆತ್ತನೆಗಳಿವೆ. ಈ ಆವರಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಮ್ಮನವರ ಮತ್ತು ಗಣೇಶ ಗುಡಿಗಳೂ ಸೇರಿದಂತೆ ಉಪದೇಗುಲಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಸಣ್ಣ ಮಂಟಪ ಇದೆ. ಇವುಗಳ ಸುತ್ತಲೂ ಇರುವ ಪ್ರಾಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಪೂರ್ವ, ಉತ್ತರ ಮತ್ತು ದಕ್ಷಿಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಒಟ್ಟು ಮೂರು ದ್ವಾರಗಳಿವೆ. ಪ್ರಾಕಾರದ ಒಳಮುಖದಗುಂಟ ಕಂಬಗಳಿರುವ ರಚನೆಯಿದ್ದು ಇದರಲ್ಲಿ ಪಾಕಶಾಲೆ ಮತ್ತು ಎರಡು ಮಂಟಪಗಳೂ ಸೇರಿವೆ. ಪೂರ್ವ ಗೋಪುರದ ಪಶ್ಚಿಮ ಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರೀಕೃಷ್ಣದೇವರಾಯನ ಉದಯಗಿರಿಯ ದಂಡಯಾತ್ರೆಯ ಚಿತ್ರಣವಿದೆ. ಪೂರ್ವ ಗೋಪುರದ ಪ್ರವೇಶದ್ವಾರದ ತೊಲೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಚಂದ್ರಗ್ರಹಣದ ಚಿತ್ರವಿರುವದು ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ವಿಶೇಷ. ಹೊರಗಿನ ಆವರಣದ ವಾಯುವ್ಯ ಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಂಟಪ ಮತ್ತು ತೊಟ್ಟಿ, ಆತ್ಮೀಯ ಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಣಜ ಮತ್ತು ಉತ್ತರ ಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಲವು ಮಂಟಪಗಳಿವೆ. ದಕ್ಷಿಣದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ದೊಡ್ಡ ದ್ವಾರವು ಕೃಷ್ಣಾಪುರದಿಂದ ದಕ್ಷಿಣಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗುವ ರಸ್ತೆಯನ್ನೂ, ಈಶಾನ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ದ್ವಾರವು ಕೃಷ್ಣಾಪುರದಿಂದ ಉತ್ತರಕ್ಕೆ ಹಂಪಿಗೆ ಹೋಗುವ ರಸ್ತೆಯನ್ನೂ ಸಂಪರ್ಕಿಸುತ್ತದೆ.

This temple is dedicated to Balakrishna and the inscription on the slab set up inside the temple's compound records that in 1515 CE Krishnadevaraya installed an image of Balakrishna brought from Udayagiri. This image is now housed in the Government Museum, Egmore, Chennai. The temple is enclosed by two concentric walls. The main temple, subsidiary shrines, pavilions, and other structures are laid out in the rectangular inner enclosure. The main temple consists of garbhagriha (sanctum), antarala (antechamber), surrounded by pradakshinapatha (circumambulatory passage), rangamandapa (pillared hall) and mahamandapa (large pillared hall) and a pavilion of later addition. The pillars of rangamandapa and mahamandapa are decorated with Vaishnava figures including the ten incarnations of Vishnu. This enclosure also has subsidiary shrines including Amman and Ganesha shrines and a small mandapa. All these structures are enclosed in a prakara (enclosure) wall with three gateways on the east, north and south. The inner face of the prakara wall is lined with colonnade, which has a walled kitchen and two mandapas. The western side of the east gopura has depiction of Krishnadevaraya's Udayagiri expedition. Another noteworthy representation is that of lunar eclipse on the lintel of the east gopura entrance. The outer enclosure has a mandapa and tank on the northwest, granary on the southeast and several pavilions on the north. A large gateway at the south marks the road leading south from Krishnapura while another gateway at the extreme northeast marks the road running north from Krishnapura to Hampi.

Afternoon is a bad time to photograph this east-facing temple, shadows dominate subduing the features completely. This is the view of Krishna Devalaya through the eastern entrance. Like any other large temple here, the Mahamandapa forms the temple's facade.

This is the inner side of the Gopura. The lowest tier is made of granite blocks while the upper tiers are a combination of stone, red-bricks, mortar and stucco. Just above the lintel is interesting mural art.

Going by ASI description, the two groups of art works on the Gopura is Krishnadevaraya's Udayagiri expedition. The figure on the horse must be Krishnadevaraya, and the group behind him must be his soldiers. The soldiers are all hooded and holding swords & shields. The artists have created amazing facial expressions, looks like a candid photograph. 

On the right are several standing figures, both male and female. The tallest figure on the left seems like Vishnu since there's a Shankha. Probably there was a Chakra too. To the right is a group of men and a riderless horse. Facial expressions of this group isn't as sharp as in the former picture.

Taking a closer look at the faces. The group emanates confidence, pride and joy. This looks like a post victory group photo. I'm wondering if a western artist was involved in the creation of scene.

This is the northern entrance and its three tier Gopura.

There's still a lot to see in this temple. At this point I feel saturated. Will end this post here, and continue our tour in the next post- a trip with brother, Hampi-4.

.........