Pampa Sarovara and Vijayalakshmi Mandir, Kishkinda

The first time I heard and saw Pampa Sarovara was June 23, 2012. This is another spot connected to Ramayana. It is said that during the exile Rama and Lakshmana visited this place which is a part of Kishkinda kingdom. The brothers bathed in this pond and hence considered a holy spot.

Dec 10, 2024. This is an aerial view of the pond nestled in an valley formed by the slopes of Rishimukha Betta. At the top-right corner is another watery patch which is Tungabhadra waters. See how close Pampa Sarovara is close to Tungabhadra.

Coming closer to the ground level. This is a view from the viewing platform behind Vijayalakshmi Devastana. This spot was much more greener back in 2012. More than a dozen large trees dotted the pond's perimeter back then. I don't understand why trees are removed in the name of development.

Panning to the left, Vijayalakshmi Devastana comes into view. Here too there were two Neem trees in 2012. The temple premises looks so desolate. I wish the engineers had left those trees alone.

Panning more to the left.. Sridhar comes into view. We were on a 3-day tour of Anjandari, Anegundi and Hampi. This was the second day. The day had started off with a trek up Anjanadri Betta. At the top we spent a peaceful half-an-hour.

Right below the viewing platform is a cavern, a natural rock shelter. During our visit, there was a tourist group of elderly folks. The group had descended except for the eldest who was enjoying a solitary moment at the top. I just loved the way he's perched himself on the railings, like a child.

Here's Sridhar posing in the mouth of the cavern. We did check the interior which can accommodate four or five grownup men. The shelter might have been a meditation chamber in the past.

That's a side view of Vijayalakshmi Mandir. On the left is an open pillared hall. The temple and mantapa are ancient structures, built during Vijayanagara time. However their history of this temple goes back much longer... back to Ramayana period.

This mantapa is comfortable for resting in the afternoon i.e. when sun is the western side.

We went around the pond. This is the northeastern corner. This is where a freshwater stream flowing down from Rishimukha Betta falls into this pond. I don't remember seeing this during my last visit.

View from the southeastern corner.

I wish local people plant a few Neem saplings around the pond. Surely greenery will have a charming effect and keep the surroundings cooler.

On the rocks around the vehicle parking space warning notices were painted. The messages warned people to keep distance from river otters since their bites cause grievous injuries. I was surprised to know that river otters existed in our state. I actually saw one big otter at Chakra Tirtha during another visit in Jan 2025. I saw it only for a couple of seconds when it surfaced and dove back after seeing people.

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Granaries at Hampi

Hampae being the Rajdhani of the thriving Vijayanagara Samrajya was a populous city. The city was the largest trade center which means it supported a great amount of floating population besides it's own residents, both civilian and military. And in those times transportation force consisted of animals like oxen, horses, camels and elephants. This combination of people & beasts required a certain quantity of food, water and shelter. Hampae had ample guest houses and stables. It's well known that it had an elaborate aqua network consisting of tanks, canals and aqueducts. Coming to food, we have already seen the remains of a Bhojanashala, a dining area. Surely there would be many such dining areas with easy access to granaries. There would be small and large granaries, both aboveground and subterranean. A stone's throw from Hazara Rama Devastana are the ruins of granaries which are mostly aboveground.

There are two circular walls measuring approximately 45 feet in diameter, 4 feet high and 4 feet thick. I guess the walls were much higher and domed top just like the granaries at Badami fort.

The granary walls have been restored to the present condition. 

There are rectangular structures as well. This isn't the only one, there are several of them. In fact this particular enclosure is quite large with one part of it under excavation.

Here's another structure situated on a mound.

The ground in this enclosure is littered with broken bits of earthenware like pots and bowls. Surely larger artifacts found at this site would be preserved in archaeological offices and museums.

These are the granaries which have been restored for the benefit of tourists. There would be hundreds more neglected and lost. The subterranean granaries would've collapsed due to lack of care. Apart from earthen granaries, wooden storage bins were also in use at temples and palaces. Wondering how many of them have survived.

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