Here is the list of stories from my Hampi and Badami trip. You can also go to the first post and use the navigation to read all of them in sequence.
Also see:
* Images from Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal
* Images from Hampi
* Earlier trip report to Hampi
Hampi
* Arriving at Hampi
* The days in Hampi
* One evening, in Hampi
* Badami
* Banashankari
* Pattadakal
* Mahakoota
* Playing Cricket in Aihole..
* Aihole’s temples
* Information: Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal
Mahakoota
Each of these places had plenty to offer, but if I were to pick a highlight of the whole trip, it will be Mahakoota.
Hampi >> Badmi >> Aihole >> Pattadakal
+Previous: The Days in Hampi
+Next: Badami
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I set out to Hemakuta Paravatha on one of the evenings in Hampi with my camera, tripod and other photography paraphernalia. I walked beyond Viroopaksha temple and climbed up the hill and found a good location to start shooting. In a few minutes, I had my equipment setup, camera mounted on the tripod and started off. Must have been two-three pictures that I had shot, and was wandering around the hill when someone called me.
A man sitting on one of the boulders – he looked like a government babu – indicated to me that some one is calling me from below. And there was a man with the uniform of a security person who was waving at me and coming towards me. I wondered once if I had stolen something or behaved badly somewhere, but obviously neither of it; there must be something else. So I decided to bring out a curious look on my face and wait for the man to come to me. He came up and said – “you can’t shoot with a tripod here”. That was a surprise I wasn’t ready for; I know ASI doesn’t allow use of tripods within their premise to prevent any damages, but I was standing on an open hill, built and cherished by mother earth, not by our ancient kings and architects. Whatzupwiththesefolks, I wondered. Actually, was a bit infuriated but pretended wonder instead.
Viroopaksha temple and the boulder covered country
Unable to contain my curiosity to myself, I politely asked him if there is a problem with using a tripod, and was there any reason for this. He pondered on the question a bit. From the looks of his face, he did not seem to know an answer but felt obliged to justify his action. He was only doing his duty as commanded by the brilliant folks to whom he reported, and I would have been happy to move on if he had said just that. Instead, he decided to use his brain and come with an answer that would help him dominate me. After much thinking he finally created an answer –
“If you shoot with the tripod, your pictures will come out perfect. There won’t be any fault in it. If it is a handheld shot at least there will be some shake or some imperfections in the picture. So you can’t shoot with the tripod”.
I gawked. A perfection reaction would have been to gasp with my mouth wide open and faint immediately, unable to contain the surprise. But I let sanity prevail and managed a gentle smile, but unable to speak yet after listening to the brilliant response. When all this happened, the babu who had initially called me had walked towards us, and realizing the situation and probably worrying that I might indeed faint, interrupted. He said – “he is only doing his duty; we have been told not to allow tripod the hill, which he is trying to do. How would he know the reason behind it, we should really ask his bosses”. I smiled and nodded, and I think babu felt encouraged to go on with my response. He continued and now switched to government lingo, saying that if I would still want to shoot with a tripod, must go to Bangalore and bring a ‘permission letter’ from so-and-so officer, etc. At this point I cut in and said “thank you”, which he clearly understood to mean ‘stop now’, and obliged.
I decided to withdraw, for neither did I have the wish to argue with the messengers nor did I have the energy to go and bring ‘permission letter’. But I would not go away simply either. So I got those people to help me unfold the tripod, made them hold my camera and wait for me till I packed it all inside, just to give them some minor trouble and satisfy my ego! And after all that, the colors of the setting sun had started to appear on the west and I moved on, immediately forgetting all the drama that happened.
Sunset from Hemakoota
And I am still wondering why I haven’t got those perfect pictures he talked about, though I have been shooting with a tripod for many many years now!
Continued at: Badami
Hampi >> Badmi >> Aihole >> Pattadakal
+Previous: Arriving at Hampi
+Next: In Hampi, One evening..
+Go to the beginning of the series or index page
The days in Hampi were spent unhurried, with little regard to time, but always yearning for the sunrise and sunset hours to stretch longer.
Matanga Parvata is one place that defines my Hampi, and I found myself climbing up the hill in the pre-dawn hours again and again. The initial ten minutes of the climb always felt mundane until I reached the other side, opening me up to the vistas of the meandering river and the boulder-strewn, mysteriously beautiful landscape which has no parallels anywhere. Once up the Matanga, it was a matter of finding comfortable seating and wait for the sun to unfold his morning drama.
It is a scene I can watch every morning and never have enough of. The silhouettes of the mountainous landscapes appear at a distance few minutes before the dawn, giving a glimpse of what to expect. Curves of Tungabhadra reflect the gentle light of the dawn, revealing herself among the rocks. Outlines of a few Mantapas located here and there among the boulders start showing up, which appear to be placed strategically to enhance nature’s own decorations. The sun eventually presents himself, tearing himself out of thick line of clouds enveloping the horizon. He looks like a crimson fireball dispatching soothing rays to illuminate the world and waking up its life forms. Plantains in the plains, boulderscapes, the flowing river, and gentle breeze with a mild chill are all soaked in the sun and work together to fill my heart.
Life kick starts as the sun walks up, and a few monkeys living on the hill start their wanderings. Some of them come close to us ‘tourists’ and look up with curiosity. One of them finds me harmless and gets closer to try its luck. I sit quiet, and encouraged by my acceptance, it tries pulling a string or two from my trousers and carefully examines my sandals. I stretch a hand of friendliness and the hand becomes another subject of curiosity, as it pulls my hand with its and looks carefully into it. It finally moves on after realizing that I have nothing really interesting to offer, but only just another ordinary boring human. Its herd is all activity at a Mantapa just below and there are a few tiny tots playing with their elderly and having small fights among each other, making beholders hearts to melt and bring out a smile.
In the meanwhile, sun is moving up, turning from crimson to white and changing the hues of the world along with his. It becomes warmer and feels just right in the morning breeze. We sit back and pass an hour or more until the sun is high and blazing. As we walk back, there is a flurry of activity in the world below. The bazaar is awake and people are walking from one place to other. Far in the river, coracles and boats are ferrying people from end to end. Just below the hill, many birds have started their day and among them are noisy colorful parakeets, a coucal that is hopping from place to place, bulbuls that sing melodiously and a few more unknown birds. ‘I shall come back the next day’, I tell myself and return to savour the same drama unfold all over once again.
Coracling in the evening sun
The evenings were spent sitting next to the river, watching it flow in a hurry below us in a shallow stretch and manifest itself unruffled and deep a little further. Rivers have always held me in a charm and it is all the more so in Hampi, drawing me into it to spend hours sitting beside her. And as I write this, was reminded of the magical sunset on the way back from the river one of these evenings – with boulders sticking out to the sky, silhouette of a lone tree in the crimson background, and then suddenly walking into a Kalyani with a Mantapa on the premise of Vithala, which was reflecting the riot of colors in the sky within itself.
The river flows by..
Boulders, river, and Anjanadri at a distance
Each day spent in Hampi was an experience complete and fulfilling leaving its memories to last forever and making me look forward to more of them.
Watching the sun go down at Hemakoota parvata
Continued at In Hampi, One evening..