Category Archives: photographs

DAILY PHOTO: Black Marble Pillars of Hazara Rama Temple

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Taken November 2, 2013 at Hampi.

Taken November 2, 2013 at Hampi.

There’s a good chance that Hazara Rama temple isn’t even mentioned in your guidebook. It’s on the loop that includes the Queen’s Bath, the Mahanavami Dibba, the Lotus temple, and the Elephant Stables, but it would be easy to dismiss as lesser ruins if you’re traveling by yourself. This would be a mistake. This small temple has some of the most impressive friezes and carvings at Hampi. This was the King’s own personal temple.

The centerpiece of the temple are four black marble pillars. While black marble can be seen commonly enough at sites in other parts of India (e.g. Agra), it’s a rare building material here. In fact, these pillars were the only use of black marble that I remember seeing at Hampi.  The marble holds the carved images better than the sedimentary stone that is most common at Hampi.

Experts say the most prized sight at Hazara Rama are the friezes of Vishnu as Buddha, which are apparently quite rare.

Out front.

Out front.

DAILY PHOTO: Mahanavami Dibba

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Taken November 3, 2013 at Hampi

Taken November 2, 2013 at Hampi

The Mahanavami Dibba was a monument built to honor Emperor Krishnadevaraya’s win over the state of Kalinga. (I believe he had it built himself. The arrogance of emperors knows no bounds.) At a little over 20 foot tall, it’s the highest structure in the Royal Enclosure, and offers a nice view of the palace ruins as well as  the boulder mountains of the surrounding countryside. The sides of the platform are covered in friezes in which elephants play heavily, but also dancing-girls and hunting scenes.  We had great skies for our visit.

The Royal Center is part of Hampi that one will need to have transportation to get around because it’s quite far from the Hampi Bazaar (where the guest houses are) and the key sites (e.g. Queens Bath, Hazara Rama Temple, the Lotus Mahal, and the Royal Elephant Stables) are spread out over a large area. However, willing auto-rickshaw (tuk-tuk) drivers abound.

DAILY PHOTO: Columns at Achyutaraya Temple

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Taken November 2, 2013 at Hampi

Taken November 2, 2013 at Hampi

I thought the varying colors and designs of these columns made an interesting photo. This is taken at Achyutaraya Temple, which is one of the more extensive standing structures at Hampi, though not necessarily the most well-preserved/restored.

If one is on the Hampi Bazaar, walk away from Virupaksha Temple and toward the police station. Follow the steps that lie past the large bull sculpture, and when one gets to the top of the hill, just past the little Hanuman (the Hindu monkey-god) shrine, follow the fork to the right. One will soon see Achyutaraya temple down below. After visiting Achyutaraya, one can follow the flat land toward the Vittala Temple, which is sort of the crown jewel of Hampi.

DAILY PHOTO: Reservoir Goat

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Taken November 2, 2013 at Hampi.

Taken November 2, 2013 at Hampi.

This goat was strutting along in slow motion like he was in the opening scene of Reservoir Dogs.

Have no idea what I’m talking about? See below.

DAILY PHOTO: Climbing Lizard

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Taken November 2, 2013 at Hampi.

Taken November 2, 2013 at Hampi.

These little lizards were one of the most common animal lifeforms at Hampi.  They blend into the rock quite well despite the broken white or yellow line of dots on their backs, which itself blends into the splotched pattern of the creature.

I believe they are called Psammaphilus Dorsalis, Peninsular Rock Agamas, or South Indian Rock Agamas. [However, I know nothing about lizards and am open to correction by a herpetologist.]

DAILY PHOTO: Precarious Rock

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Taken November 3, 2012

Taken November 3, 2012

Part of what makes Hampi so surreal is all of the precariously balanced boulders. This shot is oriented straight up and down, i.e. the camera is not tilted, and so one wonder’s “How is that rock not falling?”

DAILY PHOTO: Stone Chariot

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Taken November 2, 2013 at Hampi

Taken November 2, 2013 at Hampi

This stone chariot is one of the most iconic scenes of Hampi. The wheels on the chariot were once capable of moving, but no more. It remains an amazing sculpture. It’s in the Vittala temple complex, and is one of the first things that draws the eye when one enters through the gate that one can see in the background.

DAILY PHOTO: Towering 4-Handed Guardian

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Taken November 2, 2013 at Hampi

Taken November 2, 2013 at Hampi.

These guardians of the inner sanctum can be seen here and there throughout Hampi.

I assume they were meant to be guardians and not just four-handed mutant freaks doing yoga stretches to loosen up their leg abductor muscles.

DAILY PHOTO: Yellow Blossoms

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Taken November 2, 2013 at Hampi.

Taken November 2, 2013 at Hampi.

The Hampi area is painted from a different palette than most of Karnataka. Instead of uniform green, the brownish-red of the boulders dominates, and, while green lines the spaces between the rock, the vivid yellow of these flowers decorate the base of many hills.  Of course, there remain islands of green, in the form of corn fields, banana plantations, and palm groves.

DAILY PHOTO: Sunset Over Hampi

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Taken on November 1, 2013

Taken on November 1, 2013

In the tropics the summer days seem so short and the winter days seem so long–at least if you grew up at 42°N (northern Indiana) and now you’re living at 13°N (Bangalore, India.) There’s no discernible adjustment in the length of days here. Maybe, if you’re a local. But it always gets dark around 6 at night and becomes light around 6am the next morning.