The Lost Kingdom

On Friday night, we headed off to the train station at around 9 p.m. to catch the over night train to Hampi, which is at the north end of the state of Karnataka, about 400km north of us. It was the capitol of an ancient kingdom whose remains are still being found today.

We weren't in first class on the train this time, but I can't really see the difference between first and second class. They are the exact same except that first class gets doors that can lock. I don't really see a need for them. We arrived around 7 in the morning and took a break at a hotel where we also ate breakfast, then got on the bus and drove up a hill made of boulders.

At our first stop, we met our tour guide for the day, and he showed us around the area. The first thing we saw was a Hindu temple. Each temple has a certain god or goddess dedicated to it. Some were Brahma, the creator, Shiva, the god of destruction, Lakshmi the goddess of wealth, Vishnu the preserver, and Garuda, the great sun-eagle. We saw many temples along the way that were dedicated to one of these gods. All but one of the temples we saw are no longer in use, because they are partly damaged. In the Hindu religion, you can't worship at a temple that is damaged in any way, so these are purely used for tourism. We climbed further up the hill and went down the other side, passing smaller temples along the way. The one temple that is still in use was on the other side. On our way there we ran into some magicians who wanted to do their magic for us. They were dressed in colorful clothing and had their faces painted.


The entrances to these temples are huge. They are built almost in the shape of a pyramid. The base is made of stone, and the rest is brick. When we entered, there was a painted elephant standing there, where people would walk up and give it money. Then it would put the money into the hand of the man standing next to it, turn around and tap the person on the head. Inside, there were a lot of people worshiping the gods. This was one of the old temples in the city that was not demolished. We also saw a monkey fight in the old dancing hall built in the middle of the temple. They really can be nasty little creatures. I've heard of stories at our school where monkeys have raided the classroom at lunch looking for food and students have been attacked.

Next, we stopped at a market place where people from around the world used to come to buy Indian silks, diamonds, etc. The people who worked here also lived behind the stalls, and you can still see the base of some of the homes. There was a pool that was almost dry, but fills up during the monsoon season. When the invaders came (5 Muslim kings and their armies from around the region who decided to fight together), they were looking for all the diamond and riches that were in this part of India and destroyed most of the temples as well.

Then we went and ate lunch in the front yard of the Queens' (there were two queens) and King's bath building. It was the size of a swimming pool. After their bath, they would get a massage and then be carried miles to reach the palace. Our lunch was very good, but my grandma almost got mauled by a cow walking in the street that wanted her food. It ate some of her sandwich, but not much else. It stayed around a while along with two dogs and a flock of crows all waiting for her to drop something.

After lunch we went swimming in a river nearby. There was a big current so we all had a lot of fun. This river gets dammed up a little farther down and is a main power source for the nearby villages and towns. During the monsoons, the river rises so high that it covers a building on the side. As you can see, it helped us cool off on such a hot day.

After drying off, we drove down the road to what archaeologists say is the palace region of the King and Queens who I wrote about earlier. Their kingdom was called Vijayanagar, and for several hundred years (1300s to 1500s) they ruled most of south India. Unfortunately, like everything else, the invaders ruined the palace as well. Until the 1970s, most of the palace region was buried by mud from the monsoons, and today new remains are still being uncovered. The main reason that the place remained so unknown is that the conquerors killed pretty much everybody in the area and then went back to their territories. Our guide said that it took them 6 months to pillage everything. Only two structures remain standing. One is the stage where the King and Queens would watch performances. The other is part of the staircase leading to a part of the palace. You can still enter the basements where there are rooms made for secret meetings and other important things. We went into one and walked around in circles, until we found the exit. There was also a pool for holy water, where only the royal family could use. The pipeline that gave the pool water was above the ground, filling up the pool with water. Obviously, there isn't much water in it now, but when it starts to rain, the pool can become full. On our last stop, we went to the Queens' palace.

The main structure in the Queens' palace is the Locus Mahal. This is primarily a place for the queen to sleep. Tourists used to be able to go up to her bedroom, but because people were writing their names on the spiral staircase, the gate is now locked. The palace is surrounded by walls, with three watchtowers. Only two and a half remain, but you still can appreciate how heavily the queens were protected. Outside the wall, eleven royal elephants were kept in stables (Grandpa and Grandma Dee would like these). Each elephant had its own room and they were tied around the stomach by a rope up to the ceiling. Each elephant also had its own security guard. These were also very well kept as you can imagine. The caretakers and security guards also had their own home next to the stable, which is now being made into a museum.

We then returned to the bus and went to the Tungabhadra Dam to see the sunset. Then we raced back to the hotel and tried to wash up as best as we could in the short ten minute period that we had. Then we got back on the bus and went back on the train. We arrived early this morning and are now back home. It's hard to believe that we've done all of this in only one day!

On another subject, my grandma is trying adopt the local customs. For example, she is eating Indian food, and today she bought some Indian clothes. My dad suggested one of Ghandi's customs, which was to have one full day without talking every week, but she has not adopted that custom yet.