Location and Environmental Surroundings
Diverse activities were done in the past that have turned to be interesting sites in the present day. The Hampi village is one of the common areas that were inhabited by many and has become a point of attraction for most tourists. Such areas were part of major empires in that era. The activities being done at such points have led to historical structures seemingly interesting being brought up that have remained a preservative of the old culture. Appropriate and efficient methods have helped establish such areas. The inscriptions are an important source of information that has been used in unraveling the past (Billé, 2012).
Close to the banks of Tungabhadra River, there is the Hampi village. The village is in the eastern section of central Karnataka, which is close to the state border of Andra Pradesh. From Bangalore, one has to cover approximately 376 kilometers before reaching the village. It is 385 kilometers from Hyderabad. When coming from Belgaum to the location, one has to cover 266 kilometers. The closest railway station offering service to the area is Hosapete. The station is located 13 kilometers from the village. In Toranagallu, specifically at Jinda, there is the closest airport, approximately 32 kilometers from the region. The airport has some degree of connection to Hyderabad and Bangalore. Hampi village is also connected with Secunderabad, Goa, and Bangalore with overnight Buses. The Buses help in facilitating the transportation of people from Hampi village to the mentioned cities. Viewing the village from Badami, it is approximately 140 kilometers. The case is also similar to the Aihole archeological sites (Meskell, 2015).
The Hampi village is believed to be part of the Maurya Empire during the 3rd century BCE. After Carrying out site excavations, there was the discovery of the terracotta seal and Brahmi inscription dating back to the 2nd century. The town has Pampura as its name in Badami Chakulya’s inscription between the 6th and 8th centuries. During the rule of Hindu kings referred to as Kalyana Chalukyas, the village was a center of educational and religious activities, that was during the 10th century. Between the 11th and the 13th century, the inscriptions at the Hampi were primarily about the gifts to goddess Hampa-Devi. Temples were built at Durga by the Hindu kings of the Hoysala Empire between the 12th and14th centuries (Framarin, 2014). Information was majorly attained from inscriptions. The inscriptions identify the Hindu kings as Shiva and Hampadevi dating about 1199 CE. Hampi served as the local royal residence. South India was invaded and pillaged by Delhi Sultanate armies. They particularly were armies of Muhammad bin Tughlaq and the Alauddin Khaliji. The armies of Alaudin Khaliji plundered and destroyed the Hiyasala Empire and its capital Dvarasamudura located in South Karnataka in the 14th century. Destruction was also done in 1326 BCE by Muhammad bin Tughlaq (Razaq Raj, 2015).
Basic Site Dates and Approaches Used to Establish Them
19 kilometers on the eastern side of Hampi, one will locate Kampili. The ruins of Hampi were discovered in 1800 by Colin Mackenzie. Since discovery excavations, research has been done about the areas that make the place a famous tourist attraction site. The name Hampi was derived from Tungabhadra River Pampa. Famous temples have been discovered from the site. As per the inscriptions, Virupaksha temple was found in the 9th and 10th centuries. The temple is found close to the banks of Tungabhadra and is among the Group monuments in Hampi. The building of the temple was done in dedication to Shiva. Apart from that, there is too the Vijaya Vittala Temple. It is a breathtaking piece of architecture. The building was dedicated to Vittala, who is a form of Vishnu. The beauty nature of the temple is boosted by the towers, pavilions, hallways, and gateway. It was first constructed in the 15th century and many ruling kings have been working to improve the beauty of the village (Chanda, 2018)..
Granite boulders have been formed in Hampi village. The UNESCO world heritage forms one of the Hampi monuments. The Vijayanagara ruins cover the larger Hampi ruins and the heritage is a section of the heritage. The studying of the Hampi village was done in three broad zones. There have been sixty ruined temples in addition to the scared center located in the royal center and urban core. The public utility infrastructure is also done at the urban core. They mainly include aqueducts, roads, water tanks, gateways, mandapa, monasteries, and markets. The monuments in the area are done in a Hindu. The themes and Hindu deities have artwork and reliefs done in Hindu. The village has six Jain monuments and temples. There is too a tomb and a Muslim mosque. The abundant local stone was used in building the architecture. The Dravidian style was the dominating technique used in carrying out the architectural works in the area. The Indo-Islamic style has also been seen in a few monuments in the area (Meskell, Global Heritage: A Reader, 2015).
The Hampi village is the capital of Vijayanagara Empire. The area is highly significant archeologically. The area serves as a famous tourist site. Individuals visit the area citing the beautiful sceneries that one will encounter in the area. The temples with ancient Vijayanagara empire history are located in the area. They are engraved in the walls. The mountains have exciting sunset and sunrise views in addition to palace ruins. In front of the Vittal temple site, there is the Stone Chariot which, is huge, famous and highly magnificent. Apart from the mentioned, one other must-visit place for any tourist getting to the site is the Lord Ganesha, approximately 14 feet high statue. The statue is referred to as the Kadalekalu Ganesha. Adventures are realized more as one goes around the village. The preserved features are a source of lots of knowledge. A perfect combination of the backpacker’s paradise is found at the Hampi village. Three hills Malyavanta, Anjaneya and Matanga hills are located in the area including a calm pilgrim location (Michael Falser, 2013)..
Discoveries and Research at the Site
The late 1990s saw the increase of the young international tourists visiting the Hampi village. The tourists were primarily tired of the Goa’s crowded tourist destination. As a result, there was an increase in the number of hostels at the village. There were also homestays that played a major role in the service of alcohol and cuisine, items that were deemed illegally at the area. The more traditional boundary between the guests and hosts was blurred by the kind of tourism. The new tourists did also develop an interest in staying among the locals rather than hostels. They resided in the makeshift tourist accommodation. Cross-cultural exchange opportunities were fostered in the process. However, the main arising disadvantage was the gradual rising friction between the locals and the tourists. The friction interfered with the gradually establishing tourism in the region. Apart from that, resources were also being strained in the process as the Indian tourists also traveled to the region in droves during the tourist season. However, the government is currently coming up with measures to teach the residents on the lifestyle to be embraced as a way of ensuring that the village is excellently guarded (FRITZ & MICHELL, 2012).
The village is home to diverse archeological sites. The sites are attractive to travelers and tourists passing by the location. There has been the flourishing of cultures in the region citing the endless conquest at the region between the diverse empires and kingdoms. The result has been the growth of architectural and technological cultures. One archeological site in the area is the Kumbhalgarh Fort which is the largest hilltop forts in the world. It served as a home to Sisodia Rajputs till the moving of the capital of Mewar moved to Udaipur that seemed strategic. Apart from that, there is too the Jaislmer Fort, Rajastan. The fort was built in the 12th century AD by Rawal Jaisal currently ruling Bhati Rajput in that error of living (Bloch, 2016).
Conclusion
The Maurya Empire harbored the Hampi village. Discovery of inscriptions has played a major role in establishing the sites contained in the area. Education and religious activities were the primary activities in the village especially during the rule of Hindu Kings. Apart from that, the area was also a local royal residence. Colin Mackenzie is recognized as the man who led to the discovery of the village. The village is associated with granite boulders. Proper studies of the village called for it to be done in sections. The Vijayanagara Empire had its capital in Hampi. The area has attracted massive tourist visits to the area that have turned to be enemies to the existence of the site. Excellent strategies have to be set to ensure that the ancient features of the village are preserved excellently (Jackson, 2016).
References
Billé, F. (2012). Frontier Encounters: Knowledge and Practice at the Russian, Chinese and Mongolian Border. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers.
Bloch, N. (2016). Evicting heritage: spatial cleansing and cultural legacy at the Hampi UNESCO site in India. Critical Asian Studies, 48(4), 556–578. https://doi- org.ezproxy.kpu.ca:2443/10.1080/14672715.2016.1224129
Chanda, B. (2018). Heritage Preservation: A Computational Approach. New York: Springer.
Framarin, C. G. (2014). Hinduism and Environmental Ethics: Law, Literature, and Philosophy. London: Routledge.
FRITZ, J. M., & MICHELL, G. (2012). Living Heritage at Risk. Archaeology, 65(6), 55–60
Jackson, W. J. (2016). Vijayanagara Voices: Exploring South Indian History and Hindu Literature. London : Routledge.
Meskell, L. (2015). Global Heritage: A Reader. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Michael Falser, M. J. (2013). ‘Archaeologizing’ Heritage?: Transcultural Entanglements between Local Social Practices and Global Virtual Realities. New York: Springer Science & Business Media.
Razaq Raj, K. A. (2015). Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Management, 2nd Edition: An International Perspective. Nairobi: CABI.
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