Hampi Part 11 - Zenana Enclosure and Elephant Stables

Places impact you for a variety of reasons. And the same place impacts different people in different ways. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual experiences, where every single person’s experience is unique. And personally, every spiritual experience is unique, the same person can have different deeply spiritual experiences at different places, at different times. This thought has emerged because of my own experiences over the years, but especially so this year, with different and unique experiences at various places I have visited recently. I began this year with a visit to Baroda (Vadodara) with friends. It was meant to be a relaxed trip, a touristy trip, with our sons. We enjoyed ourselves to the hilt, but the highlight of that trip was a visit to the Lakulisha temple at Pavagadh. It was the iconography of the temple that I connected with, and I spent a few hours simply lost in the details of the figures carved around the temple. There was an indefinable connect with

Hampi Part 11 - Zenana Enclosure and Elephant Stables

I have almost come to the end of my Hampi trip reports. Here are the last two enclosures we visited..

The Zenana Enclosure

The zenana enclosure is a large walled area, thought to be the royal women’s quarters, so named, because it was built in the Indo-Islamic style of architecture.

There are three watch towers in this enclosure, which are, interestingly, free standing, and not attached to the walls, suggesting that they were built at a later date.

On our left is a long structure, either the women’s guards’ quarters, or more probably, Rama Raya’s treasury. This is now a museum, with some interesting pieces, worth a look.

Nothing remains of the palace which once stood here, except its base. From the size of the base, it is evident that this would have been one of the largest in the city.

Next to it is a water pavilion – a palace like structure which once stood in the middle of a rectangular tank. Again nothing much remains except the base.

The only structure still standing tall amongst all these ruins is the Lotus Mahal. This two storied structure is a blend of Indian and Islamic architecture, with a huge amount of lime plaster and stucco ornamentation. The roof of this structure consists of nine pyramidal shikaras of varying sizes, the central one being the tallest. From the top, it would appear like a blooming lotus, giving the palace its name.

Arches supported by 24 square pillars carry the superstructure, and stucco works adorn each and every arch. It is believed that every wall and pillar was once adorned by such ornamentation, but no traces remain of these.

Inside, the structure is very plain. All the decoration seems to have been reserved for the outside. It is now prohibited to enter, and we can just get a glimpse of the interiors. Climbing to the first floor is impossible, with the door leading to the steps having been barricaded, so we had to content ourselves with the outside.

The entire enclosure has been the topic of much speculation regarding its use. While it was once thought that these were the palaces of Krishnadevarya’s two favourite queens, there has been no confirmation. It is also speculated that the two palaces were built of sandalwood, and were plundered by the invaders. Our guide also mentioned that bits of sandalwood were found among these ruins, but this is something which has not been mentioned anywhere, so I would rather take such speculations with a bit of salt! But most interesting was the idea that the Lotus palace was a kind of Hawa Mahal, and provided air conditioning by means of water channels built inside the walls. We were told that these systems were destroyed by the invaders. This did sound rather interesting, if true, and I hunted in vain through the museum and all the material I could find, but found no reference to anything like this. What I did find out was that according to the ASI, the lotus palace dates back to the reign of Rama Raya, which puts it at a later date than Krishnadevaraya, and thus, it couldn’t possibly have been destroyed by the invaders! So much for history and legend!

Elephant Stables

The long, immense structure with eleven chambers is certainly one of the most well known structures in Hampi. The size, as well as its design seemed to indicate that these were the elephant stables – not just any elephants, but the royal ones, taken out in procession during the Dasara festival.

Each of the eleven chambers have beautiful, arched entrances, which makes one wonder whom they were built for! Would the elephants have appreciated the beauty of the arches, the different types of domes, and the structure over the central one where the mahout could probably climb up for a change?

Another structure nearby has been considered as either the mahouts chambers or maybe guards quarters. Today, it is a mini-museum, displaying sculptures found in this enclosure.

A stone elephant outside attracted a lot of attention, most kids trying to climb up! It is at such instances that I wish we had more guards around to stop people clambering over everything they can, and can totally understand why so many areas are cordoned off for tourists!

Recently however, all these identifications have been proved wrong, and it is speculated that the so-called elephant stables may actually be Rama Raya’s secretariat and the other structure his audience hall!

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw

Review of Executive Lounges at New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS)

During my recent trip to Uttarakhand , I was faced with a problem I had never encountered before. We were passing through Delhi, but we had hardly any time in the city. On earlier visits when I have had to change trains/flights at Delhi, I have always arrived in the morning and left again at night, visiting relatives in between. This time, I was arriving in the city at night, and leaving again early in the morning. There was hardly any time to visit people. I would only have a couple of hours with them before I’d have to leave again. For the first time, we considered booking a hotel, but there again, we were hesitant about the actual hotels, the costs involved, and the logistics of getting from the airport to the railway station and then back again from the station to the airport. That’s when we remembered reading something about a corporate-managed lounge at Delhi station. We soon figured out that we could book online and pay by the hour. Besides, we also learnt that there wasn’t ju

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.

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