Timeless era- The New Indian Express
Express News Service
It has rained the night before. The smell of wet earth rises above the ground, mingling with the light breeze. The village is a splash of colour, painted walls of houses and tiny shops with garish boards in front advertising their wares. Animals and humans mingle with abandon. Away from the signs of inhabitation, it’s a long stretch of lush paddy fields, coconut trees, and an unchanging background of boulders. There are a few mantapas too, broken in places but still standing strong.
This is Anegundi, once the capital of the Vijaynagara Empire and often called its cradle. Anegundi translates to elephant pit in Kannada, because it was where the elephants of the Empire were bathed. The village often loses out in popularity to its neighbour, Hampi. A pity, because Anegundi is older; its history goes back 3,000 years. Anegundi is surrounded by hills on three sides, and the river Tungabadhra on one side. To get a glimpse of its past, I’ve to travel across a relatively new construction—the 14-pillar, Rs32-crore Hampi-Anegundi Bridge. It’s a smooth ride though without the charm associated with a coracle ride.
The first thing that arrests my attention is the idol of a man decked in gold. A closer look reveals the likeness to actor Rajkumar. It’s supposed to be Krishnadevaraya but it is modeled on the actor who played the king in a movie. Behind him is the main gate of the city, Modalane Bagilu (First Gate). On entering the gate, my first stop is Gagan Mahal or Old Palace, which was built in the 16th century. It was where the royal family once lived and today serves as an administrative building.
I wander outside, admiring the Indo-Islamic architecture and its similarity to the Lotus Mahal in Hampi. Nearby is a banana fibre workshop run by the Kishkinda Trust. They teach women in the village to use the bark of the banana plant to make rope, which is then woven into runners, carpets, mats, bags, tablecloths and even coasters. It’s interesting to watch the women at work, their hands moving as if of their own accord while they chat quietly among themselves.
Everything I discover in Anegundi is deserving of attention but doesn’t outright seek it. Keeping watch on my movements in the village is the Anjaneya or Anjanadri Hill. If Anegundi is believed to be the monkey kingdom of Kishkindha, then Anjanadri is believed to be the birth place of Hanuman. The hill is accessible by steps and is home to a temple. It’s a good location to view the ruins in Hampi. Another guardian on high is the Anegundi fort, which now serves as design inspiration to luxury hotels such as Evolve Back nearby.
The Bukka aqueduct is another architectural marvel, a bridge-like aqueduct standing over a nearly dry stream. The granite structure, which consists of slabs of stone piled high, speaks of the irrigation system of the Vijayanagara rulers, which kept the lands fertile and supplied water to the palaces. The Sanapur Lake is a more recent water attraction, created by an irrigation reservoir. It has sweeping views of banana and rice plantations on one side, and boulder-strewn hills on the other.
A few kilometres away from Anegundi is the pre-historic site of Onake Kindi. The naturally secluded area—there’s a ring of boulders enclosing an expanse of shrubbery and trees—is home to rock paintings dating back to the Iron Age. The white and pink paintings showcase the life of those times—a funeral procession, sun and stars, animals, dances and hunting scenes. People in the olden days wanted to share their lives with us, through their art. Anegundi is where these stories come to life.
Discover Neolithic history is represented in this region by Mourya Mane, a several-thousand-year-old Stone Age Colony. Several Neolithic dwellings still bear paintings.
