Circuits around Hampi....T B Dam

It is virtually almost impossible to cover Hampi and surroundings unless one plans for a four day trip considering the logistics of  travelling, trekking, ascending, studying the architecture, shooting pictures.  If one is running short of  time or holidays, it is better to cover the same in phases.  So we decided to explore Hampi for the third time this time around focussing on the unseen monuments during the last trip.

Before one reaches Hampi from Hospet the first monument enroute is the Anantsayana Temple which is located among local residence without proper vehicle access inside, but from the main road it is just 100 meters on the right one can park their car and walk it up leisurely.  It is just around 7 kms  midway from Hampi approximately.  Last time around we had a glimpse of  this monument in 2008 enroute and had kept a track of it to be covered on Ganesh Chaturthi day.

If one is arriving to Hampi in the evening after a long drive from Bangalore, it is better to cover Chitradurga Fort enroute, and reach Hampi by the evening.  Before one reaches Hampi we get to see the T.B Dam if one has booked their accomodation in advance, it is better to cover the TB Dam, to avoid missing the same because of tight schedule.  The TB dam and gardens are located on detour from the highway enroute to Hospet, which 5 km away from the base town.

TB Dam was dedicated to the nation by Smt. Indira Gandhi on 9th January 1967. The two river streams which emanates from the Malnad region as Tunga and Bhadra ends as huge reservoir, which is utilised to generate power. Tungabhadra river was also known as Pampa during Vijaynagar times.  The 33 sluice or spill gates are opened symbolically on August 15th to celebrate the independence day.  Apart from it the water released depends on the storage levels and power generation capacity in the dam.  The storage capacity of 135 tfm is ensured by the dam.

We were worried that the memory card in our camera was corrupt and it was not reading the image, i just enquired in the hotel where we had a short break and went to R.K.Studio and bought 4 GB original memory card for Rs 950, which carries a warranty for 5 years.  But the other one which was 2 GB original too had the same warranty but refused to be compatible, maybe i have to approach for exchange. We reached TB dam and parked our car at the entrance of the Dam.  We had to trekk literally 2 kms on the uphill to reach the dam site.  Photography is prohibited on the dam, one can see its majestic contours which is manned by security personnel to prevent public from jaywalking on the pathway of the dam wall.

A small garden is located on the banks of the river cum reservoir with a pathway which is barricaded to protect the public from falling over into the huge reservoir.  One gets to imagine the amount of water stored in the TB dam.  Its purity even though questionable due to industrial pollution at Bhadravathi, does seemingly looks reasonably potable.  I was wondering but for the creation of this dam how would the monuments of Hampi survived in case of flooding.

Apart from the power house, reservoir and garden located on the tarmac of the TB dam, a bharatmata symbol is boldly created on the hillock facing the dam.  There is small exhibition centre dedicated.  One gets to spend almost 30 to 45 minutes depending on the time available.  Every day musical fountain show begins at 7.15 pm at the gardens.  It is a lovely presentation with a beautiful sound system, when compared to Brindavan garden surprisingly.

TB dam has an aquarium, deer park, and musical fountain as tourist attraction.  There is no separate entrance fee for any of the additional facilities offered to tourist apart from the entry fee collected Rs 5 per head.  It is better to visit this spot before sunset otherwise one will miss the landscaping of the garden.  During our visit due to rains the gardens were looking lush green, and well maintained.  Most of the package tours TB dam visit is the final destination which may be timed for the musical fountain rather than visiting the garden.  Well in case they drop the visitors at 5 pm it is ideal for visiting the garden as well as the dam.

Resurrection of the Forgotton Empire

When Robert Sewell published his treatise A Forgotton Empire in 1900, little did he realise that Hampi would  be considered as a world Heritage site in 1986 ( first reprint of his edition was published ).  The revival of the heritage destination has been slow and calibrated under Hampi Heritage area management authority act 2002 ( 16/4/2003 ).  The biggest boost for the conservation efforts came from the Supreme court banning mining in this area.  We notice the rejuvenation of the terrain and return of greenary around the hillocks at Hospet.   I hope the ban on mines continue to maintain the ecology in the region and exports are banned and whatever mines are operated only for domestic consumption by NMDC only.  Who knows that we may end up discovering another diamond mine in future ?

On december 11th 2010 around 26 battery operated vehicles have been introduced to visit Vijaya Vittala temple.  The unique feature of this facility is that young girls are trained to drive the battery operated vehicle ferrying 14 persons at a cost of  Rs 20 per pax for a return journey of 4 Kms.  We were pleasantly surprised by this move, aimed at empowering women obviously.  The reasoning given to general public that this world heritage should be protected from vehicular pollution, vibration and over crowding.  Maybe a co-ordination is required to generate huge employment for the populace without crass commercialisation.  India has never so far benefited from employment generation facility through tourism.  This would be ideal pitch for the authorities concerned to extend touring of circuits vide battery operated vehicles.

Why i debunk the theory of  vehicular movements causing danger to the heritage monuments obviously with  safe distance maintained,  is primarily because the destruction unleashed by nature is much greater.  The natural earth movement, heavy rainfall, ageing of granites and intense sunshine causes its own destruction to the monuments.  The unregulated crowd management would be an issue in future, if it is not taken into consideration by the concerned.

The fury of the tungabhadra river harnessed by the construction of  TB dam at hospet to an extent has helped in preservation of the Hampi monuments by default.  This dam was inaugurated by Smt Indira Gandhi on 9th January 1967.

Another big step the government had initiated demolition drive of  shopping centres, guest houses, residence and eateries around Virupaksha temple. The construction of a new cable bridge across the Tungabhadra river was halted by the intervention of  UNESCO, who had conferred the world heritage status to Hampi.   The work started by Veerapa Moily govt in 1997 was almost completed when Junko Tanaguchi visited Hampi in 1999 and strongly recommended for removal of world heritage tag if the bridge is completed. Ironically the bridge collapsed on Jan 22nd 2009, wherein 8 workers lost their life.   It would have marred the beauty of  heritage site permanently.  Instead a strong navigation on Tungabhadra river through ferries and launches would be ideal means of transportation from Anegudi to Hampi.  It would boost further employment.

Yet another big move contemplated by the hampi heritage authority is to undertake sound and light show, it would mean that the general public would be able to visit Hampi heritage structures during night too during summer vacations, otherwise the temperature is unbearable to visit during day time.  We enquired with the organiser staff, who happens to be related kannada film actress Jayanti.  They mentioned that work will be completed before Jan 2012.

A slow and steady reconstruction of the fortress is the biggest feature of revamp of  Hampi, even though the entire 40 square Kms of the empire which lay in ruins after the battle of  Talikota in 1565.  This  place would have been converted to Islamic domain but for the strong resistance by the local populace.  The invaders migrated with wealth beyond imagination leaving behind destruction.  Some of the photographs are displayed in the Kamalapur musuem prior to salvage operations speaks volume on reconstruction effort too.

The key to complete transformation of  Hampi into a world class tourist destination would be ensuring a world class road network, which is complete upto Chitradurga on NH 4, but NH 13 is in a shoddy state of affairs with railway crossings being a death trap virtually.  A comprehensive network of  ferrying tourist on share taxi system would further boost employment.  The KSTDC conducts local site seeing from Hospet @ Rs 250 per pax which is discontined due to lack of tourists most of the times.  It virtually kills tourist interest, instead KSTDC can organise pool of  taxis at Rs 300 per pax on share taxi.  It would boost tourism employment opportunity and infrastructure at Hospet.

Overall i am sure with opening up of  Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal along with Bijapur circuits would add value to the tourist hub of  Hampi.   It would be ideal if the hampi authority would be able to recreate the ancient times with Palace of  Krishnadevaraya resurrected, with water channels rejuvenated and diamond market revived with cutting and polishing centres and ethnic showrooms selling jewellery.  The lingering taste of  food savoured from the basin of  Tungabhadra and photo shoot opportunity of  ancient diamond trading centre will always be luring me to visit Hampi.  Each time i end discovering something refreshing about this heritage site.

Iconic Charminar Charms Tourists

On a guided tour we were driven past Charminar, lieu of parking restrictions near the monument.  We had to postpone our visit to the next day.  Luckily the visit to the edifice opens up at 9 am, we had to stand in the queue to buy the entry ticket of  Rs 5 each.  Once we were inside the premise, we had to undergo the security check at the gate, and bags are not allowed while climbing up.  Luckily my wife was wearing a black churidar with the black hand bag, the security allowed us to go through.  We had to climb 50 steps before we reached the first floor, which is equavalent to three floors in normal building.  Beyond this we are not allowed for preserving the safety of the monument i presume.  The next floor is supposed to have provision for Namaz for the Muslims.

History of Charminar :  When an epidemic plague struck the capital of the Sultanate, the king Mohammad Qutub shah prayed to Allah, Please bless the city with peace and prosperity, let millions of men of all caste and creeds, and religions make this their abode, like fish in water.  The foundation for Charminar was laid in 1591 and completed by 1595.

The edifice is built with four minaretes jutting out in four corners. A fable is floated that an underground tunnel exists to escape from Charminar to Golconda, but nobody is aware about its whereabouts.  Each minar 56 metre high with winding staircase to reach the top.  The minars are completed with a dome signifying Islamic architecture.  There are two balconies leading up to the top, which is restricted to public visit.

When lit up in the night the edifice glows as if it has a golden sheen. Halogen lighting fixed at various points  produces such an effect.  The central hall is beautifully embedded with floral designs.  There are inscriptions in Urdu praising the lord i presume.  A mosque is built on the ground floor level, with the central portion barricaded with a fountain like structure.

The archways of the edifice is built in synchronisation leading up to third gateway, in one direction.  The fluted shaped minars has totally 149 steps.  When one ascends the top balcony, he gets to see bustling city of  Hyderabad and Secunderabad, with Hussain Sagar lake, Zoo and Birla mandir, which are all prominent landmarks of the city.

On the left hand side there is Asaf Jung hospital with a domed structure and on the right we have the famous Mecca Masjid.  These two structures are visible from the Charminar balcony.  The Chowmahal Palace of the Nizams is a km away, but covered by buildings and shopping complexes.

The local administration has cleared up lot of space inorder to beautify the surroundings.  At least if they are able to clear one side of the road filled with shops, the monument would look glorious.  But the resistance to shift to alternative locations or take compensation is hindering the progress.  Recently one of the minarets after 420 years was repaired through expert guidance of ASI engineers.  Check out the chaotic traffic in front of  Charminar.

The Iconic Charminar is compared to Taj Mahal in terms of  being a symbol representing the city.  It would augur well if a committee is formed to spruce up the place to bring back the past glory.  The solution lies in clearing at least one km of space on one side and relocating the shops.

   Ack : Photo from Hyderbad tourist site, courtsey wiki.

Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad

One of the finest zoological park was established in 1959, and thrown open to the public in 1963.  It extends to over 380 acres housing Carnivores, Herbivores, Primates, Reptiles, Birds, Nocturnal and Rodents.  The zoo is closed on Mondays.  


Timings of the zoo :  8am to 5 pm

• Entry Fee               Adult      Rs20         Child      Rs10
• Train Ride             Adult       Rs15         Child      Rs  5
• Cycle Ride            Adult        Rs20                       Per hour
• Vehicle Ride         Adult        Rs100                     Per hour
• Safari Ride           Adult        Rs 25        Child       Rs10
• Elephant Ride      Adult        Rs 15         Child      Rs   5
• Camera still                           Rs 20
• Video Camera                       Rs100
• Water bottle deposit             Rs 10
• Acquarium                             Rs   2
• Car entry with driver            Rs 500

We were lucky to visit the zoo on a Tuesday without checking out the holiday.  One of the novel feature of the zoo entry is that one has to deposit Rs 10/- towards carrying plastic bottle inside the park.  It is to ensure that you bring back the plastic bottle instead of throwing it in the park and collect back the deposit, which can be followed by other national parks.  The tariffs levied too is reasonable and affordable unlike Banerghatta National park.

Many animals and reptiles are adopted by the patrons and wild life enthusiasts.  The best season to visit the zoo is during winter, which might not be good for photography.  The ideal season is midway during the monsoon season.  The photographs turn out rich and glossy due to the lush green background.  It was raining slightly when we visited.  The photographs and videos will reveal this observation.

We skipped the train ride, safari and boating, to save time since we had to get back for a buffet lunch offered by our hotel.  We avoided the safari since there was 3 bus loads of school children, who would have consumed nearly 2 hours @ 30 minutes each and half an hour lunch break.  Animal sightings on safari is not guaranteed is another reason why we skipped the safari.

Every tourist is recommended to visit Nehru zoological park, it is advisable to visit Charminar and zoological park in one day, since guided tours will not provide you sufficient time to cover these destinations.

Details of  Nehru zoological park Official Website of the Zoo

Golkonda Fortress

Golla Konda in telugu literally means Shepherds hillock, Golkonda hillock was used by farmers in ancient times to graze their sheeps and cows.  This place was selected by Ganpathi Deva in lieu of its elevated platform(  1242 - 1262 ) as an ideal place to erect a mud fortress to station a garrison.  During the two decades reign of the kakatiya king, Ganpathi Deva, Golkonda fort played a strategic part in keeping the enemies at bay.

After the fall of  Kakatiya empire the vijaynagar feudatories took over the Golkonda Fortress in lieu of its strategic importance.  The Fortress was secured with granite structures to station their army.  After the fall of  Vijaynagar Empire in 1565 due to confederation of  Bahamani sultans army, Ibrahim Qutub shah ( 1550 - 1580 ) took over the fortress and beautified it with Islamic architecture.  The wealth plundered from the victory was used to consolidate and expand the Fortress with a palace and gardens.  Thus Golkonda fortress became the capital of the  Golkonda Sultanate.  After ruling for nearly two centuries, the Mughal emperor conquered Golkonda fortress after a prolonged warfare in 1687 and stripped all of its grandeur and opulence.  The wealth of sultanate was surrendered to Aurangazeb( 1658 - 1717 )

Abdul Qutub Shah who was also know as Tana Shah ( 1672 - 1687 ) had to surrender Nur Ul Ain Diamond,  Hope Diamond, Wittelsbach Diamond and Regent Diamond , along with in numerous artefacts made of gold, pearls and sandlewood which catapulted Aurangazeb as the richest monarch in the world.  Further he extracted a huge revenue per annum, which according to estimates amounted to 5 Crores from Golkonda region.  The wealth obtained from these conquests went into building many a edifices in his empire including Bibi ka Maqbara.

Golkonda fortress and city  is spread over an area of  10 sq kms, with the defense occupying most part of it currently and Qutub shah tombs is part of the complex which is located near Golkonda.  Golkonda fortress has been built over a period 3 decades.  The fort by itself is 5 kms in circumference, the outer walls extends to 7 kms.  Golkonda fort remained capital of the sultanate till 1590, later their capital was moved to Hyderabad with the construction of  Charminar, in all probability because the shift was mandated by plague which struck the capital making it risky to survive for the royalty.  A Kali & Haunuman temple was established in the Golkonda premises to ward of the evils of the plague.  The Sultan Mohammad Qutub Shah prayed to Allah for retribution and promised to build an edifice in commemoration.

Golkonda Fortress :  The fortress is secured by 10 km long granite outer wall boundary.  It has 87 bastions some of which are mounted with cannons.  There are 4 draw bridges over the circular moat.  The fort has 8 gateways designed for smooth movement getaway for the royalty and army.  The lowest Enclosure is known as Fateh Dawaja ( victory gateway ) named after Aurangazebs triumph in 1687.  In this enclosure one can experience the acoustic effect of the fort.  A hand clap below the dome can be heard at the highest point 1 km away on the pavilion known as Bala Hisar.  It was meant to signal warning or entry of a guest depending on the intensity of the beat of the drum or bugle.

The main enterance of  the fort is located on the eastern side as per vastu.  The doorways are decorated with Peacock and Lion symbols signifying a blend of  hindu and islamic architecture.  Toli Masjid is situated 2 km away built in 1671 by Mir Musa Khan.  The fort was designed with ingenious water supply system, through wells and channels.

Golkonda fort is well landscaped with a garden, and maintain with plenty of greenary by the ASI.  The Nagina Bagh is the main garden designed by the sultans.  Fort houses the Durbar Hall, wherein public audience and guests to the kingdom were received by the sultans.  A mosque was built in honour of Ibrahim.  The palace is located in the middle of the fort, where the sultans used to reside,

The fort also contains garrison for the generals to reside, along with stables for the horses and elephants. There is an armoury enclosure known as Silah Khana, along with an office.  There is another mosque in the name of  Taramati  along with kali and hanuman temples.  On the immediate left hand side of the enterance ASI office is located in an enclosure which is off limits for the public.

It is ideal to visit the fortress in the evening at around 3 pm to have a complete trip of the fortress and watch the sound and light show which is shown at 7 pm and 8 pm respectively.  During winter the timings are advance by 30 minutes. The sound and light show is narrated in the baritone voice of  Amitabh Bachhan.  There are APSRTC buses commuting to Mehendipatnam, which is bus terminus to the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secundrabad.  It is located just 11 kms from Hyderabad city.

Overall a visit to Golkonda fort is an interesting experience, which calls for stamina to ascend and descend the fortress.  One gets to see the grandeur of the Hindu Islamic architecture and has a peek into the history of  Kakatiyas, Vijaynagar, Sultans and Moghuls.