Modern day Hampi was once the last capital of the last great Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar (14th-16th Century). Before being conquered by the Deccan Muslim confederacy in 1565 and then later abandoned, the city with its marvelous temples and palaces flourished under the cotton and the spice trade. Today, the 1600+ surviving structures make Hampi one of the most striking ruins in the world.
After about 300 selfies at the guesthouse’s gate, we headed toward the Tungabhadra river and boarded a pink ferry to be taken accross. I was climbing the steps above the riverbank, enjoying the soothing river breeze when my eyes bulged at the most entrancing and exotic sight: a snake charmer. Dressed in a white shirt and a white/blue lungi, the man sat cross-legged and nonchalantly played his pungi to his dancing snake. My heart jumped out when I saw him reaching over to pet the creepy creature. He kept trying to wave us closer but I didn’t bring enough pants to risk wetting a pair. As amazing as the experience was, I was relieved to know that the practice of snake charming has been declared unlawful - although it’s still active in many rural parts of India.
While we were lost in the feverish frenzy of the snake charmer, our fellow friends had hired four rickshaws for the day. With limited time, we only visited the most important monuments. Most require entrance fees, which are significantly higher (about 25 times) for foreigners than Indian citizens or visitors of SAARC and BIMSTEC. I can see the reason for such differences in price but I could not help but feeling wary. Even so, the breathtaking and well-maintained structures quickly reconciled my uneasiness. I regretted that we did not get to see everything; to absorbed these spectacles properly would take at least a week.
We returned to the riverbank just in time to catch the last ferry at around 6:00 p.m. If we had missed it, we would cross in a coracle (a gigantic floating basket) instead, which would have been quite an adventure. Leaving behind the pink and orange sky at dusk, we once again crossed the empty burnt fields, unknowing of a few interesting events to come that evening.
