Ghost Towns of Karnataka

People keep asking me about my favorite place in India. For a country with thousands of years of turbulent history, vibrant culture, magnificent religious sites, and breath-taking natural beauty, there is no one answer.

Of the various World Heritage sites I visited during these two years, my favorite trip was to the sites in northern Karnataka--Badami, Patadakkal, Aihole, and my favorite of all, the city ruins of Vijayanagar, also known by the neighboring modern town, Hampi. Swollen rivers almost made sure we didn't reach our destination, but taking the back roads to find bridges that weren't washed out had the added benefit of seeing how village agriculture uses asphalt roads for much more than driving carts. (Pictures here.)

The temples constructed and carved at the first three sites were contemporary to other sites already described here, such as the temples of Mahabalipuram or the carved cave temples of Ajanta and Ellora. As with the other sites, I was overwhelmed not only by the skill and artistry of the temples and carvings, but also the sheer volume of shrines and temples. Most analyses believe these sites were used as institutes for teaching and practicing new kinds of temple artistry and architecture--such as free-standing temples, or enclosed circumambulation paths.

But unlike the others, Hampi was more than just temple carvings. The Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar existed in the 1500s, at a time when Muslim kingdoms dominated India's landscape. Due to its strategic location among the bouldered hills along the Tungabhadra River and good relations with its neighbors, the Vijayanagar kingdom focused its resources on the arts. When the city eventually fell, it scattered a population of half a million, dwarfing European cities at the time like London or Rome. Because the city was under attack multiple times over several months, it never recovered, and the wealth of granite-carved temples, market bazaars, temples, palaces, fortifications, and shrines were left to the jungle and the river.

And because Hampi is difficult to reach quickly--we used newly established airports not yet listed in guidebooks--we could climb and explore the ruins, sharing the sites with a handful of other tourists, oxen, and goats. It was like getting a private viewing of a shadow of a ghost town.