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Exploring the Ruins Part II: Risk vs. Reward

After returning from my excursion into the wilderness and back to the Royal Center Ruins, I make my way into the Hazararama Temple reserved exclusively for the former nobility.  The structure is beautifully preserved.  Intricate carvings detail all of the columns and facades.  The former glory of this dead civilization further impresses itself on me every minute, but this section is overrun by tourists and schoolchildren.   The overabundance of people is wearing away the passive clarity that I achieved in the solitude on top of the boulder hill, so I climb back on the motorcycle and head for a more remote temple to explore.   

see all of my photos from the Hazararama Temple

Luckily, the nearby Prasanna Virupaksha Temple is virtually deserted.  These ruins are far enough from the parking lot to allow a bit of adventuring.  Nicknamed The Underground Temple, the buildings sit in a small dip in the landscape with their roofs below the surrounding ground level.  From the main entrance I can see a pool of water accumulating in the depression of the temple floor and further limiting the masses from entering the sanctuary held within.

see all my photos from the Prasanna Virupaksha Temple

I make my way around the rear and find a way onto the roof where a small hole leads down into the blackness of a rear chamber.  I cautiously lower myself down the gap and inch my way through the darkness until I reach the flooded main chamber.  Stagnant water still covers the floor, a dim light filtering in through cracks in the ceiling barely reflects off its surface.  After a few minutes soaking up the dank atmosphere of this hidden scene, my eyes adjust to the light and I notice a few bats stealthily navigating the columns searching for mosquito meals.  Alas, there is no secret treasure in this clandestine chamber, so I turn around and slowly avoid the booby traps on the way back to the hole where I pull my self back into the world of daylight.

see all of my photos from the Queen’s Bath

 

Back on the road, feeling the wind rustle my hair as I speed through the ruins and out into the untamed landscape.  Between the exhilarating rides through extremely scenic road and exploring desolate carcass of this former empire, I am relishing in the decision to rent a bike here.  I take advantage of the freedom to stop at a few photogenic, but otherwise un-noteworthy sites before I finish the journey towards my daily objective;the Vitthala Temple.  

see all of my misc photos from the Royal Center

After winding through another patch of jungle, the road finally emerges and straightens out.  Each side is flanked by long rows of columns from exterior corridors that once spanned the approach to the temple.  I leave the bike near the entrance and enter the most impressive architecture I’ve seen all day.  Hordes of foreign and Indian visitors tour through the ornate gopurams, grand halls and pavilions of carved columns.  It is easy enough to pay the crowds little attention because the sheer scale of the temple and its impressive architecture completely consumes my interest.  I trail a solitary monkey as it leisurely makes its way through the complex structures and it leads me to a small nook in which to pass the next couple hours reading before sunset.

 

see all of my photos from the Vitthala Temple

 

After the last hues of the suns descent fade from the sky, I am back on the bike and following a shortcut back to Hampi Bazaar.  With the light growing dimmer, I am anxious to get back to the lit roads of civilization.  Riding through unfamiliar territory in the dark is bad enough, but even more dangerous when I can’t wear sunglasses to stop the onslaught of bugs meeting their doom across my face.  

To my dismay, the road turns into a foot path and begins to climb over large boulders.  While it may be possible to accomplish this route in the daylight, the motorcycle’s dynamo-powered motorcycle headlight and lack of a helmet make my decision to turn around and take the long road back.  While some risks will equal great reward, stupidity can simply equal accidental suicide.

After a half hour of riding along the pitch black roads, I make out the lights of Hampi Bazaar in the distance.  Pulling into the village at night, I realize how charismatic this city can be.  Devoid of all the daytime crowds and touts, I get a proper glimpse of the market lined streets and quaint back-alleys from a new perspective to find new appreciation for the quaint charms of this bustling backpacker destination. .
 

 



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One response to “Exploring the Ruins Part II: Risk vs. Reward”

  1. Dave says:

    Great photos. Great writing. Nice one.

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