Getting Stoned - Hampi. KTK

Time to time, you will find yourself gently ushering in to a space that belongs to you, or in which you belong. For years sometimes, you may hunt, curse and/or map each detail minutely to figure out where exactly your abode is located. And just like that, it comes face to face, without an expectation, without a word, you just know – this is it.

Vithala Temple

The naturally formed and deliberately ruined rocks at Hampi, may have a story of themself to share but right then when a buzzer in your mind reads Match Found the stories are exchanged. Hampi gives you the feeling of encountering the known and unknown in the same moment.

Lotus Mahal

Men and women from various origins and beliefs flock to Hampi, fighting many internal and external battles. Many have arrived to experience dealing with their cerebral or emotional conflicts, some want to see what’s the fuss about the City of Ruins, the City where Time Stands Still and some come in search of company without prejudice.

Hazararama temple

Laxmi Narsimha Temple

Talking to the flow of Tungabhadra river, or whispering to the rising sun at the Anjanedri Hill at the still-functional Hanumana temple and settling down with the setting sun by the abandoned Rama Mandir at the Mathanga Hill overlooking the city that was, fills not only my day but life with contentment, Both hills (temples) opposite each other appearing like a pact between Lord Rama and his loyal disciple.

While Hampi offers a lot of points to see and experience for tourists as well as travelers, it almost doesn’t matter where you are or what you see. As I hopped from one stone hill to another, one God to another, one mural to another, I experienced peaceful transitions through voices, visuals and valor.

In almost no time I had shed my inhibition, within no time I walked past stone grids like I always belonged there, within no time I was soaking in sun, that for centuries had rested on the rocks, within no time it was time to leave but only after understanding that no matter how short or long a time you visit Hampi for, time tells stories about it self. The wheel of time, the circle of life is indeed stuck in Hampi and so is my mind. It may appear on the list of World Heritage Sites and it may have shed layers after layers over centuries, it may be popular amongst hippies and it may be a source of income for the local villages there, the City of Ruins is abode for the ruined themselves – A City for ruins.

The Lone Warrior - Srirangapatna. KTK

Srirangapatna (also spelled Shrirangapattana; anglicized to Seringapatam during the British Raj) is a town in Mandya district of the Indian state of Karnataka. Located near the city of Mysore, it is of great religious, cultural and historic importance.

Ranganathaswamy (Lying Vishnu) - The town derives its name from here

The town of Srirangapatna was too far for me even after I moved to Bangalore in 2005. There were chidhood stories I recall and then there was the ever dependent DD telecast who ran the series on Tipu Sultan. At that time I had never ever thought I would come to form such a strong connection with him. So much that we shared our birthdays didn't even occur to me.

Snaana Ghat

From 2005 - 2012 I might have visited Srirangapatna as many times as a schoolchild might visit his nearby museum. Each visit my heart would open but I couldn't hear much. This time though I wasn't sure if it were my camera lens or the quest to match the writer's story that opened my eyes as well. I was seeing Srirangapatna as if it were the era of 1800s. The era of Tipu Sultan. There were conversations that were pro and anti Tipu but in my mind there was no doubt that I could hear, see, smell and touch Tipu's presence from Ganjam to Sangam and Ghosai ghat to Jamia Masjid, from Ranganathaswamy to Thomas Inman's dungeon.

Col Bailey's Dungeon

Very usually the crowd would swift you away from one corner to another almost like a pack of birds. You would have the will but the chaos just wouldn't let you sense unless it means so much to you. And I am glad it did.

The Gol Gumbaz, Tipu, Hyder & Fakhr-un-isa's graves

Dariya Daulat Bagh captures various
battles and the court proceedings 

This story with National Geographic Traveler's has been the toughest so far because the story and the space meant so much to the writer, I had to almost get into those shoes. If I would actually sit at any of those bastions or the river banks or watch the Minarets of Masjid or look down the long alley that leads to Ranganathaswamy or merely enter the Watergate, I can feel the strength and courage of Tipu. How he single handedly stood between British and India. How he resembles today's Sid or a Rockstar or a Karan Shergill. How he despite all odds represented solidarity, hope and beauty all at the same time. How easily he left the mask of an artist and took over the mask of being a warrior - The Lone Warrior.

The Water Gate that was allowed to breached which led 

to Tipu's downfall

There is much to see and absorb in his territory, you will need to hear him, feel him and he'll guide you. Not only past his life but in yours as well.