▼near Hampi and what has remained one of India’s
greatest least-known destinations looks set to
feature in upmarket cultural tours. It also makes
for a fine weekend break from Bengaluru. The
trade-off for the five- to six-hour drive (much of
it on a decent dual carriageway) is not merely a
captivating historical destination. Opened last year,
the Evolve Back Hampi hotel offers stylish, bling-free
luxury, top-notch cuisine and impeccable service.
I began my visit with Navendra, a local
Evolve Back guide. As a lad, he scampered
among Hampi’s abandoned temples, barracks
and extensive fortifications largely unaware of
their significance. Getting our bearings atop
Hemakuta Hill, amidst simple shrines and
open pavilions, we looked down at the soaring
gopuram, or gateway, of the Virupaksha Temple,
while a group of pilgrims strolled towards it
between huge, weirdly balanced granite boulders.
It was fronted by a virtually empty dusty street
lined with ancient stone colonnades – a
former bazaar, the length and width of which
reflected the capital’s size and status.
“Until maybe three or four years back, these had
many small shops, drinks, foodstuffs, souvenirs – but
now government has cleared them,” Navendra said.
“They want to improve the site, make it cleaner
and tidier.” Apparently, it was only in the 1970s,
when tourism developed, that villagers really began
encroaching on these remains as authorities turned
a blind eye.
The locals’ straightforward mercantile instinct
echoes that of Vijayanagar’s cosmopolitan merchants
and traders. The empire traded with China and
its products were exported to Burma and the
Middle East. Several medieval travellers andEscape to... India I 63