TIME TRAVEL
Bike India embarked on a road trip from Pune to Hampi in search of history, tradition, and remnants of a distant past. Here’s an account of all the wonders we witnessed and everything besides
TIME-TRAVEL IS ONE OF those fantastical, comic-book realities that we humans seem to desperately yearn for in our hearts, but rationalise as impossible when we try to go about achieving it. How great would it be to make, like Marty McFly, a flux-capacitor powered time machine and shatter the space-time continuum. Pretty great, I think, and the thing is, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility. Don’t worry, we haven’t suddenly decided to go from Bike India to Time Machine India, and I’m not claiming to have invented a time machine either (I’m not *that* kooky), all I’m trying to say is that until such a time that you can turn on the time circuits inside a DeLorean and blast your way across the time-stream, time travel is still possible. How, you cry? It’s simple. Put on your gear, get on your bike, and start exploring places that are steeped in history.
This is exactly what I did recently. I put on my riding gear, donned my helmet, secured my luggage, and climbed on to the Benelli TnT 25. The plan was to ride the 600-odd kilometres from Pune to Hampi and see all the monuments and historic sites built in ancient times that are found there. To get there I headed out of Pune via the Solapur highway and then into Karnataka and Hampi. The roads are great till just past Solapur, then sketchy for about 75 kilometres until Vijayapura, and then great again all the way to Hospet, where you need to stay if you want to visit Hampi. The TnT 25 takes to the highway like a duck to water. It is quick, agile and can comfortably cruise along at three-digit speeds. This meant rapid progression along the highways and soon enough I was at Hospet. Not before I veered off the road and put the TnT 25’s capabilities in mud to the test while checking out one of the many stone mines that line the highways in Karnataka.
Hospet is 12 km away from Hampi, and is where all the hotels and restaurants are, so I stopped there for the night to ensure that I was well rested for all the exploration the following day promised in this legendary UNESCO World Heritage site. While looking around for a good place to grub, I stumbled upon a fair too, whose glimmering lights offered the potential for a spectacular photo-op, an opportunity that wasn’t ignored.
There are more than 500 monuments in the region, and the following morning, I set off to see if could catch ‘em all. Now comes the time-travelling bit, because there is evidence that suggests that ancient civilisations dwelt in Hampi as far back as the third century BCE. The relics, monuments and temples date back hundreds of years, and the architecture is truly mesmerising. It would be impossible to describe everything I saw there, so I’ll stick to the highlights.
The first place that left a distinct impression in my mind was the Sri Krishna Temple and its surrounding ruins. The first place we visited, it gave us a taste of what was to come. Another memorable spot was the Malyavanta Raghunatha Temple. Perched atop the Malyavanta Hill, legend says that this temple was a resting place for Lord Rama and his brother, Lakshmana, during their epic march to Lanka. I’m not a religious person, but if someone who has never been to India asked me to describe what an ideal temple is, it would be this one. Old, intricate, with
mythical ties and offering up some splendid views all around; and the soft, lilting tones of a prayer chant wafting through the air — spellbinding.
It’s difficult to match up to a storybook experience like that, but the Virupaksha Temple somehow manages this, mostly through its sheer presence and history. It is one of India’s oldest temples to be functional to this date, having been established around the seventh century AD mark, although it wasn’t quite as monumental then — today the entrance to the temple is a tower that stands 160 feet tall. The carvings on the walls of the temple complex are mesmerising, and each one is a tapestry that narrates a different tale from India’s rich annals of mythology and is an absolute must-visit. There are also sundry little relics that surround this temple, and a simple trek up some stone blocks provides a breathtaking view of the region. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a ‘Peninsular rock agama’, an orange and black dragon lizard that looked amazing as it glistened in the sun. Sticking with the animal theme, we also spotted a few langoors perched on a bike, checking out their reflections in the mirror with the kind of intensity that a jeweller reserves for precious stones, which I found both adorable and amusing.
We also witnessed the magnificence of the Monolithic Bull (sadly, this one wasn’t real, though still an animal). Regarded as the guardian of Hampi since its creation in the 1500s, the Yeduru Basavanna is carved out of a single massive stone block and stands tall at the other end of the road that leads to the Virupaksha Temple.
After walking around the area and seeing everything that could be seen, I had worked up a pretty good appetite, so it was time to search for sustenance, and everyone I spoke to recommended the Mango Tree. With good reason too, because the food was delectable and the vibe was super-chill.
Food consumed, it was time to move on. Next, I went to the famous Vitalla Temple complex and checked out the musical pillars and stone chariot that I had read so much about. The latter, while beautiful to look at, was a little underwhelming, because from having seen the pictures I just expected it to be bigger than it really was.
Our last stop in Hampi was at the Lotus Temple complex, and this time the monument did live up to its images, because all those arches look amazing, as do a lot of the other antiquities present there. A lot more walking later, I had seen all I could in that day, and as daylight slipped away, it was time to head back out. Hubli was the rest stop I took for the night, before covering the last 400 kilometres back to Pune.
What an epic journey, and the TnT really acquitted itself well. Whether blasting along the highway or nimbly navigating through Hampi’s little lanes, it was the perfect companion throughout, and that 17-litre tank meant I was rarely interrupted in the enjoyment of the road trip by pesky fuel stops. All in all, the TnT 25 made for the perfect companion on this 1,200-km jaunt.
There are more than 500 monuments in the region, and I set off to see if could catch ‘em all