In 1001 AD, Muslim armies invaded India along the northwest borders, and by the 14th Century, Islamic people had firmly established themselves on the North of the continent. They continued pushing southward with fierce determination until they came upon a group of people who had united to stop their advance and resisted the invasion for 250 years.
Up to that point, the south of India had been ruled by ancient Hindu kingdoms whose origins is lost in time. The different warring states had lost their influence and were now on the run from the invading Muslim armies. It was a time of transition from the old to the new world in India. The belliguered Hindu houses joined in the lands near the Tungabhadra River, where in 1336 AD, they founded Vijayanagara- the City of Victory. Thus was born a new empire in the south of India.
The Vijayanagara empire grew to such an extent that in its time, it was larger than the Austrian empire. Opulent, rich, and magnificent, the kingdom heralded a new dawn in India's history. It flourished to great heights but eventually perished in 1565. Their influence was such that even Goa was dragged under the weight of its collapse. Yet so little is known about this ancient empire. Knowledge of what transpired in the intervening years is scant and based on the accounts of travelers, historians, Muslim writers, and Hindu state papers, all of which have their own kind of inaccuracies and biases. Of the once formidable kingdom, only their broken temples, palaces, and walls remained. Today, the site of this forgotten empire is "known only as the ruins lying near the little village of Hampi" (Nunes et al., 2002)
On the fourth of January, Bianca and I woke up early in Vasco, where we had stayed for the night so we could catch an early train to Hampi. We took a taxi to the station, and after grabbing some coffee and pastries, we boarded the train. They had made a mistake and put us in separate berths, but they were nice enough to let us stay together.
An early morning train from Goa to Hampi does marvels for your soul. If you don't reach enlightenment by the end of the journey, then you were probably traveling first class. Trains in India are well-loved and well-traveled; they keep you on your toes and on the edge of wonder. The adventure is as grand, romantic, and ass-numbing as it sounds. From the sensual hedonism of the Goan beaches to the heart of an ancient empire.
Disclaimer: An earlier version of this post was published a couple of years ago and reworked in the present publication
The train swayed and entered a sort of rhythm. I pulled out my notebook and pen from my satchel then journaled for a bit. It was wonderful to just sit there writing, the nib gliding across the page, then look up and watch the world of India go by. I had also downloaded a free ebook on the forgotten history of this empire, so I read that for inspiration. I draw upon this book as one my key sources throughout this account.
“Chai, chai, chai!” the tea seller moved through the aisles, quickly pouring quantities of delicious chai tea. In the West, we’re a coffee culture, but in India, they have refined the masala magic of black tea. Soma for the masses.
When the train slowed at junctions, the cars swayed from side to side as if they would tumble over, but as the train gained speed, physics did its work, the cars righted, then moved smoothly through the sun-baked landscape. Mountains, valleys, and rivers flashed by. Not a single drop of rain had fallen since we had arrived more than a week ago. Monsoon season was over, now the continent had transformed into a realm of sunlight and heat.
West to East, each scene unfolded in mysterious ways. In such a journey, you just never know what’s around the bend. The world unfolds like a video in fast-forward, filling your head with marvelous visions until you have no idea if you’re awake or dreaming. It didn't help that I had gotten little sleep the previous night on account of the techno music pounding in the rowdy club next to the hotel.
At times India seemed like a familiar place, and I was lulled by the similarities between it and other countries I had visited. Quaint villages in the distance. Children playing ball. A piece of machinery on a field. A car waiting for the train to pass. It could be anywhere on this blessed Earth. But in no time, I was jolted back into the colorful mosaic that is Indian reality, it's colorful showiness, a relentless feast for the senses. The waves of novelty washed over me and left me filled with wonder. The marvels never seemed to end across the endless miles, and just when you think you’ve seen it all, India dances and shimmers in the cacophony of its own majesty.
Seduced by her sinuous kundalini dance, we just can't seem to get enough of ancient India. How many others had made this journey through the centuries? In search of karmic spices, riches, and guru tantricks. Some of our European ancestors had come to colonize once upon a time and were seduced instead. I mean this in a literal sense. Now their descendants had returned for the whole cosmic enchilada. India can be colonized but never conquered. India is patient. Her seduction is slow. Relentless. No one can resist her charm and eventually we all return to her many-armed fold, one way or the other.
It's difficult to see because of the blurriness of the image, but that is small religious structure with symbols edged on the roof. Right in the middle of this palm grove!
We were approaching our station. My body was numb with constant vibration. A train journey across this wild country was nothing short of spiritual, and junction across junction, a new teaching was revealed until my mind was numb with the grandeur of the voyage. I looked at Bianca journaling in her notebook. Her reflection on the glass, her face silhouetted on the land. What were we doing here in these far flung realms? Where were we going? Deeper we traveled into the heart of the Karnataka Kingdom, into its fabled history, and each scene opened majestically around us like a blooming lotus flower.
Sources
Nunes, Fernão, Domingos Paes, and Robert Sewell. 2002. A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar): A Contribution to the History of India. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3310.
Vijayanagara Empire wikipedia page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vijayanagara_Empire
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1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6-8, 9, 10
