Women Warriors of Hampi

Women Empowerment is a fashionable word with sociologists, business leaders, economists, politicians, governments, United Nations and the like. But the Vijayanagara Empire in India knew how to empower their women 500 years ago. Yes, Hampi has proof of it. This story captures the theme 'Women Warriors' through pictures.

Those who came in late and have not yet browsed our earlier stories on Hampi a World Heritage Site, here are the quick links:

1. Hyderabad to Hampi- Where Ghumakkad got lost in time
2. Vitthala Temple and Royal Chariot
3. Hiking in Hampi
4. Confusion at Hampi- Ugra or Lakshmi Narasimha
5. Coracles not for the weak hearted
6. The Lotus Mahal
7. Charm of a Sunset at Hampi

A tourist guide map of Hampi coutesy www.hampi.in for those who haven't yet been there:

Besides portraying the women warriors, Ghumakkad also takes you to the following 15th century monuments in Hampi:

• Queen's Bath
• Royal Enclosure including a video clip
• Mahanavami Dibba
• Cabinet Room
• Pushkarni
• Public Bath including a short video
• Troops Barracks
• Queen's Dance Hall

Let the pictures do the talking.

The menace of defacing historical monuments, public places, escalators and even tree barks persists across the globe. But in India, they take their time to scratch and dig their names into walls like in Hampi. As if the defacers will become immortal!

These pictures were taken in Feb-17 when four of us visited Hampi.

Royal Enclosure

Credit goes to Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for making the whole Hampi site 'disabled-friendly'. See the braille signage below and a ramp for wheel-chair bound tourists few pictures later.

Mahanavami Dibba- Ceremonial Platform for the King

See the sheer size of the royal platform! A man on top of the platform dwarfs in comparion.

Here is a short 20-second video showing the carvings. Granite unlike sandstone and marble, is not easy to carve!

A woman warrior riding a battle horse! More sculptures of women warriors to come.

Pushkarni- Step well and water reservoir for inmates of royal enclosure

Public Bath

Feel the size of this 500-year old swimming pool with diving boards too, in this short 20-seconds video. Please ignore the howling wind in the background.

Giant sized dinner plates in stone. Imagine the appetite and built of the diners of that era!

More Women Warriors...

Queen's Dance Hall

In the next part, we will visit Virupaksha Temple which is a 'live' temple in Hampi.

Ghumakkad has shared a set of ten stories on Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You may browse it by clicking the following links:

Hyderabad to Hampi

Vitthala Temple and Stone Chariot Hampi

Lotus Mahal Hampi

Sunset Point Hampi

Coracle Boating near Hampi- not for the weak-hearted

Hiking in Hampi

Confusion at Hampi- Ugra or Lakshmi Narasimha

Women Warriors of Hampi

Virupaksha Temple Hampi

Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary

Thanks for browsing. Do share your impressions/experiences.

    -  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 27th July 2017

The 100,000 Mark

Time to say thanks again!
Before we could realise, Ghumakkad- your blog- has crossed the 100,000 page views mark! No big deal in cyber world. But big deal for us because we are non-political, non-religious, non-celebrity, non-commercial! We create happiness in readers' lives- or so they say!

Thanks for being the key part in this exciting journey of  discovery and learning! 'Learning together' is Ghumakkad's motto as evident from his logo.

What started as a travelogue-sharing platform five years ago, now has  a wider flavour. Reproducing the canvas of our blog from our 5th Anniversary post two months ago.
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We invite you to sample some of the stories spanning various aspects of our life. You may click to browse any of the posts hyper-linked in parenthesis:

• Travel (Bhutan-Thimpu and beyond, Munnar-Kerala, What's new in Goa, Changing face of Jaipur, USA-Casinos, USA-Camping)

• Wildlife (Africa- The Big Five, Tigress of Tadoba, Birds of Ranganathittu, Ranthambhor Tigers)

• Environment (Port Blair Flora and fauna, Friendly Munias,Rescuing an injured Bat, Learning from Caterpillars)

• Learning and teaching (Plants and Leadership, Bringing realism in the classroom, Social Entrepreneurship, Learning from students, Life beyond an ECG)

• Picturesque Quotes (PQs) (Rose petals and Life, Nature,Darkness, Patience)

• Obituaries (Dr Abdul Kalam, Kushwant Singh, Elfo our dog)

• Books by Ghumakkad (BITS of Success)

• Reunions (Navy, College-BITS, Campus BITS Goa)

• Fitness (Yoga and life partner, Grandpa's Gym, Why Golf,Hiking, Scuba Diving at 65)

• Poems (Ansh enters the Teens, So what if I can not see, Our Little Princess is three)

You can also search within the blog for any topic of your interest.

Once again we would like to thank each one of you for your continued support  and encouragement. Ghumakkad hopes to bring you more pictures, more stories and more insights into our life.

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Hope you enjoy the blog as much as we do creating the stories for you. Your feedback helps us improve. We close with Leigh Humt's classic quote on Nature (plase pardon Ghumakkad's obsession with Nature and its marvels!) in this PQ:

Once again, thanks for being part of this exciting journey of discovery and learning together.

       - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 25th July 2017