Anegundi,
the self-effacing village lies across the scenic Tungabhadra River from the
famous Hampi. It was here that the story of the mighty Vijaynagar Empire began
and whose evocative ruins in Hampi attracts people from across the world.
Anegundi where large parts of Ramayana were played out in the mythological Kishkindha,
the Kingdom of Monkeys ruled by Vaali and Sugreev, and where the pre-historic
man painted on the boulders is a charming surprise for the traveller intrepid
enough to ride the coracle across the Tungabhadra.
Mother Earth
Related Link on this blog: The case of Lathe Turned Pillars
Tranquil Shores
Tucked among boulders few kilometres away, is the splendid Sanapur Lake formed from the reservoir of Tungabhadra Left Canal. You are treated to incredible sight of gently lapping water and rolling paddy fields. Visit in the evening as the setting sun douses the boulders in gold and the rising moon in the eastern skies turns the water into silver. Yes Anegundi has beautiful waterscapes too!
Waterscape Gallery
Related Link on this blog: Onake Kindi
Mother Earth
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| Beautiful Anegundi |
Related Link on this blog: Cavehanger in Anegundi
Walled Beauty
In
Hampi, drive through the ruined three-storeyed Talarighatta Gate built into the
fortified walls of the Vijaynagar capital to reach the Tungabhadra river. Cross
the river on circular bamboo contraptions called coracles to reach Talvar
Ghatta, the erstwhile customs check-point into the village of Anegundi.
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| Talarighatta Gate |
Ancient Designs
Just
beyond Talvar Ghatta is perhaps the most ornate temple in Anegundi.
Huchhappayaa Matt is a two-storeyed temple perhaps dedicated to Lord Shiv.
Relief carvings depict women doing Dandiya. In the back an additional colonnade
has been erected with lathe-turned pillars that seem to have been harvested
from earlier Chalukyan or Hoysala temples. Yes, Anegundi is timeless.
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| Huchhappayaa Matt |
Swaying Palms
As
you move around Anegundi, you are treated to the most spectacular landscapes views
as palms sway among the lush paddy fields with the glorious backdrop of loose
granite boulders piled high on top of each other. The plateau here is believed
to be 3000 million years old and the reason perhaps that Anegundi is locally
regarded as the maternal home of Mother Earth or Bhoodevi.
Tranquil Shores
Tucked among boulders few kilometres away, is the splendid Sanapur Lake formed from the reservoir of Tungabhadra Left Canal. You are treated to incredible sight of gently lapping water and rolling paddy fields. Visit in the evening as the setting sun douses the boulders in gold and the rising moon in the eastern skies turns the water into silver. Yes Anegundi has beautiful waterscapes too!
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| Sanapur Lake in Anegundi |
Iron Age
Walk
into the bowl shaped prehistoric human settlement of Onake Kindi near Anegundi
and you are transported to Iron Age. Smoothenede boulder faces have been turned
into prehistoric ‘Facebook Walls’ where our ancestors shared snippets of their
social lives. Onake Kindi is a delight for rock art enthusiasts with never seen
before images of huge serpent, a giant man and a possible complex burial sign
with sun and moon. Anegundi is a delight at every step. 
Related Link on this blog: Onake Kindi
Water Ways
The
planners of Vijaynagar capital built a network of channels, canals and
aqueducts to bring water to temples, baths and for agriculture. On the way back
from Anegundi at Virupapur Gadde, do not miss the huge bridge-like aqueduct
that was used to bring water to elevated areas on the northern bank of
Tungabhadra.
The Photo Essay appears in the Jan-Feb 2017 issue of Truejetter, the inflight magazine of Truejet Airlines
