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Newasa - Encountering an unique form of Vishnu, and Sant Jnaneshwar

The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
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Hampi Part 5 - The Hampi Bazaar


Hampi was well known for its bazaars in the days gone by, when merchants from all over the world collected here to show off their wares. From gold and diamonds to horses and cows, the markets boasted of a variety which impressed even visitors from foreign shores! These marketplaces weren’t like our roadside shops, but well planned and well laid out areas, paved with stones, with residences for the merchants as well stables for their mounts! Nothing much remains of these bazaars except the  pathways and the water tanks which mark their boundaries. Today, the name ‘Hampi Bazaar’ signifies a row of shops outside the Virupaksha temple, selling the sort of stuff which appeals to tourists…..

Like these dolls made of clay…..


Musical instruments….


Figures of the Gods and replicas of the Hampi ruins made in stone…





A closer look….


We loved this autorickshaw….


And especially this one of Krishna stealing milk from a cow….


There were a few useful stone products…


Garlands of beads….. and stones of course…


But did we buy any? No! they were terribly expensive….. and targeted at the foreign tourists. The shopkeepers didn’t even pay us Indians much attention, because they knew we wouldn’t shell out so much for these things! And when I asked one of them if she or her family had made these, she stared at me as if I was mad, and replied, “They come from a factory somewhere! Nobody here makes these things anymore!” 

This post is part of the Lonely Planet Blogsherpa Travel Carnival - The Marketplace - hosted by Kiran Keswani of Indian Bazaars.

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Location: Hampi, Karnataka, India

Comments

  1. suma bJanuary 19, 2012 at 2:01 PM

    Hey nice write up. We have missed many place in Hampi & Anegundi coz of Lack of time. Felt good to read about them through ur blogs... My  Hampi Blog...
    http://relivingmyfavouritemoments.blogspot.com/2012/01/hampi-part-1-hemakuta-hillshampi-bazzar.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownFebruary 29, 2012 at 12:40 PM

    Actuall al vil post the monumnts of hampi. But u posted the market n how d ppl wil be.. Ya i really liked ur blog.

    Sir/Madam, me also created first weblog.
    so follow this link :
    http://basavaraj16291.blogspot.com

    here you can see the most beautiful snap from World Heritage Site Hampi. So please visit to my Blog and Add your Expression through your Valuable COMMENTS.
    Thank You.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJuly 31, 2018 at 11:33 AM

    The handicrafts looks amazing!

    ReplyDelete

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