- Colorful Prayers, Playful Macaques and Incredible energy
A couple of alms seekers
The temple which has seen its ups and downs from the time of the Vijayanagara empire now sees a steady flow of devotees. A very 'colorful' tree in front of the temple bears testimony to that, but we will come to that shortly.
We spent almost half an hour photographing a cooperative macaque sitting right below that tree, but he was not in a mood to oblige any of those prayers that day. he was rather more interested in what was happening nearby.
We walked around a bit and much to our amusement, saw another macaque desperately trying to drape a saree over its head.
Location map:
Our trips to Hampi have been quite a few, but each visit we get to see
someplace new. Well, that was unintentional rhyming, but the fact
remains that in our last visit to Hampi, we took off to see one more
extremely colorful temple in the vicinity.
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| The tree that has become a prime identity of the temple |
This was the Durga temple atop the Durga Betta (hill) in the nearby town of
Anegundi. The temple was bustling, dynamic and extremely vibrant. From
there, we were to proceed to the Vaali Gufa that lies just beyond the
temple. But those plans had to be dropped as recent leopard attacks and
leopard movements in that area had prompted authorities to close down the
entrance to the pathway. This was the main pathway that led to the Gufa, so the entire area was cordoned.
However, we were surprisingly not the least disappointed as we were too busy
being fascinated by all the activities in the temple, including some very
amusing antics by a few enterprising macaques.
The climb to the temple from the parking lot was paved with wide comfortable steps and along the side were some very informative alms seekers. They were impressively enterprising. Most devotees were very generous and did not seem to mind, so that worked out really well for them.
The climb to the temple from the parking lot was paved with wide comfortable steps and along the side were some very informative alms seekers. They were impressively enterprising. Most devotees were very generous and did not seem to mind, so that worked out really well for them.
A couple of alms seekers
Our guide Sarbesh was sweet enough to ask each of them if they would prefer
biscuits or money and made sure all of them were happy.
The temple which has seen its ups and downs from the time of the Vijayanagara empire now sees a steady flow of devotees. A very 'colorful' tree in front of the temple bears testimony to that, but we will come to that shortly.
Very little information is available about the history of the temple itself,
except that it has been standing there since the Vijaynagara
times. It was customary for each leader of the empire to seek the blessings
of Goddess Durga, especially before embarking on a battle.
It is said that with the fall of the empire, the glory of the temple also
diminished. It was later restored by a wandering hermit, and its popularity
grew once more.
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| The colorful prayers |
Coming back to the colorful tree, this lone tree in front of the main
sanctum stood strong holding the prayers of the devotees in
hundreds. Every branch of this prayer tree was covered in a number
of cloth bundles each holding a coconut and other items. Each cloth bundle
represented a prayer, a belief, a faith all tied together.
The belief was that if any of those bundles were pulled out or torn apart by one of the resident macaques, the prayer would be answered. Most prayers were either for early marriage or for childbirth.
Even the brass covered divine feet was enveloped with prayers and wishes.
The belief was that if any of those bundles were pulled out or torn apart by one of the resident macaques, the prayer would be answered. Most prayers were either for early marriage or for childbirth.
Even the brass covered divine feet was enveloped with prayers and wishes.
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| The divine feet |
We spent almost half an hour photographing a cooperative macaque sitting right below that tree, but he was not in a mood to oblige any of those prayers that day. he was rather more interested in what was happening nearby.
|
| The macaque in front of the tree |
Right next to the tree were these newlyweds, along with their parents,
performing a very detailed 'Go(cow) pooja'. These kinds of
'poojas' were usually performed by those whose prayers were
answered. Both the cow and the macaques were well fed during the
'pooja'.
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| After the 'Go(cow) pooja' |
We walked around a bit and much to our amusement, saw another macaque desperately trying to drape a saree over its head.
After watching this for a while, we decided to head back, only to be greeted
by a large pack of langurs, waiting near the car to be photographed. These
langurs were regularly treated with various offerings by the visiting
devotees so they had found a comfortable home here.
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| The langurs who were waiting for us. |
Though a small temple, it is really worth the visit. Even if it is just for the sheer
energy that emanates from this temple. If you are lucky and the path
to Vaali Gufa is open, you can visit there too. Here is hoping, I can bring
you the story from there after our next visit.
Location map:
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