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Marvellous Karnataka

Anegundi: Glory of Vijayanagara, Ramayana aide-memoire

Marvellous Karnataka Raksha Deshpande
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Vijayanagara dynasty’s contribution to Indian architecture has been remarkable. Though the dynasty is widely known for its wealth it’s equally promoted architecture and has left a treasure trove today. While Hampi is the standing witness for the creative architecture of Vijayanagara Kingdom, there are other wonderful monuments seen in other places of Karnataka. Anegundi is one among them.

Anegundi was earlier known as Kishkinda which finds a mention in epic, Ramayana. As per Ramayana Kishkinda was the capital of monkey kingdom. Sugreeva was its king. The place is surrounded by hills on three sides and by river Tungabhadra on the remaining side. In Kannada Anegundi means elephant pit. This place was once used for bathing the elephants of Vijayanagara Empire and also became the first capital of the empire. The historical monuments are well-preserved here and they are the live evidence of our rich culture and heritage. The art form depicted in these temple are of great importance when we talk in terms of archaeology.

The place came into existence around 5,000 years back. The enticing beauty of the place has won great attention of the tourists. There is a plateau that is claimed to be among the oldest plateaus of the planet Earth dated 3,000 million years ago due to which the City is also referred as the home of mother Earth by the natives. The place is now under Kishkinda Trust that has been strivinv to preserve this historical City of Anegundi.

The Anegundi Fort depicts the traditional art followed in India in the past. The fort has many tombs. The major area to visit inside the fort is the Durga Temple and the Ganesha Cave Temple. The kings of Vijayanagara worshipped at Durga Temple before heading for a war. It covers a large area of Rishyamukha Hill.

Gagan Palace or Gagan Mahal is another monument that can be seen here. It was constructed in the 16th Century in the Indo-Islamic style of architecture. The palace was ruined during the time Mughals invaded India. It was built by Vijayanagara rulers for their royal family. It now serves as the administrative building. The beauty of the palace is intact even now, after 500 years. Also even after getting distorted reveals the truth of how lavishand flourishing Vijayanagara Empire was.

During the visit to Anegundi, the other places that can be visited are Hampi, Hosapete, Torangal, and Sandur. The best time to visit Anegundi is September to January.

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Raksha Deshpande

The author is a postgraduate in Mass Communication and Journalism from Karnataka University, Dharwad. Her interests range from literature, history, travel to politics, and is keenly interested to write human interest stories and articles relating to literature, travel.

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