Mysore is famous
for its sandalwood
and the production of
incense but equally for
its vast and imposing
city palace, one of the
largest in India.
on the way to more famous attractions.
Bijapur is dominated by the magnificent
Gol Gumbaz, a huge mausoleum of its
seventeenth century ruler Mohamed Adil
Shah but is often only used as a stopover
to Hospet, the nearest town to the vast
and imposing UNESCO World Heritage
site of the ruined city of Hampi.
India, being a subcontinent, requires
travellers to cover vast distances to
stand any hope at all of even scratching
its surface. And although the roads are
often, at their best, dusty, bumpy, noisy
and congested, the excruciatingly long
journey to Hampi was well worth it.
Hampi is the site of the old capital
Vijaynager kings who ruled between the
fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. It
was once the largest Hindu empire in
India but the city was destroyed in 1565
following a battle with the Deccan sultans
when Islam was spreading to southern
India. Emerging from a boulder strewn
landscape are the finally carved pillars of
the Ranashandra shrine, together with a
vast number of other temples, old market
places and buildings which made up this
ancient capital. Although it is too much
to take in in one day, it should be a must
on the itinerary of any visitor to India.
Day 18 saw an early morning start and
12 hour coach ride to the Western Ghats
or Sahyadri, a mountain range which
runs parallel to the western coast, and
eventually to the beautiful coastal state
of Goa. The Western Ghats are an
important geological feature in India,
running from the southern most state of
68
Kerala some 2,000 miles north, not only
dividing the coastline from the inland
plains but also helping deliver the much
needed monsoon rains to the rest of the
country.
Goa was a Portuguese colony from
1510 until being returned to India as
late as 1961. As a consequence, its
Portuguese and western influences,
both architecturally and culturally, can
be found everywhere. Goa became
a meeting place of East and West
where merchants could buy and sell
pearls, rubies, corals and silks, Chinese
porcelain and exotic spices.
Today Goa is known mainly for its
tropical white sandy beaches and palm
fringed shoreline. Although the north of
the state has more recently developed a
reputation for Western style tourism, the
south still maintains much of its cultural
integrity. Nevertheless, after 18 days of
long train and bus journeys, it provided
me with 2 days of welcome respite and
the opportunity to enjoy some beach life!
Day 21 saw the start of a long and slow
drive to Mysore via the cities of Udipi
and Mangalore, some 2 solid days of
driving down the spine of the Western
Ghats through the Niligiri Hills. Arriving
in Mysore on the eveni ng of Day 22,
and following a good night’s sleep, I
set off the following morning to explore
the second largest city in the state of
Karnataka.
Mysore is famous for its sandalwood and
the production of incense but equally