My stern in-house critic has commented disparagingly on the brevity of my blog posts. My protests that I wanted the focus to be the pictures not words, were dismissed with a shrug. So, this post will have more of words, though not all will be mine; I’ve used some by Sarojini Naidu as well.
As my friend and I wandered from one monument to the next, we noticed long rows of structures outside the main temples, divided into smaller sections by stone pillars. Nothing fancy, no carvings, just the basic structure. These were the markets of Hampi.
Our knowledgeable guide informed us that there used to be sections of the market for different goods on different days. Quite similar to the ‘mandis’ of today that exist in the older parts of the cities. Like in Pune we have the peths; each named for the day of the week when the bazaar was held in that particular area.
It’s well-established that the Vijaynagar empire was one of the richest in the world. There was flourishing inland, coastal and overseas trade which was an important source of general prosperity. Which meant that the people of Vijaynagar could splurge on ‘foreign’ goods even back then! And precious stones were sold in open markets, like onions-potatoes-tomatoes are sold in the ‘mandis’ today. My imagination boggled at the thought of buying diamonds and rubies by the handful. Did the women pick and sort through the heaps of precious stones, checking for size, shape and appearance? Like we buy our vegetables?
Imports and exports reached far across the world. The rulers wanted only the best Arab horses in their kingdom. And they got what they wanted. One of the temple carvings showed how these horses were trained by and bought from the Mongol traders.
We talked about how a visit to the temple in those days must have been quite an outing. There would be the usual prayer and worship first, followed by a hearty meal (each temple had a large cooking area and resting places for travellers) and would end in a stroll through the bazaars to pick up some spices, grains, perfumes and silks. Maybe a few emeralds or pearls depending on the mood. Or the weather. Hmm…
I was reminded of Sarojini Naidu’s well-known poem on the bazaars of Hyderabad. Replace Hyderabad with Hampi and this is how shopping would have been during the Vijaynagar empire.
What do you sell O ye merchants ?
Richly your wares are displayed.
Turbans of crimson and silver,
Tunics of purple brocade,
Mirrors with panels of amber,
Daggers with handles of jade.
What do you weigh, O ye vendors?
Saffron and lentil and rice.
What do you grind, O ye maidens?
Sandalwood, henna, and spice.
What do you call , O ye pedlars?
Chessmen and ivory dice.
What do you make,O ye goldsmiths?
Wristlet and anklet and ring,
Bells for the feet of blue pigeons
Frail as a dragon-fly’s wing,
Girdles of gold for dancers,
Scabbards of gold for the king.
(an excerpt)
Oh for a time-machine to take me back to those days! But till then, I have my imagination.
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