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Thursday 31 March 2016

A glimpse into history....

Field Trip Date: 4th to 7th November 2015
                 Grade: 4


“The use of travelling is to regulate imagination with reality, and instead of thinking of how things may be, see them as they are.” – Samuel Johnson

To explore the characteristics of the past civilizations and to understand that the present is connected to the past, the grade 4s went on a field trip to Hampi.
Hampi (UNESCO world heritage sites) is a small village in northern Karnataka, situated on the banks of the Tungabhadra River.Today the site remains as the ruins of Vijayanagara Empire
En route to to Hampi, we stopped to explore the Chitradurga fort which was a part of the Vijayanagar Kingdom.We also watched the sunset at Tungabadra reservoir situated few kilometers before Hospet.
On the first day we visited the Royal Enclosure of Hampi which was once the seat of power of the earstwhile king. The area is packed with numerous palace bases, underground temple, aquatic structures and the likes.We also saw the ruins of the Krishna temple where we noticed the bazaars and the step well tank. Our little explorers found broken pieces of pots which date back to as old as 500 years. We then visited the Hazararama temple, whose walls unfold the story of Ramayana.We visited the beautiful Virupaksha temple which is the oldest shrine still in active worship. Our day ended with the climb up the Hemakuta hills where we watched the spectacular lights of the temple come on as the day transformed into an even more beautiful night.
On the second day we visited the Vithala temple, famous for its fascinating musical pillars and magnificent stone chariot. We also visited the Tungabhadra River flowing at the back of the temple where the famous pioneer of Carnatic music, Purandaradasa sang..This was followed by a visit to the Lotus Mahal and the elephant stables influenced by Islamic architecture brought in by the Bahamanas.The evening ended with the trek to the Mahatunka hills from where our inquirers soaked in the unbeatable splendour of the entire kingdom that once ruled on the banks of the mighty river.

The trip left the Grade 4 with lasting memories of enduring learning and understanding different cultures.