Some of our experiences in Penukonda. These are all written from memory and from the guide interaction. Apologies for the grammatical mistakes. I forgot taking a notebook to note down all the other/finer details.
Gagan Mahal:
This was the summer palace of the Vijayanagara king Krishna Dev Raya. He built it in the year 1575. The place is a two-storied structure. The ground floor contains the treasury, an open hall (pictures posted earlier) and a tunnel that leads right up to the mountain fort - Rani Mandir. This tunnel is said to be so high that the king could ride his horse through it right to the hilltop.
The govt. closed this tunnel down 36 roughly years back (all information as per the guide).
The first floor contains the durbar hall, where the king met his subjects. Next to it is the meeting hall where strategies were hatched. The first floor also contains a wide verandah overlooking the front compound. The walls surrounding this verandah also has the same gaps in the walls to hold guns.
The tower of the Gagan Mahal has a narrow staircase (similar to the Charminar) leading to a mezzanine floor that housed the dancing room where the king sat beside one of the windows and watched dances. This room was strategically located so that the queen couldn't see what was going on inside. The windows here offer a great view of the Rama temple next door and the surrounding hills.
Going up from the mezzanine, one reaches the verandah of the first floor, and continuing upwards leads to the top of the tower which serves total military purpose - a watchtower cum great shooting angles to the soldiers.
I simply wonder how this place might have been in it's heyday. After the collapse of the Vijayanagara empire, Penukonda was conquered by the Bijapur sultans and later by Tipu Sultan. Lastly, the place saw British domination.
The Durbar Hall
Inside the Meeting Hall
The temple next to the palace. Note that this view is from the window of the mezzanine floor of the tower.
The Thimmarasu Samadhi nestled between the two hills.
A closer look at the Thimmarasu samadhi.
The Rama Temple:
There is a temple dedicated to Lord Rama next to the Gagan Mahal palace. We didn't get time to go inside and explore. Rama, Lakshman and Sita are said to have stopped here on their way to Lanka.
Hanuman on the gopura of the Rama Temple.
Garuda on the gopura of the Rama Temple. The dude is our guide.
Ugra-Narasimha on the lamp/post of the Rama Temple.
Thimmarasu jail:
Thimmarasu was a wise and able minister of Krishna Devaraya and the man instrumental in making him the king of Vijayanagara.
From
Wikipedia -
Quote:
In 1524, Krishnadevaraya crowned his minor son Yuvaraja. A few months later the prince took ill and died of poisoning. Accusing Timmarusu for this crime, Krishnadevaraya had the entire family of the minister blinded.
It is said the King later released Timmarusu, on knowing that the conspiracy to kill his own son was hatched by Gajapathi's of Orissa. The Gajapathi's did not want their princess Jaganmohini to wed Krishadevaraya, as they believed he was not of pure blue blood.
The Gajapathis belonged to great Solar Dynasty or Surya Vamsi clan of Orissa. But had to agree to this marriage, owing to Krishnadevaraya's victory over the Gajapathi's. Krishanadevaraya's parents, Narasa Nayaka a chiftain from Dakshina Kannada and Nagaladevi a chieftain's daughter from Uttara Kannada, were not from the royal family of Vijayanagara (Sangama Dynasty).
The king deplored and repented with Timmarusu, later on.
On being released, Timmarusu spent the rest of his life begging in Tirupathi. He refused to take any support from his former King. He died a death in poverty.
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The Thimmarasu jail is the place where the king jailed the minister. It is a stone's throw away from the Gagan Mahal and looking inside the jail room I felt that the minister must have spent a very lonely time in there. It's absolutely mind-shattering to live without being able to see the outside world or interact with anybody. According to the guide, Thimmarasu was about 90 years old when he was blinded and jailed.
The
Thimmarasu samadhi is also in Penukonda, nestled in the hills. Krishna Devaraya built a samadhi in Thimmarasu's honor to repent his mistake, after the
mahamantri died.
We weren't able to go till the samadhi but captured it as much possible with the camera zoom.
The Jail from the front.
Another view of the Thimmarasu Jail.
The ceiling inside the Jail. Taken from the small window opening.
Another view of the ceiling. Note the intricate carvings on the walls.
The large Gopuram:
This was the actual gate to the palace, and is adorned with numerous sculptures. Now a swamiji's ashram, mostly catering to westerners, has come up in between the gopura and the Gagan Mahal. The guide alluded to some litigation issues as well.
My take - the govt. should have declared the whole zone as heritage and not allowed any modern constructions to come up here. But who cares, this is India my darling.
A broken statue of Krishna Devaraya in the Gopura.
A carving of two symmetrical snakes.
Carving of a monkey eating.
On the gopura ceiling, carvings of fish and crocodiles. These are all meant to protect the place and offer prosperity.
The Jain Temple of Ajitnath:
As with many other places in the Vijayanagara empire, Penukonda also had a considerable Jain influence and this temple used to be dedicated to the Tirthankar Ajithnath. Now the idol is no longer there.
The Jain Temple.
An image of Ajithnath on the door of the Temple.
Inside the temple.
Another view of the temple.
The standing Nandi or Basavanna Well:
Next to the Jain temple is a huge structure of a standing Nandi, said to be one of it's kind. There is a well here that used to be the watering hole for the area. The path below the Nandi statue leads to a construction from the Vijayanagara days, but is in extremely poor condition now. It is said to have housed a dancing hall and later served as an office in the British times. Later it was converted to a Govt. Primary School, which has now shifted adjacent to this structure. This structure currently is filled with poo and probably serves as the latrine for the school kids. A pitiable condition indeed.
The standing Nandi.
Carving of Lord Ganesha on the well wall.
The standing Nandi from front.
The Mahaveer Jain Temple:
This is a relatively modern structure and is said to be run by the only remaining Jain family in Penukonda.
The lamp post of the temple.
The Mahaveer statue, which is said to belong to 1300 AD.
Yakshas at the temple. They are said to guard the gates of the Gods.