তুঙ্গভদ্রার তীরে ( On the Bank Of The Tungabhadra)

The river Tungabhadra holds a special place in the hearts of the Bengalis. Though it is far from Bengal and most people have never seen the river ever, they feel very connected to it. This is because of the famous novel by Saradindu Bandyopadhyay "তুঙ্গভদ্রার তীরে ( On the Banks Of The Tungabhadra)". The story is a historical fiction that narrates stories and incidents from Vijaynagar. Hampi has been on my bucket list for long and I had a chance to visit it a few months back. I personally chose to recapitulate the novel before visiting the place and it worked like magic. It was dark in the night when we reached Hampi, and we headed off to visit Ram temple. In my mind, I was imagining myself as a princess who sneaked out at night to meet someone. The roads, the paths the pavements everything felt so ancient, and I felt that I have traveled back in time. Once we stood on the banks of Pompa Sarovar, I felt like a queen who had come to bestow an offering to Lord Shiva. The ambiance around felt ancient as if time had stopped and the ancient Vijaynagar prevails only. Once we boarded the coracle, our boatman pointed out that the hills around belonged to the Kishkinda dynasty. At once I recalled the reference from the Ramayana. Around the place, there are references from the Ramayana and Vijaynagar kingdoms where Lord Ram is worshiped besides Lord Shiva. 

To some this may be facts, to others, it might be fiction or myth. 

The Tungabhadra only knows the truth.