@@@@machu Picchu: The Lost City Of The Incas! Poem by RAJ NANDY

MACHU PICCHU: THE LOST CITY
OF THE INCAS!

(I)
At those ethereal heights where only eagles dare,
And where the condor glides to gently perch;
Above the Urubamba Valley of Peru, stretches
the mountain peaks of Machu Picchu and Huayna
Picchu*;
Where the sky above is a clear cerulean blue!
And on a cloud-draped ridge connecting both
these Andean peaks, -
Lies the magnificent site of Machu Picchu!
A city hewed and carved out of rocks and stones,
Which in proud defiance to marauding time,
Stands there for nearly six hundred years, -
A majestic symbol of Inca pride!

(II)
The Inca kings were the ‘child of the sun’,
Their chief deity was the Sun God - ‘Inti’!
Their ninth king who expanded and consolidated
their empire,
Was known as the great Emperor Pachucuti!
It was he and his architects, who built Machu
Picchu at an altitude of some 8000 feet!
To worship their gods and honor their ancestors,
And as a royal family resort and summer retreat!
Inca religion was based around nature, and their
architecture blended with the landscape around!
And at Machu Picchu they felt closer to their
Gods and could almost hear His sound!
Pachucuti also built the city of Cuzco, the capital
of the Inca Empire,
They never had horses or wheels then, their
‘runners’ covered their kingdom entire!
They had posts located at suitable distances, for
relaying messages throughout their empire!

(III)
The ruins of Machu Picchu covers 13 sq kms,
lying 70 kms north-west of Cuzco city,
Nestled amidst the navel of the mountain rocks,
Hidden from the prying eyes of all adversaries!
Surrounded by gushing mountain rivers and
yawning chasms going down deep,
And with secret ropeway bridges, their hideout
was all complete!
It escaped the greedy Pizarro’s eyes, that Spaniard
who came for Inca gold,
Leaving Machu Picchu untouched, a Heritage site+
for the entire world to behold!
So the urban sector of Machu Picchu has 140 buildings
still intact!
With steps and terraces cut into steep granite face,
And streams and aqua-ducts to irrigate their lands!

(IV)
The citadel lies on a flat surface, which is a 20 hectares
spread!
With a sacred and a residential area, and houses for
priests, nobility and guests!
‘Amautas’ were men both holy and wise, conducted
ceremonies and read the stars;
But the Incas had no written script, and took help of
the ‘quipu’ by far!
The ‘quipu’ was a numerical system using many
knotted strings, -
With which they kept records and accounts of almost
everything!

(V)
The Sacred Area had temples and buildings all dedicated
to the Gods by Pachucuti,
A Sun Temple, and the sacred Intihuatana Stone,
for ‘binding the sun’ – the great Inti! !
During the Equinox on 21st March and 21st September;
When the sun was directly above that pillar of Stone ,
The priests performed ceremonies and offered prayers, -
To keep it caged and in control!
Legend has it that should a sensitive man, keep his
forehead on this sacred Intihuatana Stone, -
His ‘third eye’ would open up, and the ‘spiritual world’
he shall behold!

(VI)
It was Hiram Bingham a professor of Yale University,
Who in July 1911 rediscovered this miniature Inca city!
He took three years to clear the jungles and the wild
vines, and also gave it publicity!
And many artifacts which he had found, he sent to US
from this Inca city!
All the architects who visited this place marveled at the
techniques used;
A ‘dry stone technique’**’ without mortar, had all of them
pretty confused!
Many stones weighed around fifty tons, and others were
cut into various shapes and size;
And were fitted with such precision, leaving no room
even for a blade of knife!
The peaks here get covered with mist and is the abode
of white fluffy clouds,
The place where the Gods dwell#, is where Machu Picchu
is to be found!

- Raj Nandy
New Delhi
15 May 09
(- ALL COPYRIGHTS RESERVED -)
Notes: -*Huayna Pichu stands behind Machu Picchu 400 mtrs
Higher! It has a steeper climb, and has the ‘Temple of the
Moon’ inside a dark cave! +Declared a Heritage Site
by UNESCO in 1 **Dry stone technique’ without mortar
was used in the Pyramids of Egypt also! Pizarro’s Spanish
conquest of Peru in 1532.! #Many local tribes believed Incas were Gods!
(I have left many small details & revealed only a part from
my personal notes! In case of doubt, do send a ‘Message’ & I
shall be glad to clarify.)