This is the river that flows through Vijayanagara.  For me, the course of the river begins at the Virupaksha temple.

Water is such a big deal in India, that there are both stepped water tanks and rivers near a lot of the big temples and other important areas.  So we walked by a stepped tank to a beautiful view of the river.

Bathing, wading and playing in water is a common thing.  People don't seem to need bathing suits - getting your cotton clothes wet is totally OK.  Little kids just get naked, and men take off their shirts.  The pavilion down by the water is a public area.  I'm not sure how old it is.  It's tempting to think that everything is old, but this is quite close to the Virupaksha temple, and people use this area.

People who use this space include myself and Amma.  We were happy being a little unladylike and hiking up our saris and convincing a fellow bather to take the picture.  This is a nice thing about India - asking for a quick hand is totally fine and pretty frequent.  And the tourist experience of having your picture taken near cool stuff is pretty universal.