Hampi
I arrived in Hampi, along with hundreds of Saivaite pilgrims, on the auspicious day of Shiva’s birthday, Mahashivaratri (the new moon in February) and found myself in the most surreal landscape, a boulder field extending over 25 sq km, with hundreds of exquisite temples emerging from the rock and simultaneously blending harmoniously into the landscape. Over the next four days, I climbed to the top of Hanuman temple, cruised the Tungabhadra river in a bamboo conical boat to ancient ghats, met an impressive swami of the Sankaracharya lineage, visited the inner sanctums of temples for puja, was blessed and blessed again, pounded the granite mercilessly to see yet another temple with obscure kundalini and yogic carvings, and left feeling blissful and transformed. Being in Hampi was like getting plugged into a sacred socket and prana-ed up. Wow!
A brief history
In a nutshell, Hampi grew from a tiny hamlet into a sprawling medieval metropolis, the capital of the grand empire Vijayanagara that ruled south India from its eastern seashores to the west. And, at its imperial climax fell from its illustrious height back to where it began – a cluster of humble villages.
Popular folklore has it that Hampi’s history began when two local chieftains, Hakka & Bukka , report to their guru an unusual sight they saw during a hunting expedition. A hare chased by their hound suddenly turns courageous and start chasing back the hound. Vidyaranya, the guru, tells them that the place is sacred and asks them to establish their village at this place. The seed of an empire was sown.
The name Hampi evolves from Pampa, the ancient name of the river Tungabhadra. Also Pampa is the daughter of Brahma, the Creator. She was a devoted worshiper of Shiva, the God of Destruction. Impressed by her dedication Shiva offered her a boon and she opted to marry him. On Shiva’s marriage the Pampa Gods showered Hampi with gold. Heamakuta Hill in Hampi literally means ‘heap of gold’.
Hampi is also the site of the great Hindu epic, Ramayana (believed to have originally composed in 1st century BC). The monkey kingdom, Kishkinda, located across the river Tungabhadra, is believed to be the birthplace of Hanuman. In the Ramayana, Rama and Lakshmana reach Hampi in search of his lost wife Sita. On hearing their story Hanuman, the general of the monkey king, Sugreeva, takes them to Sugreeva. He eventually takes them to a cave and shows them a set of jewels that Rama recognizes as that of his wife Sita. Sugreeva explains that Sita dropped them when the demon king Ravana (of Lanka) abducted her on his flying chariot.
Later Rama kills Vali, the rebellious brother of Sugreeva, and installs Sugreeva as the undisputed king of the monkey kingdom.
Hanuman offers for help to fly to Lanka. (Hanumanasana – splits- is a metaphor of this great leap to Sri Lanka.) He returns with the news that Sita was indeed in the custody of Ravana. Hanuman offers Rama the help of his monkey army to make a bridge across and attack Lanka. When rain postpones the plan Rama and Lakshmana takes refuge at a nearby hill called Malyavanta. The epic goes on and Sita is saved.
What is remarkable is that all the locations narrated in the epic actually exist in Hampi.
Hampi is sacred since it bears the footprint of Rama, one of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Hanuman, who is a loyal follower of Rama is iconic of devotion and valor. Understandably, Hampi has more icons of Hanuman than any other gods. Rishimukha Hills where Hanuman met Rama and Lakshmana is a hermitage. The cave where Sugreeva hide the fallen jewels is on the way to Vittala via the riverside ruins. Matunga Hill, named after the sage Matunga (who cursed Vali with death by stepping on this spot) is the highest spot in Hampi. The hilltop temple dedicated to Rama on the Malyavanta hill is an important pilgrimage site. A heap of ash hill at a village near the Vittala temple is believed to be that of pyre of Vali.
And so, Hampi’s early religious history morphs into mythology. Throughout the centuries, the key players have belonged to either of Hinduism’s two major sects - the Saivaites and the Vasihnavites. The former worships the Destroyer, God Siva, whereas the later worships Lord Vishnu (the Preserver or Maintainer). Shiva worship is the oldest in Hampi and the epicenter of this cult was the Virupaksha temple. Even today it is an important pilgrimage site.
The Vaishnava cults grew during the peak days of the Vijayanagara Empire. Except the Virupaksha temple, all other grandstanding temples of Hampi were dedicated to the Lord Vishnu and his various incarnations. The grand architectural plans, sculptures and the intricate carvings of these temples speak of their religious passion. There is archeological evidence of Islamic faith and Jaina worship. Hampi has been a pilgrimage site throughout history. This brief version tells nothing of the dynasties that ruled Vijayanagar (1336 AD – 1565 AD) but while they all disappeared with the torrent of time, Hampi’s faiths remain, intact and deep-rooted. UNESCO’s World Heritage Site was conferred to Hampi in 1986.