enlightenment

Hampi, a holy city set in stone

Abandoned abruptly in 1565, in its medieval heyday Hampi was one of the world’s most lavish cities.

For five centuries, this lost civilisation lay in obscurity in rural Karnataka, until UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site. But Hampi has long been a pilgrimage site for Hindus and Jains. According to the Ramayana, the great Indian epic, this is where Lord Hanuman was born, and those boulders — among the oldest rocks on the planet — were flung down by the armies of the monkey kings Bali and Sugriva.

Now a luxury camp has sprung up among the ruins, banana plantations and paddy fields. There are just ten colonial-style safari tents, with leather trunks, four poster beds, five-star cuisine, and butler service.

From this sumptuous base, experts will guide you through the exquisite harems, domed elephant stables, and 8^th century Virupaksha temple, where pilgrims and sadhus still throng. Every pillar and arch of these magnificent buildings tells an elaborate story written in stone.

Featuring vengeful gods and erotic scenes, these fifteenth century masterpieces reveal how the sacred and sensual are intertwined in India. 

(Images courtesy of TUTC)

Spiritual , India , Hampi , Remote Explorations , march

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