Essays, Commentaries, Jottings, Photography, Videos – In the Light of Sri Aurobindo
Photos by Suhas Mehra, text by Beloo and Suhas Mehra Aihole, also known as Aivalli, Ahivolal, Ilavalapura or Aryapura, is a sleepy village about 140 km from Hampi, or about 450 km from Bangalore. The story goes that after killing the decadent Kshatriyas who had been abusing their power, Lord Parasurama, the sixth avatār of... Continue Reading →
Text by Beloo and Suhas Mehra; some photos by Suhas Mehra, some taken from the website of IIACD (International Institute for Art, Culture and Democracy). Continued from Part 2 In this final part of the series, we zoom in on the magnificent mural paintings of the Veerabhadra Swami Temple at Lepakshi. Many of the murals... Continue Reading →
Photos by Suhas Mehra, text by Beloo and Suhas Mehra. Continued from Part 1 After experiencing some of the splendour that fills the compound of Swamy Veerabhadra Temple, let us now proceed toward the interior of the mandir. As noted before, according to the earliest inscriptions available, the present temple is about 500 years old,... Continue Reading →
Photos by Suhas Mehra. Text by Beloo and Suhas Mehra. “Le Pakshi!” said Lord Rama to Jatayu. Grief-struck Rāma and Lakshmana had been desperately searching for Sita when they met Jatayu. Sita had mysteriously disappeared one afternoon when both the brothers were gone in chase of a golden deer. (Rāma had gone first, but then... Continue Reading →
Continued from Part 7 Hazara Rama temple (Photos by Suhas Mehra, text and quotes selection by Beloo Mehra) यावत्स्थास्यन्ति गिरयः सरितश्च महीतले | तावद्रामायणकथा लोकेषु प्रचरिष्यति || "As long as the mountains and even rivers flourish on the surface of the earth, so long the legend of Ramayana will flourish in this world... [Valmiki... Continue Reading →
Continued from Part 6 Chakratirtha, Tungabhadra River and Kodandarama temple (Photos by Suhas Mehra, text by Beloo Mehra) Not far from Vittala temple, a short walk along some semi-paved/stepped rocks and you will soon find yourselves entering into a cave-like rock formation. A few minutes later as you come out out of this cool shady... Continue Reading →
Continued from Part 5 Raghunatha Temple and Malyavanta Hill One of the lesser-known but most beautiful places to visit in Hampi is the Raghunatha temple on top of the Malyavanta Hill. During our trip to Hampi in 2018, we spent some time on top of this hill. The 360-degree view from there is... Continue Reading →
Continued from Part 4 Sri Krishna Temple After a tour of the remarkable Vittala temple in previous part, we now move on to another masterpiece, the Krishna temple of Hampi. The Krishna temple at Hampi -- which is now in ruins, though some renovations were underway when we visited -- was built by King Krishnadevaraya... Continue Reading →
Continued from Part 3 Vijay Vittala Temple "Spirituality is indeed the master-key of the Indian mind; the sense of the infinite is native to it." (Sri Aurobindo, CWSA, 20: 6) In our last part we wrote about Virupaksha Temple, situated on the banks of Tungabhadra River. Vijaya Vittala temple is north east of... Continue Reading →
Continued from Part 2 Virupaksha Temple On the banks of Tungabhadra River is the Virupaksha temple, dedicated to God Shiva, known in this area as Virupaksha, the consort of the local goddess Pampadevi. This is the oldest and the principal temple in Hampi. It is believed to be functioning uninterruptedly ever since the 7th... Continue Reading →
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