From Gokarna I went to Hampi, the land of Kishkinda from the Ramayana.
And birthplace of Hanuman. My favorite place here was a hanuman temple on top of Anjaneya hill.
Hampi is a town that was once the site of the Vijaynagara Empire and the city Vijaynagara. Which translates as "City of Victory". It is said that this former city was once one of the richest and largest cities in the world. At approx. 1500 Vijaynagara had a population of about 500,000 people.
The central temple is the Virupaksha temple dedicated to Shiva and his consort Pampa, a local diety. Ruins from this former city are scattered all over the place within a 50km radius around Hampi. It was very interesting to explore these ruins and imagine what life was like at the height of this empire.
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| Virupaksha Temple |
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Anjaneya Hill - The land of Kishkinda from the epic story Ramayana is also located near Hampi. It is the site of the monkey kingdom of king Sugriva and birthplace of the myth and legend Hanuman. The Ramayana is one of the core mythologies of all of Asia and especially SE Asia.
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Malyavanta Raghunatha Temple - According to Myth, it is here lord Rama and his brother Laxmana waited till the monsoon season was over, and then they marched towards Lanka with Hanuman's monkey army to rescue Sita. When I walked through the gate of this temple there was a small festival happening and the temple priests were chanting from the Ramayan.
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| Pushkarani |
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| Malyavanta Raghunatha Temple |
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| I met Mr. Vijay Kumar at a Durga Temple while he was doing his devotional practice. We had a nice connection and he invited me to his house for lunch. We talked about bhakti yoga and the experience of being a grown man, unmarried and without children. Thanks for the Generosity Vijay, hope to see you again someday! |
