Hampi calling…….are the Hindus listening?

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Gazing at the horizon atop the Malyavanta hill at Hampi, as far as eyes could see – it was an unbroken magnificent landscape of huge granite boulders. Creation of a primeval cataclysm, Hampi is a delight for many reasons – geological, mythological and historical. The guide was concluding a fascinating narration of how Rama and Laxmana met Hanuman on these rocks, enlisted Hanuman’s help to rescue Sita and set out on a journey to Lanka. And I wondered, for such an important religious spot – why is it so bereft of attention? Before I could delve deeper into it, the better half whisked me away to the next wonder – the Vitthala temple complex. The temple complex was a marvel with majestic pillars engraved with Ramayana scenes, the Instagram worthy garuda chariot, an ancient wisened tree – the pious hindu in me was searching for the deity Vitthala. Preparing myself for a darshan, I was fazed when the guide gently informed me, ‘this is not an actual temple anymore, yahan pooja nahin hoti’. Yet again, the Virupaksha temple complex and the bazaar adjoining to the temple all barren and deeply quiet. One could feel the buzz and bargaining of earlier times when merchants and buyers converged on this flourishing city at the heart of Vijayanagara empire rule by the valiant Krishnadevaraya.

The next stop for the day was the Krishna temple complex and the adjoining monolithic Narasimha – a huge 7-meter-high man-lion form of Vishnu seated in a yogic posture. On one of the thighs sat a petite Lakshmi – with her hands entwining Narasimha. While I was craning my neck to spot the goddess – the guide said ‘you can only see her hand, the statue was destroyed’ – and truly enough I could spot a gentle and delicate palm holding on to Narasimha.  There was sadness at Hampi and it was growing on me! As we completed our two-day tour, listened to stories passed down over generations, gazed at the diffident boulders, the wholeness of the tragedy came alive. The Mughal invaders had very swiftly identified the nerve centre of the thriving civilization – temples and how to attack it – by mutilating the divine deity. ‘Khandit murti ki pooja nahin karte’, the guides words rang in my ears. The laborious efforts of lakhs of artisans who put their sweat and soul into the creation, the emotional strength and hope that devotion to the deity conjures in the devotee, the throbbing trade that nurtures an empire – all destroyed by the swish of a sword on the divine! This realization was an affront to the Hindu in me.

Realisation soon turned to rancor – why did I not learn about these happenings while growing up? Why am I only carrying images of Akbar the great, Asoka the great as historical figures of ancient Indian empires?  Krishnadevaraya ruled over vast regions of India, patronized arts and literature equally as he protected his constituents with his valour, nurtured and expanded the Vijayanagara empire. Certainly, the miss in our history books is more by design than default. A North Vs South, Hinduism vs Secularism – the divide seemed hard to identify. The admiration that I had for our education system – stood tarnished!

As the rocks at Hampi shared their story – more questions than answers emerged within. Is this an occurrence of the past – from which we must ‘move on’? Is the Sanata Dharma so fragile that it needs to be ‘protected’?   The invading marauders of Hampi – are they relevant in our times? While the invaders have changed form and approach – the threat remains. Invasion may not be an external manifestation – it could begin as a reluctance to proclaim a Hindu religiosity to maintain a secular stance, a disdain towards age old rituals for want of scientific rationale or evidences, or even excluding the religious identity to be included in a social setting.  The majestic rocks at Hampi – boldly and persistently asks us – Tolerance – for how long and at what cost?

…….Priya Vasudevan – (the author can be reached at her twitter handle @uniquepv)