Have you ever had an experience where you plan to visit a place and it just doesn’t seem to manifest? Until one day out of the blue, you realize that you are packing your bags, and before you can make sense of the sudden happenings you are already in the unconditional embrace of that place. It comes across like the place finally chose you and invited your spirit to dance in its essence.
Hampi was one such place for me. After my failed attempts at visiting this ancient temple town in the Vijayanagara district of Karnataka, India for over 8 years, the place finally decided to have me over in the October of 2021.
The town is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I’m not going to go into the factual details about this place or get into describing the architectural marvel that this town is. It’s all over the internet.
What I’d like to share is an experience. I’m not sure if I can string the right words together to give you all a sense of it. You see, sometimes we run short of words that can express our feelings accurately. But I’ll try to the best of my ability.
I believe the soul of a place lies in its mundane streets, ordinary people carrying on with their ordinary lives, just being, living, experiencing, and letting life happen through them. I believe some spaces hold unsaid values that enable their inhabitants to hold that value for each other. For humans, animals, and nature alike.
When I entered the 7th-century Virupaksha temple located on the banks of river Tungabadhra, I sensed the presence of an old soul. Wise, humble, and unbiased. That was present in an observational state. The temple is dedicated to Virupaksha an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Shiva is the masculine component of creation according to Hinduism. The famine component is Shakthi.
I was being driven to this temple throughout my stay there. I visited there in the mornings, evenings, and sometimes even in between the day. The energy made me feel grounded and belonged. One of the days, my friend and I decided to visit the temple post its closing hours and what we experienced was beyond magical.
Virupaksha temple is regarded as one of the sacred pilgrimage sites and people from the nearby villages visit here regularly in large groups comprising their families, extended families, and neighbours. And it’s a common practice for them to lay the rugs on the courtyard and spend their night there. It was a surreal experience to see stray cattle, dogs, pigeons, and humans share the space. Each is comfortable in their own skin.
Most of the crowd was asleep and our attention fell on two men sitting on one of the corners singing away to glory. They were having a gala of a time reminiscing age-old folk songs. A whiff of nostalgia ran over me as the distant memory of these songs sprung from the deserted corners of my mind. We could not resist but join them. As the songs grew louder and more intense, the people that were fast asleep were awoken and began joining us and in no time it was a celebration! A celebration of community, simplicity, and co-existence.
Immersed in this transcendental experience, I found myself in conversation with the old soul. I asked, “Having witnessed the grandeur of Vijayanagara Empire and having withstood the pain, loss, and heart-wrenching violence of human greed. You still stand here, grounded and humble. While I strengthen my guards after every unpleasant encounter, you open your heart, radiating love. Tell me, how do you do this?”
The answer came to me, in a strange sense of knowing. It said, “I am an observer, unclouded by my experiences. My core is made of love and so is yours. You build walls out of fear while courage is all I fathom.”
The universe unfurls its answers in strange and mysterious ways.
If anything about this article stays with you, know that it has a message for you. Reflect, ask questions and you shall receive.