Squinting under the bright South Indian sun, I could see piles of boulders strewn haphazardly in the distance, while around me were intricately designed gateways, pillared pavilions and huge sculptures. I was in the city of Hampi, which is known for two main things: its unusual terrain of granite rocks in varying tones of grey, ochre and pink; and the ruins of centuries-old temples and palaces. Where I was, in the compound of the 15th-Century Vijaya Vithala Temple, the two collided.
A Unesco World Heritage site, Hampi is often described as an open-air museum, filled with magnificent stone ruins on the banks of the River Tungabhadra. As the capital of the South Indian Hindu Vijayanagara kingdom from the 14th to 16th Centuries, the city was ruled by kings who lavishly spent on culture, religion and the arts. The Vijaya Vithala temple, which is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, is an architectural masterpiece whose soaring columns and massive gateways are all hewn from the porphyritic granite found in the region.
Around 500 years ago, Vijayanagara royalty and citizens would come to this temple to pray, celebrate and be entertained. As I looked around, I could see elaborate pavilions featuring iconography of Hindu mythology carved into the stone. The grandest among them was the Mahamandapa (Great Hall). Grand balustrades flanked by stone elephants led up to the pillared hall, which sat atop a stone platform carved with motifs of horses and flowers. Filled with soaring stone columns and intricately carved sculptures, this pavilion served as a stage for classical dancers to perform for the king and for the gods.