Unity Spirit

Ganesha Om Gan Ganapatye Namo Namah Mantra

Hampi-The playground of the gods

SANJAI VELAYUDHAN

Introduction:

Hampi is located in the town of Hospet in Bellary district in Karnataka. It is famous for its extensive ruins of the medieval Hindu capital of the Vijayanagara empire. It spreads over 25 kilometers square and is a virtual museum of Hindu religious culture. Palaces, temples, walls, Fort, civil buildings, reservoirs, irrigation canals, etc. spread over different stages of dot the landscape preservation. The remains leave no doubt about the richness and power of the Vijayanagara Empire. Only a powerful empire, could have had the resources to create what seems like a vast open art gallery. Although now in ruins, it is easy to understand the past greatness of this city as one walks around the area.

With a large number of beautifully carved temples dedicated to numerous deities scattered throughout, is the last area of the Hindu religion practitioner. If Nirvana must be obtained here. There is a plethora of gods and celestial beings all over the religious and secular buildings. Ganesha, Krishna, Vishnu, Mahishasuramardhini, Rama, Shiva and Parvathy, each member of the Hindu pantheon is here. These days, this must have been the busiest place for the gods. You can touch and feel the idols carved or pillars beautiful without a feeling of wonder and euphoria. Despite deliberate vandalism by the invasion of the Islamic army and ignorance by the people of land, is nothing short of a miracle that the temples and other buildings survived another day. There should be very few places as beautiful as the Almighty might actually want to live. If there are gods, I'm sure it could actually be living here peacefully. Hampi not unlike the ecstasy and agony at the same time.

  Hampi and its relation to the incidents of the Ramayana:

Hampi has been since ancient times, closely associated with Hindu mythology episodes giving the aura of a holy land. The area in and around Hampi are closely related to Kishkindha (the mono-dom). According to the Hindu epic Ramayana, the area was ruled by two monkey brothers Vali and Sugriva. In a fight that prevailed Vali, his brother had to flee the region with his minister Hanuman. They went Rishyamuka hill which was near the ashram of Rishi Matanga on the mountain called Matanga Parvatham (also called by the same name). Due a curse on the Rishi Vali could not go into space. This made Sugriva and Hanuman to Vali feel safe.

Rama came in search of Sugriva when learned that he had any information about kidnapping Sita. Sugriva tells him that he had witnessed the completion Sita Ravana in his blue car and that he had dropped some of her jewelry and clothing as evidence. Possibly without realizing it was part of an epic drama, has collected and placed in a cave (now called Sugriva's cave). Evidence is presented to Rama. In gratitude, Rama killed Vali and Sugriva enthroned. Sugriva and his army of monkeys will play the largest role in the final rescue of Sita. The construction of the Rama-Sethu or Adams Bridge was facilitated by the many rocks in and around Kishkindha. There is also a small pond associated with Sugriva called Sita Sita pond near the cave. So, technically, as one walks around the Hampi region and mountains, we would be returning to trace the steps of the personalities of Ramayana.

Vijayanagara-historical background:

Like Romulus and Remus who created Rome, Vijayanagara was founded by two brothers Hakka and Bukka. Vijayanagara Empire under the rule of several kings of different dynasties reached great heights of wealth and power. Hampi was the jewel of the medieval empire, the Hindu Vijayanagara military past and Islamic cultural bulwark against the aggressive tendencies towards the southern part of India. One of the greatest empires of the world, which lasted for over 200 years in full glory.

Its formation and extinction are part of an odd cycle. The cycle begins with their training triggered by the Islamic invasions in the south, his downfall came when the armies Muslim neighbors came together to deliver the last king Rama Raya military coup largest in the battle of Rakshasa-Tangadi or Talikota in 1565 to end the cycle. Thus, the same set of factors that led to its formation led to the extinction Vijayanagara.

If one needs to know a people, we need to understand their psyches. The psyche has cabinets that hide the foundation of the mentality of a people. Training of the human psyche is a constant process gives the behavior of people and also the system response stimuli. The place of human Mindscape, the formation of the psyche is a strategic process that emanates from the lessons of the past. The ruins of Hampi give us an idea of medieval Indian psyche, its internal functioning and responses to various stimuli, both positive and negative. The dominance of religion over people's imagination is evident in every temple, every idol and size. Chisels of skilled craftsmen have left the gods and celestial beings appear in a state of happiness.

Temples of India was not only the sacred spaces they represented religious-political place. Community life revolved around it. If highly evolved art be an indication of the progress of society, then society Vijayanagara was very advanced. With classic style sense, the figures on the walls are similar to the life and well proportioned.

There were many strategic considerations that went Hampi in choosing the capital of the mighty Vijayanagara Empire. Was a safe place and a hilly one side and the mighty river Tunghabadhra on the other. Apart from this the association of the area with legendary episodes of the Hindu scriptures have also played a vital role. The rulers rightly expects that the legitimacy his government to join in this holy land. This partnership reflects on the symbiotic association between religion and politics. By following the creation of temples the comfort of their subjects, the king had a valid place within the pantheon of gods. The temples are numerous. Some of them are Hazaara Rama Temple, Virupaksha Temple, Vithal Temple, Achutharaya temple, the temple of Chandrashekhar, Ananthashayin temple of Vishnu, the temple Badavalinga, Kadalekalu temple of Ganesha, Laxmi Narayana monolith, Prasanna Virupaksha temple, Ganesha temple Sashivekalu, Ranga temple and the temple of Yellamma. The list goes on. Hampi thus offers insights into the Indian Mindscape of time.

In Hampi, the two important factors that influence people and dictate their lives, religion and architecture are in abundance.

  Religion:

Religion is one of the most popular, easily understood and widely accepted concepts. We can trace the origin of religion to the pre-historic development of man, between 500,000 and 100,000 years BC Through prayers and miracles religion was supposed to provide a placebo effect safety and comfort in this life and the promise of glory after death for the believer. An ideal two-way transaction between the gods and man, religion has endured for many centuries. Death is the great fear of humanity because their nature was unknown and religion provide comfort and answers to the great mystery.

Despite the fact that no empirical evidence available to support the foundations of religion, what Karl Marx described as the opiate of the masses, has kept the masses worldwide into slavery. Religious process is based on reverse engineering, the more one tries to prove otherwise, the harder it becomes a belief. A of the most enduring and powerful ideas in the world, has shaped civilizations and dictate the destiny of nations. Religion by nature is a dichotomous concept. Although its original function to be inclusive, intolerant character makes divisions. Membership units of a religion and the presence of others stronger is a threat to the an existing one. Most wars have been waged by religious considerations. The motivation to fight in God's name has sent many soldiers to kill without mercy and willing to die on the battlefield. As Basil King writes: "Few of us see a relationship between the strength of spirit and strength of limbs, but is there." It would tend to say that all events in the world have been influenced by man and God acting in tandem. As history shows, religious faith and belief often can be much stronger than the force of pure self-interest considerations. Man is incurably religious, though the form and the object of religious feeling may change over time. The man is a compulsive creator of myths. The myths have served as the ambrosia that has helped man against the uncertainties that besides being a mechanism release. The ancient culture represented gods, goddesses, angels and demons and symbols that emerged from the collective consciousness as the myths.

India and a geographical entity has always been fascinated and mesmerized by religion and its manifestations – Gods and divine beings. It has always been a land of religion with their thoughts and life has always been guided by it. Hinduism has been creative and while fragmentive enough to generate shoots himself as Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism which finally became separate religions themselves. The division is the fundamental nature of Hinduism it created branches in Vaishnavism and Shaivism and the creation of many sects.

Religious system of India is characterized by abundance. It is an amalgam of God, religious writings and philosophy enormous, legends and superstitions. As in the case of all people, religion has played a major role in shaping the Indian psyche. In a supermarket true God, everyone had the option to choose the god that they worshiped designated as Ishta Devata. God seeks the total dedication and not welcome the presence of others. Believers are also divided on the basis of the gods that they worshiped. This fragmentation of the belief system, possibly also contributed to the lack of political unity that has prevented us to present united front to the invaders and led to slavery for over 800 years of starting 1192 with the victory of the Afghans on Prithviraj Chauhan in 1192 in Tarain and ends with the transfer of power by the British in the memorable night of 15 August 1947.

  Architecture-human aspirations in stone

Architecture has always had special place in human Mindscape. It's just aspirations personalities or individuals in durable materials. In the monumental scale, is a demonstration of power and undertones of desire for immortality. Clearly, a great resource both money and labor have gone into making Hampi the playground of kings and gods. It is a lethal mix of passion and political ambition. As the first capital the mighty empire, Hampi became a symbol of power. Therefore, every ruler, regardless of the dynasty that belonged to add their piece of dream the puzzle of enlargement and adding to its aura. Like religion, architecture remains high in our imagination.

As AH Longhurst, writes: "It is wrong to isolate the architecture of your environment, because the major points of physical geography, social progress and historical development of any country needs to be understood by those who study and understand his particular style. "

"The main influences can be expected to shape the architecture of any country or people are: (1) Location with respect to their geographical location, geological and climatic conditions, (2) Religion, (3) Social and Political, (4) Historical; important as all four of these are, the stronger is undoubtedly the influence of religion. In almost all countries and in India, in particular, we find that the main buildings are the result of religious beliefs of the nation. Nothing reveals the character of the nation so clarity as their religion, and nothing is more pervasive influence on architecture ".

Even in modern times, the desire to create the tallest tower has dominated the race for excellence among the most prosperous cities, whether Taipei 101, Petronas Tower or the Burj Dubai (the largest tower in the world once completed). Architecture is about power projection. This is about prestige and pride. If the need to dominate and captivate the masses with minimal military action was the need of ancient and medieval periods, then the desire to impress and seems to overwhelm the fuel building activities today. While some of these cities themselves as business centers, some of the cultural epicenters and others as holy land, in all these cases, the most common denominator is the presence of buildings. Buildings broadly divided into two religious and secular. The religious building that surrounds the sacred spaces of the people and the idols in them would be the source of power the ruler. This was one of the reasons why the holy sites were the first targets for destruction. The destruction of temples destroyed the spirit of the people they affect directly to its ability to resist.

The construction and destruction are two sides of same coin. Lot of resources going into the construction process, the same amount that goes into self-destruction. Both are aimed at making powerful statements of power and invincibility, it is not surprising that the invaders spend on exceeds six months, focuses on the destruction of what was left as the enduring symbol of Indian freedom and prosperity. The fear psychosis generated was so high that despite repeated attempts by restocking, Hampi was more to destroy the symbol of a bygone era by.

Conclusion:

Religion has played a crucial role in the construction and destruction. Someone fundamentalists are the other infidels. The view is different depending which side one. The ambitions of expansion have led to destructive wars and when they fought under the banner of religion has a brilliant effect. It can turn a person more amenable to a soldier for God's reasons. The power of religion is evident when he formed the common ideology that drove strong adhesive the bitterest rivals together towards the implementation of a common goal. The Islamic states of Bijapur, Golconda, Ahmednagar and Bidar although they were strong challengers for procurement policy, joined to form the arm of the Islamic sword against shield Hindu.

In the battle of Talikota in January 1565, when the last Rama Raya of Vijayanagara king was symbolically beheaded, he turned the leaves of History. Soldiers on both sides were brave and motivated. Possibly added to the mortality of invading soldiers was a powerful ideology that united as one. With the loss, the destruction of Vijayanagara had just begun. Anger and frustration Islamic Army seems to have declined despite the convincing victory over the rule of the Hindu stronger unit. When the invaders marched victorious Vijayanagara prosperous cities, in addition to looting, pillage and rapine, one of his main focuses was to destroy the most beautiful religious buildings. An Empire whose beginnings have been attributed to the Islamic invasions, which met again to an end with the Islamic invasion.

Hampi is a metaphor for the passions, follies and limitations of the human mind. It brings to mind one of the extremes of human capabilities. Comparable to Pompeii, Giza or Mesopotamia, at different times, was the Vijayanagara the victim of poison gas ominous amalgam of religion and politics. The amalgam remains, leaving its poisonous effects of the people. They continue to inhale without trying to make a difference. Many secular institutions fell into ruins and our mental fracture planes continue to accept them. Many years of invasions and destruction have left deep, naturally, the scars in our psyche. More than ever, we are divided by many religions. Tolerate each other physically, mentally we are divided.

Even today, centuries after the deliberate destruction was probably the norm at the time, Vijayanagara remains damaged by the ignorance and negligence on their own. For us. Hampi is not about the past, present, and on our continuing neglect of our history. When it comes to history we believe "Ignorance is bliss. As a contradiction to our deep religiousness, Hampi's close association with the Ramayana and Mahabharata has not led to most of us to understand, explore or protect what is our heritage.

Rescuing heritage is not an easy task. This requires the participation of ordinary people who need a change of mentality. There are many places like India that will benefit from a little attention and resources. It is a part of corporate social responsibility to help restore and conserve out the past to the future. In fact, it is our dharma to play a role in saving our heritage-Sanjai Velayudhan.

© velayudhan Sanjai

Note: The author wishes his opinion both bouquets and stones. Write to me @ gmail.com sanjai.velayudhan.

About the Author

Sanjai is a behavioural trainer by education and loyalty programs specialist by profession. He has an undying interest in Human psychology and behaviour. Currently based out of India, he has worked extensively in the middle east.

SHIVRATRI AARTI – OM JAI SHIV OMKARA WITH REAL AARTI FLAME FOR MAHASHIVRATRI