To Live In The Shadows Of Ancient Temples

Wow.

This was the word that kept slipping out of my mouth and circling my mind when walking around Hampy.

The first reason is because of all the granite hills that makes up the environment here. There are so many slabs and boulders and piles of rocks. Interspersed between these granite hills are valleys of deep, dark, lush green. The foliage is from the rice and banana fields as well as other vegetation they are growing here.

The second reason is because of the incredible array of temples and ruins that exist in the area. The village of Hampy surrounds the tallest of them all, the Virupaksha Temple. It's in the traditional Jain-style. It is still very much intact and used. There are some temples that have been excavated and restored. They are in astonishly good condition. They range in date from the mid-1300s to early 1600s. I really wish that I had the ability to upload pictures onto this blog now so that I may share with you how they look!

There is still pockets of archaeological digging going on. All is done by manual labor. The dirt is moved one basketful by one basketful on the tops of the heads of Indian women while many of the men are digging or moving freshly excavated ornate slabs into place.

While this all goes on, there are playfully energetic monkeys that chase each other around. Some, not so energetic, sit contemplatively, watching the activity around them in stoic quiet.

Astounding.