160924-Hampiprinter.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
BRICS Young Scientist Forum Bangalore Conclave 2016 25 Sep—01 Oct Hampi Splendours of a World Heritage Site Department of Science & Technology National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) Government of India, New Delhi Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bengaluru BRICS Young Scientist Forum Bangalore Conclave 2016 25 Sep—01 Oct Hampi: The note on the back cover is written by Splendours of a World Heritage Site Prof Sundar Sarukkai. The main essay is Edited by written by Prof Sharada Srinivasan on Baldev Raj behalf of the NIAS Heritage, Science and Society Programme and Department of Baldev Raj is Director, National Science and Technology– India Digital Institute of Advanced Studies. Heritage Hampi team (DST-IDH Hampi): NIAS, IIT-D, NID, IIT-B, IIT-M, IIACD, KU- Sharada Srinivasan is Hampi, IIT-KGP, KSCST, IIIT-H, CCK, ISI- Professor and the Kolkata, IIT-M, BVBCET, DAIICT and IGCAR. Dean of NIAS Heritage, Science and Society Programme. Sources: DST-IDH project, www.digitalhampi.in with NIAS as a Sundar Sarukkai is Professor coordinating institution, www.nias.res.in. of philosophy at the NIAS. The DST-IDH Hampi project is a multi- institutional collaboration bringing BYS Conclave Steering Group together technologists and cultural Prof Baldev Raj, Director, NIAS (Chairperson) practitioners across leading institutions Prof DD Sarma, IISc, Bengaluru for exploring the use of digital Prof S Hassan, Bengaluru technologies in the representation of art Dr Sadhana Relia, DST, New Delhi Dr RK Sharma, DST, New Delhi and architecture of the UNESCO World Dr Shubra Priyadarshini, Nature India, Gurgaon Heritage site of Hampi. NIAS is a major Prof Sundar Sarukkai, NIAS coordinating institution and is also Prof Anindya Sinha, NIAS working towards a Hampi Knowledge Prof D. Suba Chandran, NIAS Bank. BRICS-STI Coordinating Ministries PMAC Chair: A. Jhunjhunwala (IIT-M) Brazil: Ministry of Science, Technology and Inno- DST Coordinator: K. Murali Mohan vation (Contact Person: Mr. Danilo Zimbres, Senior International Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Knowledge Bank PIs: S. Settar (NIAS) & Science, Technology and Innovation); V. Chandru (IIACD) Russia: Department of Science and Technology, Coordinators: S. Chaudhury (IIT-D) (Contact Person: Dr.Andrey Polyakov, Deputy Di- (Technology), Sharada Srinivasan & S. rector of the Department, Ministry of Education Ranganathan (NIAS) (Culture) and Science of the Russian Federation); Technology PIs: S. Chaudhury (IIT-D), A Mittal India: Department of Science and Technology, (IIT-M), A Rajagopalan (IIT-M), P. Kalra (IIT-D), (Contact Person: Ms. Sadhana Relia, Adviser/ P.K. Biswas (IIT-KGP), J. Mukhopadhyay (IIT- Scientist G and Head, International Multilateral & KGP), P. Chaudhuri (IIT-B), B. Chanda (ISI-K), S. Regional Cooperation Division); Chaudhury (IIT-B), U. Mudengudi (BVCET) & U. China: Ministry of Science and Technology, Vijay (KCST) (Contact Person: Ms. Wang Rongfang, Coordina- tor, Division of International Organizations & Con- Culture PIs: S. Srinivasan (NIAS), V. Chandru ferences, Ministry of Science and Technology); (IIACD), M. Rao (NID-B), Chaluvaraju (KU- South Africa: Department of Science & Technolo- Hampi), V Rangachar (CCK), A Garimella gy, (Contact Person: Dr. Neville Arendse, Chief Di- (ART), M. Joshi (DAIICT), A Namboodri (IIIT- rector Overseas Bilateral Cooperation, Department H), M. Natampally (NIAS) & K. Kumari of Science & Technology) 2 National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) Hampi: Splendours of a World Heritage Site Vijayanagara: The City of Victory spanning temples, forts, tanks, irrigation networks, palatial complexes and mauso- The World Heritage Site of Hampi in Kar- leums. Apart from this tangible heritage, nataka, India encompasses the spectacu- the site boasts of a vibrant intangible her- lar ruins of the medieval metropolis of the itage of crafts traditions, performing arts, Vijayanagara Empire which flourished rituals and festivals. While taking the from the 14th to 16th century AD in south- reader through the rich panorama of Vija- ern India. Ruled by powerful Hindu kings yanagara art and architecture, this essay etc. such as Krishnadeva Raya (early 16th also attempts to highlight and contextual- century), Vijayanagara (City of Victory) ise new facets brought to light through was compared in beauty and size to Rome the use of digital technologies in the by the Portuguese traveller Domingo study, documentation and representation Paes. Abdul Razzak, the Persian ambassa- of art and architecture. dor wrote that ‘the eye had never seen a place like it’. Sacked and abandoned in 1565 after its fall in the battle of Talikota Highlights of Vijayanagara Art and to the Deccan Sultanates, it was ‘re- Architecture discovered’ by Colin Mackenzie around 1800. In 1986, Hampi with its ruins sprawl- A captivating feature of Hampi for the visi- ing over an area of 4187.24 hectares was tor is the sheer variety that the site offers, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site of representing not just one or two monu- ‘universal value’. ments but a wide array of architectural and cultural remains from the sacred to Set within a dramatic landscape of granite the secular, from the royal to the every- hillocks snaked by the Tungabhadra river, day, and set within a pristine natural land- its ruins comprise an array of built edifices, scape of haunting beauty. These include urban, royal and sacred ensembles such as forts, riverside features and shrines, royal and sacred complexes, tem- ples, shrines, pillared halls or mandapas, pavil- ions, monumental and memorial structures, gateways, defense check posts, stables, tanks and water struc- tures. The rich repertoire of architecture in the southern Indian Dravidi- Achutaraya complex, Hampi from Matanga hill an style includes the Virupaksha temple with 3 BRICS Young Scientist Forum Bangalore Conclave 2016 25 Sep—01 Oct its imposing temple tower, the Vittala ic style domes, the watch towers and the temple, the Krishna temple, the Hajara charming space of the Queen’s bath with Rama temple, Achyuta Raya temple, the Islamic arches. The Queen’s bath is Hemakuta group of temples and others. thought to date to Achutaraya’s time and The typical Dravidian style of temple archi- seems to have been the private bathing tecture inspired by the Tamil Chola coun- chamber of the royals. The Hajara Rama, try included a central sanctum where a is a stately temple dedicated to the wor- stone image of the deity to be worshipped ship of Rama, exiled prince of Ayodhya would have been kept, surrounding sub- and one of the incarnations of Vishnu. sidiary mandapas or pavilions, and an out- er walled and colonnaded enclosure with Pre-Vijayangara heritage of He- four entrance towers or gopuras at the makuta Hill cardinal points. Many of these temples were also flanked with long colonnaded The Hemakuta Hill in the northern part of passageways which may have served as the City of Vijayanagara has some of the places for vendors in much the same way earliest structures of the site, dating back as in modern bazaars and shop fronts lin- to pre-Vijayanagara times. We know from ing temples where flowers and ritual ac- inscriptional records that this spot on the cessories for worship are sold amongst banks of the River Tungabhadra had other things. gained status as a pilgrimage spot at least Though a staunchly Hindu dynasty, the by the 8th century CE. One of the earliest catholic Vijayanagara court employed temples that came up on the spot is the Muslim officers in the court and military, shrine to Goddess Pampa, another name whose mausoleums and tombs are also for Tungabhadra. This was followed by a seen. In the secular and courtly architec- clutch of monuments that appeared on ture, influences from the northern Deccan the flanks of the Hemakuta Hill, mostly Muslim Sultanate provinces of Bijapur and memorial temples commemorating dead Golconda can be seen. These include the members of the royal families of Kampili. defense and military architecture such as Later, when the city of Vijayanagara was the expansive elephant stables with Islam- established, Hemakuta formed the nucle- Fortification around Mahanavami Dibba, Hampi 4 National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) Hampi: Splendours of a World Heritage Site around the Kishkinda mountains which are said to be connected with the mythol- ogy of the Ramayana, the popular Hindu epic about the victory of the valorous prince Rama over the demon Ravana. Kishkinda is said to been the kingdom of the vanara (i.e. half-human, half-monkey View of banks of Tungabhadra river beings) ruled by, Sugriva, with the help of the venerated Hanuman, who is said to The riverine setting amidst the splendor have helped Rama to vanquish Ravana of the Tungabhadra who had abducted his wife Sita. Founded The spectacular natural heritage of Ham- by the chieftains, Hakka and Bukka around pi, where its several monuments are dot- 1336 AD, four dynasties ruled Hampi (1336 ted along the expanse of the meandering – 1565 AD). Several temples and monu- Tungabhadra river, is one of its major at- ments came up along the expanse of the tractions. The name Hampi is thought to Tungabhadra river, which separates the derive from Pampa, the old name for the old capital of Anegondi from the later me- river Tungabhadra. tropolis of Vijayanagara. Emperor Krish- nadeva Raya (1509-1530 AD), poet and great patron of several edifices such as us of the sacred centre of the city. A the Krishna temple, won wars against the grand temple to Virupaksha, a form of the Deccan Muslim Sultanates and the Hindu god Shiva and the tutelary deity of the Raja of Orissa. The Tungabhadra river Kingdom, was erected near this place. In along with the rocky and hilly terrain, course of time, Pampa was established in served to make the Vijayanagara domin- a sub-shrine within the precincts of the ions relatively impregnable to northern Virupaksha Temple and her former shrine incursions, until the decisive battle of Tali- is a Durga Devi temple.