Hampi

Of Gods And Kings

An Unforgettable Past

India’s rich, legendary past is a mesmerizing story of unfathomable beauty and valour. And Hampi, is a glorious part of that very story. While ironically, it bears ruins of the medieval ‘City of Victory’; Vijayanagar, it also evokes a great sense of pride about India’s powerful and prosperous past.

Strewn with majestic architectural remains, every crevice of the landscape oozes with history about grand dynastic lineages, the city’s fraught battles and sieges, the lavish royal entertainments and sacrosanct religious ceremonies. Hampi bears proof of the once flourishing civilization while making an intriguing mythological narrative as it is mentioned as one of the iconic places in the Ramayana.

“During a site visit to Karnataka with Mr. Jindal, I enquired about temples around the area. The locals directed me towards Hampi, whose ruins fascinated me immensely. Besides, the natives also mentioned that a foreigner, George Michell, was trying to develop Hampi, so I decided to meet him and learn more about it.

Although Michell was hesitant at first, he gave me a book to read, so I could learn about the place. Finally, once he realized that I had the perseverance required, we started to work together to help restore Hampi. We haven’t looked back since.”

Mrs. Sangita Jindal, Chairperson - JSW Foundation

 

A Monumental Present

Hampi’s status as the UNESCO World Heritage Site is a testament of all its cosmological, spiritual and religious grandeur. While the natural beauty at the banks of the river Tungabhadra looks nothing less than awe-inspiring, the spiritual energy that the remains of the shrines in Hampi exude, is irrepressible.

Such a marvel of India’s cultural heritage could not go unnoticed by us, at JSW. And so, in the year 2000, Mrs. Sangita Jindal, emotionally and intellectually, took onus of restoring the Hampi. In partnership with Global Heritage Fund, it has restored the 15th century Chandramauleshwar Temple in Anegundi, while it continues work on the Soumya Someshwar Temple.

 

A Glorious Future

Our endeavors to restore this magnificent national inheritance, have given a new ray of hope to the local community through onsite employment. With the intent of immortalizing this historic land, we’ve also published a picturesque book with photographs by Bharath Ramamrutham and a forward by William Dalrymple.

The Hampi project that was set up by JSW in 2000 has been conferred the UNESCO-Asia Pacific Award for Merit for Cultural Heritage Conservation. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has also permitted JSW to collaborate in the restoration of the Krishna Temple within the Sacred Centre of Hampi and the Soumya Someshwar Temple, amongst other places.

With irrepressible fervor to give back to the community and the world at large, we’re making restoration of every kind, a big part of our being. So that, by the end of every tomorrow, we feel like we’re getting better every day.