HAMPI (2018 to ongoing)
My fascination with Hampi began in 2018, not as a student of architecture, but as a skeptic of the landscape. As a documentary photographer, I have always been drawn to the pulse of life rather than the stillness of scenery. However, arriving in the midnight shadows of the Tungabhadra River in my first visit in 2018, I was unprepared for the transformation that the dawn would bring. As the sun ascended, the landscape shed its inanimate mask; the golden light didn’t just illuminate the boulders—it awakened them.
This body of work is the result of twenty pilgrimages over the last eight years, focusing on the intersection of ancient geology and contemporary biology. I found that the massive, weathered boulders of Hampi are not merely remnants of a prehistoric past, but a stage for a vibrant, living ecosystem. Through my pictures, I explore the symbiosis between the creature and the crag, documenting how animals breathe life into these seemingly lifeless megaliths.
In this series, the "Living Stones" are portrayed as dynamic entities. I capture the movement of life against the stillness of the stone:By centering my work on this relationship, I seek to challenge the traditional perception of Hampi as a graveyard of empires. Instead, I present it as a continuous, breathing dialogue between the earth and the inhabitants who call its ruins home.