The Hampi series is inspired by the landscape, its history and the complex relationship that exists between man and land. While awareness of the history of a place is an important element of my work and it often inspires me to visit a new place, I attempt to create pictures which draw from the atmosphere of the landscape.

My photographic documentary involves the region’s ancientness with an observation of the Vijaynagara civilisation, alongside the history of human habitation that has existed here for at least 3,000 years. Hampi is imbued with the presence of gods, goddesses and heroes; where a peacock’s straining echoic voice also calls for its presence to be felt.

Starting from prehistoric rock shelters to present-day human existence, my love for the place evolved when I felt how much I was mesmerised by this magical setup of Vijaynagara. I found a certain familiarity with the Roman Empire for its vastness of landscape and sculptural tradition.

My frequent visits transformed my vision and through the course of time, I started developing a silent yet emotional relation with the structural identities of Vijaynagara, marked as a landmark of engineering in Indian archaeology. Here I found my world.

My love for Hampi’s landscape ensured that I could not afford to go the easy way of shooting with my standard camera. I decided to explore it in a panoramic and medium format camera. It gave me the opportunity to look for other ways of expressing myself.

Gradually, my quest to capture the facets of the Vijaynagara civilisation asked for more beyond the dark landscape on the lap of the amazing sky scene. I tried to capture this captivating civilisation in my photographs.

After spending months interacting with this heavenly landscape, I finally managed to create a part of my venture in my dark room. The results are my pictures. Today, I am in a position to sew a story on this mammoth civilisation with my photographs.