Monuments and their ruins are fascinating places. The grandeur and the stunning, intricate architecture is expected, but what fascinates me more is the unexpected. The little surprises tucked away in nooks and crannies, the play of light and shadow from certain angles, a tiny carving in a corner that has so many details but is overlooked because we don’t know where to look.
As we wandered the dim corridors of the Veerupaksha temple, the guide drew our attention to a nondescript vent in the ceiling from where the light streamed in and ended in a small, bright spot on the floor. But when we stood on the spot and held up our hands, the light splashed right into our palms and then spilled over. It was divine light!
We moved ahead to another mysterious display of light and shadow. In one dark corner of the temple passage was a wall with a inverted triangle sort of inscription on it. Which was not an inscription at all but the inverted shadow of the temple ‘gopuram’ Which, as we had earlier been informed, was the highest ‘gopuram’ of all the temples in Hampi. That shadow is visible through the day. The mystery is the planning and construction of the walls in a way that allows the shadow to form.
So, there you have it- a teaching aid for maths, physics and architecture. And history and archaeology as well.
Now that’s integrated learning!
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