Starting today, we’ll begin to band together visions of our unusual world through the eyes of our community. From first class photogs to wanderers witnessing moments in time, Camera Obscura will document our strange planet with a new lens. 

Steep temples ascend over undulating topography and scattered stone statues of Hindu deities in the ancient, mystical town of Hampi. Built on the banks of the Tungabhadra River and set amidst the ancient capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, Hampi is celebrated as a crucible of Hindu mythology and home to some of the most idyllic examples of Hindu architecutre in all of India. 

temple to hanuman

The quintessential dreamscape has been a storied backdrop for Vedic poetry and classical Hindu mythology, most notably in The Ramayana, where Hampi is idenitfied with the historical Kishkindha, the Vanara, or monkey kingdom. 

photograph by Joshua Cogan

Pictured above is a Saddhu in deep third eye meditiation high atop Matanga Hill.

The photograph above was taken by Joshua Cogan during a 2002 journey to India where he documented the diverse religious landscape of the country. See more of of his work here. 

Hampi, Karnataka, India on the Atlas Obscura