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Itinerant Sadhus

Hampi, India

In search of the transcendental

The UNESCO declared heritage site of Hampi is a great spiritual magnet. It attracts the scholarly, the curious and the deeply pious. It also calls to itself a small number of individuals who are committed to the path of worldly renunciation. These men come from all over the country and have, over time, become a singular community unto themselves easily identifiable by their ochre or white robes, sacred threads, matted hair and rudraksha malas. They take up residence in some of the old temples from the Vijayanagara period that are scattered about the area, turning them into active places of worship with daily prayers and pujas.

We visited one such community of sadhus at the famous Malyavanta Raghunatha swamy temple in Venkatapura, Hampi. This temple has a special place in the Ramayana tradition. It is believed to be the site where Lord Rama and his brother Lakshmana spent the monsoon season while on their search for Sita. It is now home to a group of home grown mendicants who keep the shrine alive by chanting Ram bhajans round the clock. It is an act of faith and one of remembrance at the same time.

We had the distinct privilege of talking to this small and motley band of sadhus residing within the temple precincts. They were from the brahmin community hailing from different parts of north and south India. Some of these were highly educated men, having left behind flourishing careers and businesses in answer to a deep spiritual calling.

60-year-old Bipin Jha was one of them. He came from Beguserai in Bihar and has been a hermit for the last 16 years of his life. He belongs to a sub sect called the Grihasta Brahmins, is married and has four children whom he visits occasionally. Though reserved in manner he is an intelligent man and holds a Master’s degree in Psychology. He tried his hand at teaching for a few years before being moved to walk the path of the renunciate. He was not consumed with worry for his family or their welfare, nor for his own. Lord Rama will provide for both them and him was his belief. He was happy devoting his days in prayer and worship to the Lord of Ayodhya.

We next went to the Gudda Thimappa temple nearby. The presiding deity here – Gudda Thimappa – is another name for Mahavishnu in his Matsya avatar. The history of this temple is not well known but it is believed to have been built during the early days of the Vijayanagara kingdom and its age varies from 500-1000 years depending on whom you ask. We met with Raja Ram Dass, the chief caretaker and priest of this temple. It is picturesquely located on a small hillock with stone steps carved into its rocky side leading up to the shrine at the top. The temple, though impressive, is small in comparison to the Malyavanta temple we had visited earlier. Nonetheless, it had a warm and palpable sanctity about it that drew one in, whether casual visitor or devoted worshipper.

Raja Ram Dass was quite unusual for a temple priest we discovered. A well informed and articulate Iyengar Brahmin hailing from Chennai, he was fluent in many languages that included Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, Gujarati and English. His early days were spent in Gujarat where his father officiated as a priest in a small temple. Whilst there, he tells us, his mother dreamt about a small temple in the vicinity of Hampi that was abandoned. It was badly in need of a steward who could revive it and bring devotees to its doors once again. This was the Gudda Thimappa temple where they moved to soon after. Over the years they revived the temple and made it active again. Though not as reputed as some of the others in Hampi the Gudda Thimappa temple has its own share of worshippers who are ardent devotees of Vishnu.

Though from the Brahmin priestly class these men could marry as did Raja Ram. He now has a wife and child and they, along with his elderly parents, live in a small house located close to the temple shrine. They do not get any support from the state or any other institution and subsist solely on the offerings and gifts from devotees. When asked if he intends for his son to grow up in his footsteps, he was not sure. He could see clearly that times were changing. Technology was now the new God of people spinning webs of dreams and fantasy that kept them enthralled. Will it make them genuinely happy and fulfilled? Only time would tell. People turn to the real Gods in moments of strife and distress. Hopefully they may come to seek the guidance of Gudda Thimappa again then!