Watch the Recording.

As a part of the Exhibition on “Hampi – A Photographic Journey Tracing the Aesthetics of Perseverance and Valour”, BhāratShakti team organised a Lecture-discussion by Dr. Nanda Kishore M S, Head of the Department of Politics & International Studies and Chair of Sri Aurobindo Studies, Pondicherry University. This event was held on 13th March, 2025 at Ashram Exhibition House. Members of the Ashram community interested in Indian history, art and culture as well as several students from Sri Aurobindo International Center of Education (SAICE) and Pondicherry University attended the programme.

The programme began with a short meditation with the Mother’s music. Dr. Beloo Mehra, Director, BhāratShakti, welcomed everyone and introduced the speaker. In his presentation, Dr. Nanda Kishore began by saying that the academic disciplines of Politics and International Relations cannot be properly understood unless one knows History. To really know ourselves, it’s important that we know our history and what kind of legacy that the past has left behind for us. He made the point how the great empires that were established had a spiritual guide – as in the case of the Hoysala empire, it was the great Ramanuja while in the case of the Vijayanagara Empire, it was Vidyaranya who inspired Harihara and Bukka, the two founders of the empire.

The Vijayanagara empire had two components – one was the political seat of power and the other was the cultural centre because it also happened to be the land of Hanuman and the place where Rama met Vali and Sugriva.

Vijayanagara was ruled by four dynasties during its life and all the rulers were protectors and upholders of Dharma. But the empire had its most glorious run during the reign of Krishna Devaraya who was really a philosopher-king. The famous Tenali Raman also belonged to the court of Krishna Devaraya. About the cultural marvels that the empire contributed, Dr. Nanda Kishore talked specifically about the hall of the musical pillars in the Vijaya Vitthala temple where solid stone pillars gave out the sounds of the seven notes of the musical scale. And the marvellous stone chariot which finds its depiction in one of India’s currency notes .

Finally, he talked about the fall and decline of the empire at the hands of the combined attack by 4 rulers of the Deccan sultanate at the battle of Talikota and the massive plunder, destruction and vandalism that was carried out thereafter. He urged to listeners to visit Hampi and see for themselves the glory of that bygone empire and to read the works of Nilkantha Shastry’s work on the Vijayanagara empire to know more about it and not just think about it as a place of ruins and broken temples and images.

Dr. Nanda Kishor’s lecture which used an engaging storytelling approach and synthesised several cultural, historical and political aspects connected with Vijayanagara Empire was appreciated by all participants. An engaging question-answer followed the lecture where some of the students and the members of the audience participated with lot of enthusiasm.

Click here to watch the full Photo Gallery. Watch the Recording of the talk.