Banana Fibre – Empowering Women

Issue #10, 2023                                                                              ISSN: 2581- 9410 I (Shama Pawar) came to Hampi in 1997 as a young artist and little did I know that Anegundi - Hampi would be my life’s work. Even on my first visit I enquired if there was a village, a living settlement within the site. It was then that I was directed to Anegundi, a historical settlement that predates the Vijayanagara Hampi. Located on the banks of the Thungabhadra this region has been known as a pilgrimage place ever since the 6CE. The Chalukyan inscriptions call it Pampakshetra. In the 14th Century the Vijayanagara Capital was established in Hampi and the rest is history. My work has little to do with history. I certainly use it as an inspiration and certainly think of it as a Heritage Resource. The word “Heritage” though has a different connotation for me. It is not limited to just architecture or other conventional aspects be it intangible or tangible. For me Heritage is everything that shapes our being. Everything from nature, culture, irrigation systems, agriculture. These are the aspects that have influenced the living culture of the World Heritage Site of Hampi.

 Anegundi View from Elepahant stable