For the history enthusiasts Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage site, may conjure up images of architectural ruins. But for senior photographer Shivashankar Banagar, it is a vast stage to capture the beauty of light and shadow illuminating the monuments set amidst rocky terrain.
A Hospet-based photographer, he has been capturing the ethereal beauty of the Hampi landscape under different lighting conditions for decades. A selection of his photographs is now on display in Mysuru at Mr. Banagar’s maiden photo expo. This is surprising for a photographer who is renowned in the photography circles as an artist who has captured different shades and hues of Hampi on a regular basis.
Inspired by fellow photographers who taught him the intricacies of playing with light and shadow, Mr. Banagar has been focusing on monuments and historical places of interest for the greater part of his career. But Hampi is an emotion for Mr. Banagar as evident in his photographs which capture the effects of changing seasons on the monuments of Hampi, be it monsoon, post-monsoon, winter or summer with sky and clouds adding to the drama.
As a long-time photographer of Hampi, he is also critical of the way a section of the tourists tend to behave while visiting places of historical importance.
‘’It is this behaviour which has forced the Archaeological Survey of India to erect a wooden barricade around the Vittala temple chariot robbing it of its sheen from the aesthetic point of view. It is ugly but the ASI is helpless and the visitors are responsible for it,” rues Mr. Banagar who called for more respect towards heritage and conservation.
The expo titled “Twilight Whispers of Hampi”, showcases 40 of Mr. Banagar’s photographs of the monuments and the landscape and is on at Neralu Belaku Gallery, Coffee City, Vijaynagar 2nd stage near Water Tank Circle. The exhibition, which was inaugurated by K.V. Rajendra, Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru on Saturday, will be on till February 29 before it moves to other parts of the State in the days ahead.
