Badavilinga Temple, One of the largest Monolithic sculptures of Hampi. Shivalinga, a 3m monolithic sculpture inside a chamber. Channel of water flow through this chamber, hence the shrine chamber is always full of water and It is said that the water is sourced through a small channel from Near by Tungabhadra River, chamber of water provide a calm and tranquil ambiance to the temple. Sunlight focuses on the Linga through open top which gives it a halo kind of divine background. Badava means ‘Poor’ in local language. The linga was made by a poor woman, hence got a name Badavi Linga. The Linga is situated next to the Narsimha-Lakshmi sculpture ( partially damaged and burned due to the invasions) which itself is a 6.7m monolith.
Currently a 90 year old priest K N Krishna Bhat offering his prayers and is taking care of this temple meticulously with lot of devotion. The daily pooja (Hindu prayer ritual) is a bit of an adventure as a three-meter tall monolithic idol dwarfing the pint-sized man still he clean it, he has no option but to cling to the structure while clearing it of the previous day’s flowers. In the absence of a ladder or scaffolding in the water-logged temple, he steps on the base of the Shivalinga for support. Clean it, put holy ashes on it and offer flowers. All this started nearly 40 years ago when he arrived at Hampi from a tiny village in Tirthahalli taluk in Shivamogga district to work as a priest at Satyanarayana temple. Later, he was appointed to the Badavi Linga temple by descendants of the Anegundi royal family. Still at the ripe age of 90, the hermit does not miss his duty, he comes to the temple every morning, complete the daily rituals, sprinkles the holy water and offer the blessings to the devotees and stays at the temple until evening Now the sheer devotion and allegiance of the hunch-backed man draws a lot of eyeballs and cameras.Everybody curiously admire this old hermit and his assiduity.
I was also very marveled when I have first seen him. His lifestyle was so enthralling that I couldn't resist myself from reading and inquiring about him. There wasn't much but just few details as you have read. To find out the "Truth" that he have discovered in all these years of his ascetic life I tried to ask him some questions but I think language has became barrier in that case or may be a hearing impairments due to the age but one thing I have realized that his dedication and perseverance is ineffable and instead of his "Truth" I should seek for my "Truth" which will show me the path of perseverance and dedication
