Hi friends! Today, in this tourism blog of mine, I am going to introduce you to a beautiful lake named 'Pampa Sarovar.' If you ever visit the world-famous heritage site of Hampi, South India, don't forget to visit Pampa Sarovar, located nearby Hampi! Though this is a small lake, according to Indian scriptures, it is considered one of the five sacred lakes of India. Pampa, an avatar of Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva, is believed to have performed penance in this place to show her devotion to Lord Shiva. That's how the lake came to be known as Pampa Sarovar (Sarovar means "lake" in Sanskrit). In all four corners of the lake, there are beautifully carved stone steps to reach the water. However, tourists are warned through a notice board not to enter the waters of the lake, as a fully grown crocodile is believed to reside there.
On the banks of this scenic lake, there is a historically famous Lakshmi temple, built during the Vijayanagara Empire between the 13th and 16th centuries. There is also a Shiva temple and a small Ganesha shrine built under a mango tree.
Adjacent to the Lakshmi temple, there is a wonderful rock formation known as Shabari's cave. It is in this cave that Shabari, an aged female devotee of Lord Rama, sat meditating upon Rama for years until he arrived there to visit her, as per the great Indian scripture 'Ramayana.' There are stone steps that lead you to this underground cave, but tourists are cautioned against engaging in such a misadventure, as the cave is believed to be inhabited by wild animals like wolves and bears. Even as you enter the outer part of this cave through a narrow passage, you will be surprised by the extremely cool air circulating in there, even if there is scorching mid-summer heat just outside the cave!
This cave is nestled deep inside a hill formed by huge rocks and boulders. There are steel stairs constructed to help you reach the top of the hill, from where you can enjoy a bird's-eye view of the entire region.
There is a huge monkey clan residing in the hill! Luckily, the monkeys here are not aggressive or bothersome towards tourists. You will find two types of monkeys here:
Rhesus macaque: This monkey has a pink face with little body fur and is brown or gray.
Semnopithecus entellus, commonly called Gray Langurs, possess a black face.
During my visit to Pampa Sarovar with my husband Sunil, it was great fun and exciting to feed these monkeys bananas! Here is the video of those fun moments we enjoyed!
Hope you all found this tourism blog of mine interesting and useful!
- Rekha Sunil