The toponym Hampi is derived from Pampa—another name of goddess Parvati. The Sanskrit word Pampa morphed into the Kannada word Hampa and eventually this place, where Parvati pursued Shiva, came to be known as Hampi.
According to Sthala Purana, Parvati (Pampa) pursued her ascetic, yogini lifestyle to attain Shiva on Hemakuta Hill. One day, at the break of dawn, my wife and I went up the gentle slope of Hemakuta Hill. And what we found left us mesmerized.
