Deccan Heritage Foundation

15/05/2026

Signed, limited-edition photographs of Hampi by award-winning Australian architectural photographer John Gollings — now available through the DHF Online Print Shop.

Drawn from City of Victory: Hampi Vijayanagara by John M. Fritz and George Michell, the photographs capture the monumental landscapes of Vijayanagara across four decades.

Explore the collection via the link in bio.

28/04/2026

Replenished waters at the ancient Nagakunda Stepwell, Sudi, Karnataka.

Recently restored by the Deccan Heritage Foundation, the Nagakunda Stepwell is once again a functional water source. This restoration project not only helped preserve a significant monument but also restore a living resource, contributing to the local hydrological system and community use, with continued stewardship by the zero-waste NGO, gandipet_welfare_society.

Open to visitors, the site offers a rare opportunity to experience a working stepwell within the historical landscape of Sudi.

[Ancient Stepwell, Kalyani Chalukya Dynasty, Heritage Conservation, Heritage Management, Baoli]

27/04/2026

Deccani Studies Program | Accepting applications till May 9 2026

Following our inaugural edition of the Deccani Studies Program with Ashoka University, the DHF is now inviting applications for the 2026 cohort from undergraduate students across India.
From Ajanta and Ellora to Bijapur, Hampi, Lakkundi and beyond, the program brings together site visits, expert-led lectures, and hands-on conservation experience at our ongoing project, in Mysuru.

Write to [email protected].
Scholarships are available for eligible students.
Learn more via the link in bio.

This program has been created by the DHF in collaboration with the Harish & Bina Shah Foundation (HBSF) and Ashoka University.

[Heritage Conservation, Heritage Management, Architectural History, Temple Architecture]

27/04/2026

23/04/2026

What does it mean to study the Deccan in the field? Hear from students of the inaugural cohort of our Deccani Studies Program, as they reflect on a month that reshaped how they see heritage.

Created by the Deccan Heritage Foundation India in collaboration with the Harish & Bina Shah Foundation (HBSF) and Ashoka University, the program brings together history, architecture, and practice in ways the classroom cannot.

From rock-cut caves to living temples, from archives to active conservation sites, it offers an immersive, field-based learning experience across the Deccan.

[Incredible India, South India, Temple Architecture, Golconda, Chalukya, Vijayanagara]

30/03/2026

Off the beaten track: Within Somanathapura village in Karnataka, about 100 metres east of the Keshava temple, stands a small pavilion with four columns, now missing its roof. This was probably used at festival times for displaying processional images coming from the temple’s shrines.

The ruinous, overgrown Panchalingeshvara temple stands outside the village beside the road leading to T. Narasipura. Of its original five east-facing linga shrines, only three survive to any extent.

Discover more lesser-known monuments in our guidebook Hoysala Legacy: Halebidu, Belur and Somnathpur. Planning a visit? Explore suggested itineraries to Somanathpur and Srirangapatna from Mysuru or Bengaluru on the Travel section of our website.

Photo credit: Surendra Kumar

[Hoysala Dynasty, Temple Architecture, Architectural History, Heritage, Carvings, Linga, Travel India, Deccan]

27/03/2026

Art from the Deccan: The earliest paintings and illustrated manuscripts from Golconda reflect the dynasty’s origins in Iran, and the kind of training Indian artists received at the time, which was based on contemporary Iranian styles. During the course of the 17th century, other kinds of manuscripts with poetry in Dakhni, or albums combining samples of painting and calligraphy became more popular, and unique forms of Golconda painting developed. Artists also started to experiment with the imagery and methods of depicting perspective and volume that they observed in the European paintings and engravings that were becoming available in the Deccan. By the 1650s, painting styles changed again and a strong Mughal influence can be seen in the paintings made for the sultan Abdullah and his courtiers.

Pictured: Six polo players on the field, 1585, From the collection of the San Diego Museum of Art

[Fine Art, Persian Miniature Painting, Mughal Art, Art History, Indian History]

25/03/2026

On the ground in Sudi. Adjacent to the restored Nagakunda Stepwell, this Ganesha shrine is part of a larger sacred landscape shaped by water, ritual, and everyday community use. Conserved by the Deccan Heritage Foundation with the support of the Devineni family, the site continues to be cared for by , whose zero-waste practices ensure long-term, community-led stewardship. Moments like these remind us that heritage lives not only in monuments, but in the spaces and relationships around them.

[Gadag District, Temple Architecture, Kalyani Chalukya Dynasty, Empire, Carved Heritage, Heritage Conservation, Architectural Restoration]