Virupaksha Temple

Virupaksha Temple is an ancient temple of Hampi steeped in beauty. It is located on the bank of the river Tungabadra. It is dedicated to lord Shiva who is also known as Virupaksha or Pampapati. Pampa is the name of the goddess Parvati, the consort of lord Shiva. Even after so many centuries the temple attracts numerous devotees. Travellers also show deep interest in the ageless beauty of the temple. The number of devotees and tourists rise dramatically during the annual festival. It is celebrated with great fervour in the temple. The temple was built by Lokamahadevi, the Queen of Vikaramaditya II(A.D. 733-745) to celebrate her husband's victory over the Pallavas of Kanchipuram.

Standing the test of time, the temple still reflects its old world charm. Over the centuries, new additions were made to beautify the temple. Initially it had only a few shrines with images of the God and the Goddesses. Later several other shrines, halls with numerous pillars, flag posts, huge gateways and a big temple kitchen were added. A walk through the chariot street(now known as Hampi Bazar) brings you face to face with the main entrance of the temple.

The temple flaunts its incredible carvings and sculptures. The huge pillars depict several scenes from the great Hindu epics such as Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata and Kiratarjuniya. The pilasters are carved with beautiful sculptures of several couples, flora, fauns and geometrical patterns.