History, Importance, Timings, Festivals, Architecture, Interesting Facts and Travel Guide of Virupaksha Temple, Hampi, Karnataka, India
Virupaksha temple, located on bank of river Tungbhadra in Hampi, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the Bellari district of Karnataka, India is one of the magnificent temple of Hampi. This temple is a part of the group of Monuments at Hampi, which are designated as a World Heritage Site. The temple is solely dedicated to Lord Virupaksha, one of the form of Lord Shiva. What makes the temple special is that since the 7th Century, this temple has been functioning without a break. There are around 33 smaller shrines inside the Virupaksha temple complex. It is believed that initial temple was small and simple but over the period it was expanded during several other rulers of Vijayanagar, Hoysala and Chalukyan.
The temple is known for its architecture and is constructed in Dravidian architectural style. Once you enter the complex an elephant named Lakshmi will be there to welcome you. There are three main entrances –Gopurams, two on the east side and one on the north side. The main tower in east side has imposing structure, 9 stories, 50 meters tall, built in the fifteenth century. Eastern tower is the main entrance to Virupaksha Temple. This Gopuram has extensive carving on each of its floors featuring hundreds of Hindu gods and goddesses. Vijayanagara rulers built this large complex around pre-existed small shrines of Virupaksha and Pampa. The height of the temple is around 165 feet. The center pillared hall is the most ornate structure known as RANGA MANTAPA which was constructed by Krishna Deva Raya during 1510 AD. This hall with 38 pillars is used for temple rituals including the marriage ceremonies. The mural panel of the central portion of the hall is one of the few remains of the Vijayanagara art. The art is usually based on the Godly themes. There are some erotic sculptures on the southern side of the gopuram. At the entrance there is a Nandi statue called Trikalajana Nandi. It is a Nandi statue with three heads. There are pillared open Mandapas along the wall which are used for meditation. There is an interesting Mandapa near the light mandap. According to locals, if we can touch the thumb and index finger of both hands, our wishes will be fulfilled.
East facing temple has two large courtyards, one leading to the other. This courtyard mainly houses a pillared hall called 100-column hall at the far left corner, Kalyanamantapa at the far right corner. Outside the temple is the street which is commonly called the Hampi bazaar. The street has the old pavilions and they are two storeys. These structures were once a part of the market. Legends say that this was the market where the gold, diamond, jewels and other expensive items used to be sold during that period.
It is one of the temples in Hampi where puja takes place daily. Pujas take place thrice in a day. The temple celebrates the marriage festival of Virupaksha and Pampa in December. Thousands of devotees come during this month and enjoy the festival. In the month of February the annual chariot festival is celebrated. The temple has its own elephant that it uses for processions – a long-lived unique tradition of Indian temples.
In the temple campus, just before the exit on the right side you would find a dark chamber with a slit on the wall. Once sunray pass through this slit forms an inverted shadow of the main tower on the wall, a kind of pinhole camera effect created with amazing stonework.
How to Reach Hampi, The UNESCO World Heritage Site, Karnataka, India
As Hampi is major tourist destination of Karnataka and UNESCO world heritage site, it is easily reachable via road, rail and air network. Nearest railway station from Hampi is at 13 km in Hospet from where you can get train to all major station of India. From Hospet, you can get private vehicle to reach Hampi. You can get government and private vehicle from nearby cities to reach here by road. You can reach here via air connectivity easily as there are couple airport near Hampi. Vidyanagar at 30 Km, Bellary airport at 60, Hubli at 143 km.
