The Virupaksha Temple in Hampi is dedicated to lord Shiva. The distance from Bangalore to Hampi is about 350 km. Hampi is a temple town in South India and is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Virupaksha Temple is dedicated to lord Shiva. This temple was constructed in Lakkana Dandesha’s assistance who was a commander under King Deva Raya II. Virupaksha temple in Hampi, Karnataka’s Vijayanagara district, is a testament to Hampi’s historical and architectural glory. It belongs to the Group of Monuments at Hampi, declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Virupaksha temple, Hampi, is dedicated to Lord Shiva, built by Lakkan Dandesha, a nayaka (chieftain) of the ruler, Paruda Deva Raya, during the Vijayanagara rule. It is also otherwise known as the Pampapathi temple and is a surviving structure amidst the ruins of Hampi. It is the oldest temple in Hampi and is flocked by pilgrims and tourists. It is different from the Prasanna Virupaksha Temple or the underground Shiva temple in Hampi.
Virupaksha Temple, Hampi History
Virupakshna temple, Hampi’s history is incessant from about the 7th century. Virupaksha-Pampa retreat has existed for a very long time. Inscriptions associated with Lord Shiva date back to the 9th and 10th centuries. The Vijayanagara emperors added a large temple complex to what began as a humble structure. The Chalukyan and Hoysala emperors also contributed to the temple. The paintings on the temple’s ceilings date back to the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. Major renovation and restoration work, including the broken towers of the north and east gopura, was undertaken at the beginning of the 19th century.
The Virupaksha temple in Hampi is the only one that remains intact among the others ruined by the Bahmani sultanates and is still in use for worship. Even the destruction of Hampi in 1565 did not deter the Virupaksha-Pampa sect from their worship.
Virupaksha Temple, Hampi Architecture
Virupaksha temple, Hampi, apart from the sanctum, boasts of three antechambers, a pillared hall and an open pillared hall. Delicately carved pillars adorn the temple. A pillared cloister, entrance gateways, courtyards, smaller shrines, and numerous other structures encompass the temple complex. The nine-tiered eastern gateway, which accommodates some earlier structures, is 50 meters and is proportionately constructed. It provides access to the outer court, which features numerous smaller shrines. It has a stone base with a brick structure. The Kanakagiri gopuram to the north leads to a small enclosure with smaller shrines and onward to the Tungabhadra river.
One of the most interesting features of the Virupaksha temple in Hampi is the use of mathematical concepts in its construction and decoration. The repeated patterns in the construction depict the concept of fractals. The temple is triangular in shape. The noteworthy ruler of the Vijayanagara empire, Krishnadevaraya, is the major contributor to the temple as per the inscriptions on a stone plaque installed next to the pillared hall. He was instrumental in building the central pillared hall and the gateway tower, which provides access to the temple’s inner courtyard. The halls in the temple were used for different purposes, with images of the gods placed to view programs of music, dance, drama, etc. They were also used to officiate the marriages of the gods.
A large number of tourists throng the Virupaksha temple in Hampi to witness the betrothal and marriage ceremonies of Lord Virupaksha and Goddess Pampa in December, as well as the annual Chariot festival. The temple has stood the test of time and has proved to be the surviving glory of Hampi.
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