Skip to main content

Hampi - II : Virupaksha Temple


Virupaksha Temple: Hampi - II

The road to Hampi ends at the Virupaksha temple, which is the oldest monument of Hampi dating back to 7th century AD. The temple was reportedly extended and restored over and again, which is also one of the oldest functional Hindu temples in India. The temple is located on the right bank of the River Tungabhadra. Through the main road you will pass though one of the gateways to enter inside the fort.
The Main Gopura of the Virupaksha Temple
Virupaksha is a form of Shiva, major portion of the temple complex was extended during the reign of Krishnadevaraya. The temple complex is housed with three main towers or Gopuras. The largest one being the main entrance called as Bistappaya tower facing east is about 165ft tall. The smaller eastern gateway leads to the inner court with its numerous smaller shrines. This tower is also called as the Raya Gopura. 
The Raya Gopura with the Main gopura in the backdrop
The most striking feature of this court is the central pillared hall known as the Ranga Mandapa added to the temple complex in 1510 AD by Krishadeva Raya. The mural panel on the central portion of the hall is one of the few remains of this form of Vijayanagara art.
Paintings on the ceiling of the Ranga Mantapa
Paintings
Large panels of ceiling paintings
The later extended Northern Gopura along the Colonnade
Unique design of the Gopura
Behind the main sanctum there is a path which takes you up through the steps and to your right there is a dark chamber, here the sun rays passes through a small hole on the eastern side forming an inverted shadow of the main Gopura of the Virupaksha complex on the western wall. This can be compared with the mechanism of how camera works.

There is a colonnade around the north and south ends of the temple complex. These colonnades are an hallmark of Vijayanagara Style of Architecture. At the first sight it appears to be two adjacent pillars, but in reality they are compound column cut from a single piece of stone only to appear as if they are two.
The Colonnades representing the Vijayanagara Architecture
In front of the temple is the famous Hampi Bazaar, which extends about 1km and eventually ends at the other end with a multistoried mantapa. The Bazaar Street has been recently evacuated from the encroachers.

On your way back to Kamalapura are the monuments Krishna temple, a pushkarni, Kadalekalu Ganapathi, Sasivekalu Ganapathi, Badavi Linga and Ugra Narasimha. Since we didn’t had ample time we stopped only for Badavi Linga and Ugra Narasimha. These are just a few steps from the Kamalapura-Hampi main road.

The sculpture of Ugra Narasimha is the largest of the idols found in Hampi, which is about 22ft tall monolithic stone carving. The man-lion incarnation of Vishnu is in a seated Yoga posture. After the fall of Vijayanagara Kingdom this monument was attacked by the enemies and partially destroyed. The idol at present doesn’t have any temple structure, and is open to air. Behind the head of the idol of Vishnu there is a seven headed serpent with its hood open. This monolith was commissioned by Krishnadevaraya in 1528 AD.
The image of Ugra Narasimha is another iconic monument of Hampi
Badavi Linga is just beside the Ugra Narasimha statue, it is the biggest of all Linga’s found in Hampi about 10ft tall. The inner sanctum is open to sky and is always partly submerged in running water stream. The Linga is probably one of the most beautiful and is made out of black stone.
Badavi Linga
Our final attraction was the Vittala temple, and we knew it were to be closed to tourists by 6pm. So we had to hurry to our final destination without stopping anywhere. The motorable route to Vittala temple is a different route from Kamalapura, although one can walk through the path descending from Virupaksha temple passing by the Hampi Bazaar and Achutaraya Temple. The walk path is about 2.5km in distance from Virupaksha temple while the motorable route is 10km.


Hampi - I : The Royal Enclosure <-Back | Next -> Vitthala Temple: Hampi - III

Labels:
Location: Hampi, Karnataka 583239, India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sky Islands to the Pacific shores - Part 1: The Sky Islands of Southeastern Arizona

In August 2026, I crossed the Atlantic to chase a long-cherished dream, stepping into the vast, untamed birding horizons of the American Wild West. Across a sweeping route through Arizona, Texas, Utah, and California, I logged 108 total species -  the vast majority of them absolute lifers for me! While the landscapes were vast and the wildlife was extraordinary, what truly made the Arizona portion of the trip unforgettable was the incredible warmth of the local birding community. At almost every trail, feeding station, and wetland, I met welcoming, friendly locals who were quick to share site tips, point out hidden roosts, and make a first-time visitor feel right at home. While North America’s diverse habitats delivered endless surprises, it was Arizona's high-desert canyons, towering rims, and lush riparian corridors that anchored the trip. Here is a location-by-location breakdown of the top birding hotspots, standout avian highlights, and unexpected wildlife encounters from the A...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sky Islands to the Pacific Shores – Part 2: Desert Valleys, Urban Wetlands & The Grand Canyon

If you missed Part 1: The Sky Islands of Southeastern Arizona , we explored the cool, high-elevation pine-oak Canyons of Madera, Montosa, Ramsey, Ash, and Carr, tracking hummingbird diversity and vibrant montane species across the legendary Sky Island ranges. Leaving the high, pine-scented peaks of the Sky Islands behind, the journey transitions into the sprawling lowlands and desert basins of Arizona. This second leg follows a dramatic ecological gradient—from open desert waters and lush suburban wetland oases into the iconic giant Saguaro forests of the Sonoran Desert, before ascending the Colorado Plateau to the high-elevation pine rims of the Grand Canyon. 3. Canoa Ranch Conservation Park Nestled in the Santa Cruz River Valley, Historic Canoa Ranch combines rich Southwestern heritage with wide-open water and vast desert horizons. Spending the late afternoon here delivered a bustling wildlife spectacle right up until dusk. Active hunters like the Belted Kingfisher, Black Phoebe, Ver...
Post a Comment
Read more

Seabird photography adventure on the Isle of May

Seabird Photography Adventure on the Isle of May – July 2025 Tucked off the east coast of Scotland, the Isle of May National Nature Reserve is a dream for wildlife and photography enthusiasts alike - especially during seabird breeding season. My trip in early July 2025 turned out to be more thrilling and rewarding than I had imagined, thanks to an unexpected boat change, incredible wildlife encounters, and a few lucky early moments of solitude with the stars of the island— the Puffins . A puffin staring right at the lens, proud of its catch. Getting There: A Wild Ride on the North Sea Originally, I had booked a standard boat tour with BlueWild from Dunbar harbour, but due to a last-minute issue with the vessel the night before, our journey was downgraded - well, depending on how you look at it - to a RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) . What followed was a wild, wind-whipped ride across the North Sea , bouncing over waves with little warning. Thankfully, our guide kindly offered me a spar...
Post a Comment
Read more

Birding in the Netherlands

The Netherlands has a coastline of over 451 km, wide open to the north sea. Much of its land has been reclaimed from the sea and is below sea level, not surprisingly its coastal wetlands make up some of the best birding hotspots, apart from the inland nature reserves. Close to 500 bird species are recorded in the country, much of them are waders and water birds due to its geography. As a non-resident birdwatcher it was not an easy task to locate the right bird watching spots, whilst ebird helped considerably, the rest was on me to explore the Dutch lands. Nevertheless, the country is much safer to explore and the good facilities such as birding hides at the right places, easy access to most reserves makes it a birder friendly country. I have explored two of the birding hotspots, the Texel Island and Oostvaardersplassen nature reserve. Apart from these, I found bird watching and bird photography can be interesting in the neighborhood city parks and also tourist places such as Zaans...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chennakeshava temple of Belur- Exteriors

Chennakeshava temple of Belur: Some facts about the Chennakeshava Temple: Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana defeated the Cholas at Talakad & to commemorate this great event built many temples in 1117 A.D., of which Chennakeshava temple at Belur is the most important & beautiful , dedicated to Keshava one of the 24 forms of Vishnu. Although the temple was completed by Narasimha, it took over 103 years to finish the structure. Though the legends assign this temple to have been built by Jakanachari, as per the inscriptions the master builders of this temple are Dasoja and his son Chavana, other sculptors include Chikka-Hampa, Malliyana, Padari Malloja, Masada and Nagoja who bestowed their best in creating this masterpiece. Chennakeshava Temple, Belur Back to the travelogue: Most important aspect of these Belur Halebeedu temples is that Chennakeshava temple is famous for beautiful and intricate interiors and Hoysaleshwara temple is famous for the magnificent sculpture...
3 comments
Read more