Virupaksha Temple

Virupaksha is one of the oldest continuously functioning temples in India, its worship spanning well over a thousand years. As the principal shrine of Hampi, it anchored the spiritual life of the mighty Vijayanagara Empire. Shiva as Virupaksha, united with the river goddess Pampa, links the temple to the sacred Tungabhadra. It stands amid one of the most spectacular heritage landscapes on earth.

Virupaksha is the living soul of Hampi, the once-glorious capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, whose boulder-strewn landscape is dotted with breathtaking ruins. The temple's 50-metre eastern gopuram towers over the sacred Tungabhadra river and the ancient Hampi bazaar. A famous feature is a small chamber where a pinhole projects an inverted image of the great gopuram onto the inner wall — an ingenious optical marvel. Dedicated to Shiva as the consort of the local goddess Pampa, the temple predates the empire and has survived its fall, remaining vibrant with daily worship and its temple elephant Lakshmi.