Posted on 8 October 2025:

Virupaksha Temple: Sacred Legacy of Hampi’s Living Shiva Shrine

 In the heart of Hampi, where stones whisper history, Virupaksha Temple—also called Pampapati Temple—stands as a living prayer.

Its towering gopura opens into a sacred rectangle, holding shrines, mandapas and walls that speak in colors. Stories of Girija Kalyana and Vishnu’s many forms bloom across the stone like divine memory.

At the core rests Virupaksha, the holy Shivalinga—guardian of the Vijayanagara soul.

Each day, rituals rise with the sun, offerings of ‘naivedyam’ placed with devotion, as chants echo through time, keeping the spirit of the temple alive.

In the shadow of granite hills, a kingdom rose.  Between 1336 and 1342 AD, the Sangama brothers—Harihara and Bukka—shaped Vijayanagara, with Hampi as its glowing heart. From the Krishna River to the Indian Ocean, a splendid Hindu empire bloomed, ruled by mighty kings for over two centuries.

But in 1565, the Battle of Talikota turned triumph to ash—King Aliya Rama Raya was killed, and the city burned for six long months. Though it lingered for another hundred years, the old glory never returned.

Beneath its stones, older stories slept—of Buddhism, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas, and Yadavas—each leaving a trace in time.

Hampi lay forgotten, until Alexander Greenlaw’s 19th-century lens brought its soul back to light. 

Hampi, near Hospet in Karnataka, is believed to be Kishkinda of the Ramayana—where legends breathe through ancient stone.

Its UNESCO-listed ruins still whisper of kings, gods and timeless devotion, etched deep into the soul of Karnataka.