Hampi · Karnataka
Sri Virupaksha Temple — Hampi (Pampa Kshetra), Vijayanagara District, Karnataka
Sri Virupaksha (a Shiva form) — Pampa-pati; UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Group of Monuments at Hampi' 1986; among India's oldest continuously-worshipped Hindu temples (7th-century origin; 9-10th-century inscriptional evidence); the kula-devata tirtha of the Vijayanagara empire (1336-1565)
अन्य नाम: Virupaksha Temple · Pampa-pati Temple · Hampi Main Temple
इस मन्दिर की विशेषता
Sri Virupaksha (a Shiva-form Shivalingam); consort: Devi Pampa (the local goddess of the Tungabhadra river — anciently named Pampa); upadevathas: Bhuvaneshwari, Surya, Chandra, Ganapathi, Subrahmanya, Nandi
Virupaksha Shivalingam; the temple on the Tungabhadra bank adjacent to Hemakuta Hill; Devi Pampa performed tapasya here to wed Shiva (the Pampa-pati narrative)
सम्प्रदाय: A Shaiva-Shakta convergence (Virupaksha + Pampa); kula-devata of the Vijayanagara empire; two-tier administration — Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for monument conservation as a World Heritage site (the 2023 ASI-vs-Karnataka-state dispute confirmed the split jurisdiction); religious activity governed by Karnataka Muzrai
Hampi's ancient name is 'Pampa-kshetra' — the Vedic/Puranic name of the Tungabhadra river is 'Pampa'. Parvati performed severe tapasya on Hemakuta Hill to wed Shiva and, as Devi Pampa, married Virupaksha-Shiva — so Virupaksha = Pampa-pati; the Hampi Bazaar near the temple and the Hemakuta Hill summit are the central tirtha-sites of the Shiva-wedding tradition.
Per the Kishkindha Kanda of the Ramayana, the Pampa kshetra is where Rama and Lakshmana, during the search for Sita, met Hanuman and Sugriva; Anjanadri Hill (the Karnataka claim for Hanuman's birthplace) is nearby; the Matanga rishi ashrama site; and per tradition, the Shabari-Rama meeting site.
Harihara and Bukka Raya founded the Vijayanagara empire (1336 CE) and made Hampi the capital, declaring Virupaksha the kula-devata. Lakkana Dandesha (a chieftain under Deva Raya II in the 15th century) carried out the large-scale construction. Krishnadevaraya (reign 1509-1529) built the central Ranga Mandapa in 1510 CE as a commemoration of his 1509 coronation and expanded the East Raya Gopuram. The 1513 inscription at the underground Shivalaya (Prasanna Virupaksha) records Krishnadevaraya's grant. After the 23 January 1565 Battle of Talikota defeat, Hampi was destroyed but the Virupaksha temple alone remained in continuous worship.
The inverted shadow of the East Raya Gopuram (the 9-storey ~50 m tower) is projected through a small aperture on the western wall of the temple onto the inner wall of the Ranga Mandapa area — a documented demonstration of the ancient camera-obscura principle; cited across multiple sources.
The resident temple elephant 'Lakshmi' blesses devotees with a trunk touch on the head — a world-renowned experience of the Hampi darshan.
06:00 से 21:00 तक · मध्याह्न विश्राम 12:30-17:00
वस्त्र-संहिता: Traditional Indian attire recommended; men in dhoti/pants; women in saree/salwar-suit; shorts forbidden (strictly enforced inside the sanctum)
फोटोग्राफी: Outer-courtyard photography allowed (Rs.50 camera fee per single source); sanctum photography forbidden; authority permission required
विशेष नियम: ASI centrally-protected monument — free entry (special darshan Rs.25 per single source); sanctum photography forbidden; midday break 12:30-17:00 (multi-source consensus); the daily-time conflict across sources means a pre-call to the temple is recommended; a Tungabhadra-river bath before darshan is traditional
Darshan of the Virupaksha Shivalingam + the Bhuvaneshwari shrine + Nandi; outer view of the 9-storey Raya Gopuram.
A faster-queue darshan.
A natural camera-obscura phenomenon on the inner wall of the Ranga Mandapa area; a world-renowned experience.
The resident temple elephant 'Lakshmi' blesses with a trunk touch on the head.
All-night four-prahara abhisheka and jagarana; the principal annual festival.
The annual divine wedding ceremony; deity processions.
A ~3-day Karnataka-government-organised cultural festival of dance, music, and culture; the November schedule restored from 2026.
All-night four-prahara abhisheka and jagarana; the principal annual festival
The annual divine wedding; deity processions
Virupaksha utsava-murti chariot procession
A ~3-day state-level cultural festival of dance and music
Commemoration of the Hanuman-Sugriva-Rama meeting site
All-night four-prahara abhisheka and jagarana; a UNESCO World Heritage Shiva-tirtha Shivaratri sankalpa tirtha
स्रोत: Shiva Purana + tradition
The annual December divine wedding; central to the Pampa-pati narrative; a marital-relationship sankalpa tirtha
स्रोत: Wikipedia + Hampi.in multi-source
Among India's oldest continuously-worshipped Hindu temples; 7th-century origin; an abhisheka sankalpa tirtha
स्रोत: Wikipedia + Karnataka.com + ASI multi-source
The 4,100-hectare Hampi group with 1,600+ surviving monuments; Virupaksha = the sole continuously-worshipped temple; a World-Heritage darshan sankalpa tirtha
स्रोत: UNESCO + ASI multi-source
Centre of the Ramayana's Kishkindha Kanda; the Rama-Hanuman-Sugriva meeting site; near Anjanadri (the Karnataka claim for Hanuman's birthplace) + the Matanga rishi ashrama + the Shabari-Rama meeting site
स्रोत: Valmiki Ramayana Kishkindha Kanda + tradition
The resident temple elephant 'Lakshmi' blesses with a trunk touch on the head — a world-renowned experience of the Hampi darshan
स्रोत: Multiple travel sources multi-source
The site of Pampa-Parvati's tapasya; many small Shiva temples; central to the Pampa-pati narrative
The temple's adjacent tank; near a 1199 CE inscription Durga shrine; (Pampa Pushkarini is a separate tirtha near Anjanadri — they are not the same)
A separate 14th-century Shiva temple; 1513 Krishnadevaraya coronation-commemorative grant inscription; rediscovered in the 1980s; closed during the monsoon due to flooding
The apex of Vijayanagara architecture; the famous 'musical pillars' (touch-the-pillar music); the Stone Chariot — depicted on India's Rs.50 currency note
Centre of the Ramayana's Kishkindha Kanda; the Karnataka claim for Hanuman's birthplace
Vijayanagara royal architecture; an Indo-Islamic convergence
A historic colonnaded bazaar street fronting the temple; a Tungabhadra bath before darshan is traditional
The sole continuously-worshipped temple; the central tirtha of the 4,100-hectare group
1600 मंदिर
Centre of the Rama-Hanuman-Sugriva meeting site (on the Pampa bank)
5 मंदिर
The Virupaksha-Pampa wedding tirtha; Hemakuta Shiva-tirtha cluster + Tungabhadra-river tirtha
3 मंदिर
The Vijayanagara kula-devata tirtha; the Vijayanagara capital centre
4 मंदिर