Hampi Shri Lakshmi Narasimha Temple

The story of Hampi Shri Lakshmi Narasimha Temple

This temple in Hampi is the Lakshmi Narasimha shrine, and the thing to notice first is the huge monolithic image of Narasimha, the fierce form of Vishnu, carved from a single boulder.

Britannica’s naming page for this temple says the better-known shrine of this name was built during the 15th century by King Krishnadevaraya, while another published page gives 1528 AD as the completion date. Those pages also say it was meant as a royal work of devotion in the Vijayanagara setting. The same publications describe the figure as originally showing Goddess Lakshmi seated on Narasimha’s lap, with the damaged hand of the goddess still visible on his back after later vandalism in 1565 AD.

What you can see now is a massive seated form in a cross-legged posture, with the serpent hood above him. The published descriptions call it Hampi’s largest monolith sculpture, and they note that the site is open every day from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with entry free.

If you want the best close look, stand where you can read the shape of the serpent hood and the surviving hand detail on the back of the figure before moving on.