Hindu temple in Vijayanagara
Temples on Hemakuta Hill
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The story of Temples on Hemakuta Hill
The hill in front of you is a cluster of more than 35 Hindu temples and shrines, and the clearest thing to notice is how old this group is: the main buildings here belong to the 9th to 14th centuries, before the Vijayanagara Empire was established.
Britannica-style tourist material describes the Hemakuta Hill Temple Complex as an esteemed pilgrimage site, and says most of the temples are dedicated to Lord Shiva. Some visitors also find the place confusing, because several shrines have a plain, compact look and have been referred to as Jain temples, even though many are Shiva temples.
What gives the hill its historical weight are the inscriptions. One records that Vira Kampiladeva, son of Mummadi Singeya Nayaka, built the Sivalaya and installed three Lingas. Two inscriptions near the Prasanna Anjaneya temple are dated 1398 AD and mention Virupaksha Panditha and his brother constructing a temple of Virupaksha and digging a tank. Another records a lamp pillar set up in the temple of Jadeya Sankaradeva by Bukkave, the queen of Harihara II in the year 1397 AD.
Walk up to the plateau and look for the stepped, low-profile temple forms. The complex is open from 06:00 AM to 06:00 PM.
In brief
The Virūpaksha Temple is located in Hampi in the Vijayanagara district of Karnataka, India, situated on the banks of the river Tungabhadra. Built in the 7th-century, it is dedicated to Virupaksha, a form of Shiva. It is part of the Group of Monuments at Hampi, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple was expanded by Lakkan Dandesha, a nayaka (chieftain) under the ruler Deva Raya II, also known as Prauda Deva Raya of the Vijayanagara Empire.
The Virupaksha Temple is the main center of pilgrimage at Hampi, and has been considered a sacred sanctuary over the centuries.
Before you go
- Time to allow
- 30-60 min
- Best months
- June to February
- Address
- 8FM5+MWH, Hampi, Karnataka 583239, India
Where this comes from
- en.wikipedia.org - Virupaksha Temple, Hampi
- en.wikipedia.org - Vijayanagara
- incredibleindia.gov.in - hemakuta-hill-temple-complex
- trawell.in - hemakuta-hill-temple-complex
- discoverindiasite.wordpress.com - hemakuta-hill-and-temples-hampi
- vikipandit.com - monuments-on-hemkuta-hill
- hindumandiryatra.com - hampi-hemakuta-hill-temples
- navrangindia.blogspot.com - the-cluster-of-hemakuta-hill-temples
- sarsonkekhet.in - hampi-hopping-sacred-center-hemakuta-hill
- peakstopalaces.com - exploring-hemakuta-hill-a-journey-through-myth-and-architecture
- open-meteo.com