Virupaksha temple, Hampi, Ballari district , karnataka

Hampi- is situated on the banks of river Tungabhadra . It was the capital city of Vijayanagara kings and was then a very prosperous, grand and wealthy city . It even attracted traders from Persia and Portugal. The city is full of rock cut sculptures  and monuments. The whole city  is  surrounded by boulders and rocks of different shapes and sizes and this would have encouraged the kings to shape this city into a beautifully carved structure. One can see and feel how the  the craftsmen would have toiled hard to construct and put together each piece of art to perfection to be only destroyed later by the Muslim rulers . There are lot of monuments here and one shouldn't miss this at any cost. All are protected  monuments coming under UNESCO World Heritage. One can easily spend a couple of days leisurely visiting the monuments.

Virupaksha is Lord Shiva and this  temple stands tall among the ruins of Hampi and is believed to be the largest functioning temple since 7th century. Lord Virupaksha's consort is Pampa Devi, a  local Goddess  and is associated with river Tungabadra. The huge temple complex was built  by a chieftain king called Lakhana Dandesha under Deva Raya II of Vijayanagara Empire. The temple attracts huge crowds in December during the temple festival. The temple has a multi-tiered  Raja gopuram and this temple has about 3 Nandis in Nandi mandapam. The temple is embellished with carvings, paintings and beautiful sculptures.

Hampi is 350 Kms from Bangalore and there are good hotels in Hampi but we chose to stay in the nearest town Hosapete which is 15 Kms from Hampi.

Temple Pond

                                                              inside the temple

 

Veerabhadra Swamy temple - Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh

Veerabhadra Swamy is reincarnation of Lord Shiva and He took this form during  the Daksha Yaga. It is  Raudra bahava of Shiva and He is the presiding deity in Lepakshi temple.   

Lepakshi is a small village In Andhra Pradesh and is about 75Kms from Bangalore city. The temple is very famous for its marvellous carvings, mural paintings and the Hanging Pillar. 

This place has an interesting connection with Ramayana. Jatayu after the unsuccessful  battle with Ravana got injured and waited at this place for Rama. When Rama saw Jatayu  he compassionately said Le-Pakshi' meaning 'rise, bird' in Telgu. 

About the Temple.

This temple was constructed in 16 the century by two brothers who were in service of Vijaya Nagara King . The temple is situated on a low  rocky hill called Kumarasailam. There are other shrines surrounding the sanctum for Ganesha, Vishnu, Badrakali and Lakshmi. The main deity is in a standing posture and the idol is very impressive . One has to circumambulate around the rock to see all the sub shrines.

There is a multi pillared mandapa in front of the main shrine and a dwajasthamba. This  mandapam is beautified with carvings, sculptures and mural painting on ceilings.

 The mandapam houses a hanging pillar and is an  architectural marvel. There are about 70 pillars in the mandapam and one among them hangs from the ceiling. i.e. its base does not touch the floor .There is a small gap between the pillar and the floor. One can spread a cloth below the gap in the pillar and can be pulled out easily. Really amazing creation from the craftsmen of yesteryears. Many engineers and architects have tried to study the secret behind this marvel. Presently the pillar appears slightly dislodged from its original position. We were told that  one British Engineer tried to move it in an unsuccessful attempt to find out the secret of the construction. 

The huge temple spread on a rock itself is a great attraction. In the outer enclosure of the temple one would find a beautifully carved Nagalingam, a  seven hooded serpent holding a Shivlinga in its coil. There is also a huge Ganesha idol nearby .One would also find a pair of huge foot prints as one goes around the temple which is believed to be of Sita devi's.

 A Kilometer or so from the temple one can see a beautifully carved gigantic monolithic Nandi. 

A few pictures from my collection.

Sri Chamundeshwari temple- Mysore, Karnataka

This ancient  temple is situated on  a small hill known as Chamundi  hills about 13 kilometers  from the city of Mysore.
The goddess here is Chamundeshawari ,a reincarnation of  Goddess Parvati, consort of Shiva who fought  a fierce battle and slayed demons Chanda, Munda and  Mahishasura saving the world from their  evil clutches. She is also known as Mahishasura Mardini ,the one who  killed the Mahishasura.

The image of goddess here is believed to be powerful and is seen seated in the sanctum in richly decorated finery. Dussehra festival is celebrated on a grand scale at this temple.

The temple architecture is very simple  but the temple tower is magnificent; it is a beauty to behold.

Just outside the main temple there is a small niche for Aanjaneya and a few feet away from temple one can see a colorful  image of Mahishasura . One can have a panoramic view of Mysore city from the hills here, and also there is a huge Nandi , mount of Shiva  around 16  feet which attracts lot of tourists  here.

There temple timings are

7.30 am to 2 pm
3.30 pm to 6 pm
7.30 pm to 9 pm