Virupaksha Temple (Pampapati Temple)

Virupaksha Temple is Hampi’s most revered and continuously functioning temple, originally built in the early Chalukyan era and later expanded by the Vijayanagara kings. Dedicated to Lord Virupaksha (a form of Shiva), the temple complex features a towering 50-meter gopuram that dominates Hampi’s skyline. The sanctum houses the main deity along with shrines for Bhuvaneshwari and Pampa Devi, linking it to the legend of Lord Shiva’s marriage on the banks of the Tungabhadra.

The temple’s courtyard includes ornate pillared halls, intricate ceiling murals, and an inverted shadow of the gopuram projected through a small pinhole camera effect inside one of the halls — a fascinating feature for visitors.