Daily Celestial Challenge: Wednesday - Structures
Today I will be talking bout Virupaksha temple
The Virupaksha temple is one of the most important structures located amongst the ruins at Hampi. Hampi is about 12kms from the town of Hospet in Karnataka State. Hospet is about 419 kms from Bangalore by train. The ruins of Hampi have been accorded the status of the UNESCO World Heritage site and are under the protection and maintenance of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The temple has surprisingly survived destruction in the hands of the invaders since the battle of Talikota in the 16 century when many of the monuments were systematically destroyed or defaced by the invading armies. Today, this temple is a functional temple where prayers are offered on a daily basis.
This temple is dedicated to God Shiva who resides here in the form of Virupaksha. His consort is Goddess Pampa or Pampavati which is another name for the River Tungabhadra which flows nearby.Virupaksha literally means “one with the oblique or misformed eye”. It is believed that God Shiva was in penance here. Parvati wanted to marry Him and felt that the only way she could get Him would be thru penance. Hence she also sat in penance and when God Shiva came to know of this He was so impressed and pleased that he agreed to marry Her. It is believed that the venue of their marriage is the location of the Virupaksha temple.
The road to Hampi ends at the Virupaksha temple, which is the oldest monument of Hampi dating back to 7 th century AD. The temple was reportedly extended and restored over and again, which is also one of the oldest functional Hindu temples in India. The temple is located on the right bank of the River Tungabhadra. Through the main road you will pass though one of the gateways to enter inside the fort.
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