Virupaksha Temple
Virupaksha Temple
4.5
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4.5
144 reviews
Excellent
90
Very good
40
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13
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SMLikestoTravel
Bengaluru, India391 contributions
Apr 2022
This temple is a must-see in Pattadakal. Never-ending intricate sculptures in the interior. Of special note : Surya riding chariot driven by seven horses, scenes from Ramayana, story from Panchatantra too. Also, huge monolithic Nandi in the pavilion facing the temple
Written 2 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
macedonboy
Glasgow, UK1,86,293 contributions
Nov 2019
Virupaksha Temple is not just one temple, but a temple compound with many temples dedicated to Shiva. While many of the small temples are worth a quick look, it’s the big main temple that’s truly interesting. An unusual feature of the main temple is instead of a typical Nandi platform in the forecourt of the temple, the platform sits on an elevated madapa of it’s one and is roughly the same height as the entrance of the temple. The tower of the temple is a Dravidian style square shaped pyramid and highly decorated. The same can be said of the walls and columns of the temple, with numerous friezes of religious and civic scenes, many of which are worth a close up inspection.
The Virupaksha Temple is the biggest, architecturally the most diverse and most decorated of all the temples in the Pattadakal temple complete and the one temple that’s a must see in Pattadakal.
This temple is also an active temple and you're free to worship in the sanctum sanctorum where there's also a Shiva priest.
The Virupaksha Temple is the biggest, architecturally the most diverse and most decorated of all the temples in the Pattadakal temple complete and the one temple that’s a must see in Pattadakal.
This temple is also an active temple and you're free to worship in the sanctum sanctorum where there's also a Shiva priest.
Written 14 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rajasekharan_sg
Bangalore38 contributions
Feb 2014 • Couples
The Virupaksha temple has a tourism dept office - we met Mr Shekhar (mobile number +91 94838 49255) in that office - he runs a cycle trip for half a day on most days -costs between Rs 400 and 500 per person (including rented cycles) - he is an excellent guide - we thoroughly enjoyed his company and sincerity to share the details regarding Hampi - we recommend him whole heartedly.
Written 21 March 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shama R
Bengaluru, India91 contributions
Jun 2014 • Family
This is the star attraction of Hampi, as per the guides. The temple has a real-time pinhole camera from where you can see an inverted image from the reflected sun-light. The central sanctum is still a place of worship. Again, do your homework before landing in here, rather anywhere in Hampi, to make the best of your visit.
Beware of locals who pose as guides and hardly know anything about the real history. They take you for a ride, waste your time and loot for money. Ensure you get a government certified guide only. Due to the influx of foreign tourists the locals are in habit of asking for whatever amount comes to their minds, exercise caution and bargain.
Beware of locals who pose as guides and hardly know anything about the real history. They take you for a ride, waste your time and loot for money. Ensure you get a government certified guide only. Due to the influx of foreign tourists the locals are in habit of asking for whatever amount comes to their minds, exercise caution and bargain.
Written 7 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Puneetkumar Pattar
Bengaluru, India78 contributions
Jul 2018 • Couples
This is the largest and the most sophisticated monuments at Pattadakallu. It features a well developed Dravidian architectural style and a range of quality work. It is centred aroung a square garbha griya (sanctum), with a Shiva Linga, surrounded by a covered circumabulatory path (pradakshina patha). It also has friezes spanning covering a variety of topics reflecting the life in those days, and also contains several historical inscriptions. It is a part of the temple complex called Pattadakallu, that houses a number of temples from the 7th and 8th century, and is referred as one of the most sophisticated temple complex in the world. This place is a UNESCO heritage site, and one of the most beautiful places to visit in North Karnataka.
Written 17 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EkMusafir
Pune, India2,219 contributions
Feb 2018 • Couples
The Virupaksha Temple is the largest and best Shiva temple of Pattadakal. It was constructed in the Dravidian style of temple architecture by Lokamahadevi, the Senior Queen of Vikramaditya II, to commemorate her husband’s victory over the Pallavas of Kanchipuram, in the year 740 CE.
Inside the temple sanctum was a Shiva Lingam which we walked around. We also saw two small shrines with facing images of Ganesha and Parvati, in her Durga avatar, slaying the buffalo demon, Mahishasura. There is a Nandi mandapa in front, where we met a temple priest performing live puja besides the large monolithic Nandi Bull.
There were a lot of cravings and sculptures on the inner walls of the temple and mandapams, depicting episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. There were a lot of inscriptions too, in different parts of the temple, recording the victory of King Vikramaditya II over Kanchipuram.
The famous Kailasha Temple at Ellora in Maharashtra is believed to have been modelled along the design of this temple.
This temple is the only one in Pattadakal where live worship is performed on a daily basis, so we had to enter with bare feet. The other temples are just grand monuments, but where no worship is carried out in the present day, so these can be seen without taking off our footwear.
Inside the temple sanctum was a Shiva Lingam which we walked around. We also saw two small shrines with facing images of Ganesha and Parvati, in her Durga avatar, slaying the buffalo demon, Mahishasura. There is a Nandi mandapa in front, where we met a temple priest performing live puja besides the large monolithic Nandi Bull.
There were a lot of cravings and sculptures on the inner walls of the temple and mandapams, depicting episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. There were a lot of inscriptions too, in different parts of the temple, recording the victory of King Vikramaditya II over Kanchipuram.
The famous Kailasha Temple at Ellora in Maharashtra is believed to have been modelled along the design of this temple.
This temple is the only one in Pattadakal where live worship is performed on a daily basis, so we had to enter with bare feet. The other temples are just grand monuments, but where no worship is carried out in the present day, so these can be seen without taking off our footwear.
Written 7 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SESNoVA
Annandale, VA434 contributions
Nov 2017 • Friends
Pattadakal is a bit off the regular tourist track for non-Indian tourists, and that's a real shame! This place (UNESCO World Heritage site) is amazing! It has a whole series of beautifully maintained and landscaped temples -- all significantly older than the more touristed Hampi -- and is an amazing place to learn about the evolution of temple architecture (because you can see it in each subsequent temple). Well preserved sculptures, and architectural features (like how did the water get out of the temple?) make the visit interesting to visitors interested in art, religion, engineering, history, and all of us who simply enjoy beautiful places.
Written 22 November 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ND Prasad
Irvine, CA46 contributions
Jul 2014 • Friends
Been to this place last month, though nothing great or new temple architecture, its a wonderful place to be in, specially in the evening time.
still this temple have lot of interesting history linked to it.
one interesting thing is the inverted shadow of the temple gopora inside temple which remains same as long as the sun light is present irrespective of the direction of the sun the shadow remains same.
Visit this temple at evening for better feel
still this temple have lot of interesting history linked to it.
one interesting thing is the inverted shadow of the temple gopora inside temple which remains same as long as the sun light is present irrespective of the direction of the sun the shadow remains same.
Visit this temple at evening for better feel
Written 6 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MasalaBoxTravel
Chennai (Madras), India472 contributions
Feb 2014 • Friends
First of all I dont know why this is listed as pattadkal! The main photo posted is pattadkal but then all the reviews are about virupaksha temple Hampi. This is the main temple of Hampi and functioning Shiva temple. It is a prominent landmark of Hampi too. The temple is a big complex. Either side of the street is lined up with ruined bazaar which is pillars and rooms. The beginning of the street has the big monolithic Nandi. Like any other Shiva temple, Nandi is present in front of the temple. But then entrance of the temple is much after the Nandi now. So in the map the temple, monolithic Nandi and the bazar are marked as three different ruins.The roof of the first mandapam has colorful paintings on the ceiling. At one place you can see the shadow of inverted image of main gopuram. There is a small window, almost like a match box size and through which the sun rays pass and form an inverted image of the gopuram.
Written 15 April 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
aartinn
Mumbai, India8 contributions
Feb 2014 • Friends
Magnificent though the temple is, Lakshmi, the resident elephant is a star attraction too. If you want to feed her bananas, make sure you hide them in an opaque bag when you go into the temple complex lest they are snatched away by monkeys. Why, we even saw a monkey unzip an unattended bag and run off with a cellphone! The temple is lovely in architecture and history, but make sure you don't let yourself get drawn in by the pandits. Do visit the temple in the moonlight too--it feels rather different when it isn't crowded.
Written 30 March 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What is the cancellation policy, if I book a Deluxe double bed room for Sept end now and have to cancel in case of unavoidable circumstances?
Written 7 September 2015
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