Virupaksha Temple | One of India’s Oldest Temple
A small shrine dedicated to Virupaksha or Lord Shiva was present for a long time in Hampi, which was worshiped regularly and visited by many devotees. From different written texts, it is clear that rulers built the current structure of the Virupaksha Temple around the onset of the 15th century. The credit for constructing the huge building of the Virupaksha Temple is given to Lakkana Dandesha, who was a chieftain during the rule of the Vijayanagara Empire under King Deva Raya II.
It is important to note that the Virupaksha Temple is a part of a group of monuments of Hampi which have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. An interesting fact to know about this glorious temple is that this temple succeeded in surviving the destruction of the whole city of Hampi in 1565 by the Muslim invaders. Also, the Virupaksha Temple is the only well preserved and sustained temple from the glorious past of the city of Hampi. Moreover, the worship of the temple continues today, thus making the Virupaksha Temple one of the oldest operating temples of India.
