Hampi Virupaksha

Hampi Virupaksha is a form of Shiva enshrined in the Virupaksha Temple at Hampi, Karnataka, a site that served as the spiritual and ceremonial heart of the Vijayanagara Empire. The name Virupaksha, meaning 'one with crooked or irregular eyes,' is a direct reference to Shiva's third eye, which is often depicted as slightly askew. This deity is intimately connected with the local goddess Pampa, who is considered his consort, and the temple itself is located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, an area mythologically linked to the legend of Shiva's marriage to Pampa. The Skanda Purana, in its Sahyadri Khanda, describes the Hampi region as a sacred tirtha where Shiva performed penance and later wedded Pampa, the daughter of the god Brahma.

The temple's origins are ancient, with inscriptions dating to the 7th century CE, but it reached its zenith under the Vijayanagara rulers (14th–17th centuries), who considered Virupaksha their family deity. The Vijayanagara inscriptions, such as those from the reign of Krishnadevaraya, record extensive endowments and renovations to the temple, highlighting its role as the empire's principal shrine. Iconographically, the main deity is a self-manifested (svayambhu) linga, housed in a sanctum that is part of a sprawling complex featuring towering gopurams, pillared halls, and a stone chariot. The temple's architecture exemplifies Vijayanagara style, with intricate carvings depicting scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

The Shiva Purana, in its Rudra Samhita, extols the worship of Shiva in linga form as the supreme means of liberation, and the Virupaksha linga is venerated accordingly. Regional worship traditions include daily abhishekam with water, milk, and bilva leaves, and special rituals during Maha Shivaratri, when thousands of devotees gather for night-long vigils. The Hampi Utsav, a cultural festival, celebrates the heritage of the site. In Hindu cosmology, Virupaksha represents the aspect of Shiva as the cosmic guardian of the northern direction (one of the eight dikpalas), though here the focus is on his role as the lord of the Vijayanagara realm.

The temple's continuity of worship for over a millennium, even after the empire's fall, underscores its enduring sanctity. The site is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized for its cultural and architectural significance.

Linga form. The temple complex is part of the Hampi UNESCO World Heritage Site.