Sacred Center
Laid out along the southern bank
of the Tungabhadra river, the Sacred Center of Vijayanagara is made up of
distinct temple districts, partly defined by fort walls. Shaivite shrines are
located primarily to the west and Vaishnavite shrines are primarily to the east
of the Kodandarama temple. Dominating the Shaivite area is temple district
known as Hampi, the village that today gives its name to the whole site.
Here is situated the Virupaksha
temple, the seat of a god celebrated in pre-Vijayanagara times and still in
worship today. The temple comprises a double-walled compound, entered through
towered gopuras (gateways) on the east and north. At the core of the complex
are sanctuaries for Virupaksha and Pampa. The temple is an important pilgrimage
destination, attracting large crowds at festival times.
The Virupaksha is surrounded by
lesser shrines. To the north of the temple, on the bank of Manmatha tank, is a
cluster of small temples, many of them dating back to pre-Vijayanagara times.
Other early shrines are seen on the sloping ledge of Hemakuta hill, immediately
to the south. Here, too, are monolithic sculptures of Ganesha, one set within a
constructed shrine. The great colonnaded street that extends eastwards from the
Virupaksha temple serves today as a temple bazaar, as it did in the past.
Chariot festivals are still held here.
So-called Achyutaraya’s temple, about 1 kilometre east of Hampi and a short distance from the Tungabhadra.
Kodandarama
Temple
On
the river below Achyutaraya’s temple is Chakra tirtha, overlooked by the
Kodandarama temple, which dates to the fifteenth century. This is built around
a boulder carved with a Ramayana scene. From here the Tungabhadra flows through
a rocky gorge lined with carvings on boulders and small shrines that are
submerged when the river floods. A car festival is held here on this auspicious
day of Sri Kodandarama.