Famous Temples in India

Architecture

Origin of the Name - According to mythology, Lord Shiva performed penance on Hemakuta Hill before marrying a local girl named Pampa or Parvathi. Lord Shiva was pleased with the dedication of the girl and consented to marry her. Due to this decision of Lord Shiva it rained gold on the hill. Since gold is known as Hema in Sanskrit, this hill came to be known as Hemakuta.

The Hemakuta hill has three entry points, one on the south-eastern side, one on the south, and the other on the eastern side of the hill which leads to the street near the Virupaksha temple. There are more than 35 temples on Hemakuta Hill. The largest and most elaborately decorated temples are situated on the northern side of the hill and face the Virupaksha temple compound. On the way to the southern side of the hill is the ancient or the original Virupaksha temple, also known as Mula Virupaksha Temple. The architecture of the temples on the Hemakuta Hill is quite different from the typical Vijayanagara style of architecture found in many other temples in Hampi. The Hemakuta group of temples have a distinct style of their own. The Hemakuta group of temples are compact triple chambered structures with pyramid like roofs made from granite. Some of the temples located on the Northern side of the hill are built in the Trikutachala style of architecture. In this style of architecture, three shrines are placed in perpendicular position to each other face a common central hall. The temples have almost plain outer walls, except for the horizontal chain of floral motifs that provide some ornamentation to the walls. There is a small pond in the courtyard of the temple.

Two of the temples have inscriptions noting their origin. The Trikuta Shiva Temples on the East have an inscription recording that Vira Kampiladeva, son of Mummadi Singeya Nayaka, built the Sivalaya and installed in it three Lingas. Two inscriptions on the rock near the Prasanna Anjaneya temple dated 1398 A.D. mention that Virupaksha Panditha and his brother constructed a temple of Virupaksha and dug a tank. Another inscription on a rock base records the setting of a lamp pillar in the temple of Jadeya Sankaradeva by Bukkave, the queen of Harihara-II in the year 1397 A.D.