Virupaksha Temple is located in Hampi 350 km from Bangalore, in the state ofKarnataka in southern India. It is part of the Group of Monuments at Hampi, designated aUNESCO World Heritage Site. Virupaksha is a form of Shiva and has other temples dedicated to him, notably at the Group of Monuments at Pattadakal, another World Heritage Site.Hampi sits on the banks of the Tungabhadra River in the ruins of the ancient city ofVijayanagar, capital of the Vijayanagara empire. Virupaksha Temple is the main center of pilgrimage at Hampi and has been considered the most sacred sanctuary over the centuries.
It is fully intact among the surrounding ruins and is still used in worship. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, known here as Virupaksha, as the consort of the local goddess Pampa who is associated with the Tungabhadra River. There is also a powerful Virupakshini amma temple (mother goddess) in a village called Nalagamapalle, Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, approximately 100 km from Tirupati.
The famous miracle of Sri Sathya Sai Baba's childhood where Sai Baba was seen inside the sanctum sanctorum whilst He was sitting outside the temple also happened at the Virupaksha temple
