Virupakshi: Ruins of the Vijayanagara empire
Overview: We heard of Virupakshi in the Mulbagal tourism website and wanted to visit this. Its around 4kms from Mulbagal town and has a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva which has the architecture similar to the temple in Hampi. We reached Virupakshi in the afternoon so the temple was closed. But we got enough time to appreciate the temple architecture and design. It is believed that on certain days, the sun rays fall directly on the Shiva Linga in the Sanctum Sanctorum. This temple belongs to the Vijayanagara period and was built in the 12th century. We also saw a small shrine dedicated to Lord Venugopalaswamy inside the temple complex. There is also a tank(Kalyani) outside which is now in a sorry state. Nearby we went to Bangaru Tirupati temple which is around 6 kms from Bethamangala. This temple is a miniature version of the Venkateshwara temple in Tirupati. There is a huge tank where people were having a dip. We have to climb a series of stairs to reach the idol of the