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 Lord. Once having Lord's darshan, we have to go to Goddess Padmavati which is on the opposite side. The temple is again very attractive and they give blessings by offering a garland for the devotees.
         

How to reach: Bus: KSRTC buses and also several private buses ply regularly from Bangalore to Mulbagal. From there private vehicles can be hired to reach Virupakshi
By Bike/Car: Take the NH4 towards Kolar. Bypass Kolar and just after the Mulbagal byepass, watchout for an arch on the right side which leads to Virupakshi.
References: http://mulbagal.com/virupaksha.html
Food/Accommodation: Kamat Upachar is a good option for food on NH4 near Narsapura.
Map:
View Larger Map

Comments

  1. The market breadth was positive as about 1226 shares advanced against 734 declining shares on the BSE.capitalstars

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Specialties from Districts of Karnataka

A visit to my native place: The Village of Music, Rudrapatna

Tibetan Settlements in Karnataka