Underground Shiva Temple

About this place

Also called the Prasanna Virupaksha Temple, this is among the oldest surviving temples in Hampi and marks the western edge of the royal centre. Its unusual feature is that the whole temple sits several metres below the surrounding ground level, so as you approach you look down onto its towers rather than up. Long colonnaded halls lead to a sanctum housing a Shiva linga that, because the floor lies below the water table, is often flooded with cool spring water for much of the year. Faded inscriptions and worn pillars hint at how important this Shaiva shrine once was, and the sunken, echoing halls give it an atmosphere quite unlike any other monument at Hampi.