Sacred Abode of Lord Shiva
The Veerupaksha Temple, situated on the banks of the Tungabhadra River in Hampi, is an ancient marvel that holds great significance in Sanathan history. Here are the elaborate details of this magnificent temple:
Historical Significance:
The Veerupaksha Temple has a rich history that dates back to the 7th century AD. It has witnessed the rise and fall of empires, including the Chalukyas, Hoysalas, and Vijayanagara Empires. The temple stands as a witness to the glorious past of Hampi, the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire.
Architectural Splendor:
The temple showcases the magnificent Dravidian style of architecture, known for its intricate carvings, elaborate pillars, and soaring gopurams. The main entrance tower, adorned with intricate sculptures and Spiritual figures, welcomes visitors into a world of divine beauty and architectural grandeur.
Sanctum and Inner Complex:
The main sanctum of the Veerupaksha Temple houses the deity of Lord Shiva, known as Veerupaksha or Pampapathi. The inner complex comprises various mandapas (halls) and courtyards, each displaying exquisite craftsmanship and artistic detailing. The Ranga Mandapa, with its 100 pillars, is a remarkable feature of the temple complex.
Courtyards and Pillared Halls:
The temple complex encompasses several courtyards and pillared halls, such as the Kalyana Mandapa (marriage hall), the Devi Shrine dedicated to the consort of Lord Veerupaksha, and the Sabha Mandapa (assembly hall). These spaces were used for religious ceremonies, performances, and community gatherings.
Festivals and Rituals:
The Veerupaksha Temple is renowned for its vibrant festivals and rituals. The annual Hampi Utsav, held in November, attracts devotees and tourists from far and wide. The temple comes alive with processions, music, dance performances, and religious rituals, offering a captivating experience of the region's cultural heritage.
Monolithic Nandi and Temple Tank:
The temple complex features a colossal monolithic statue of Nandi, the sacred bull and vehicle of Lord Shiva. This Nandi statue, carved out of a single rock, is a sight to behold. Additionally, there is a temple tank, known as the Manmatha Tank, where devotees take holy dips during auspicious occasions.
UNESCO World Heritage Site:
The Veerupaksha Temple, along with the ruins of Hampi, has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple's inclusion in this prestigious list highlights its outstanding universal value and the need for its preservation for future generations.
Mystery of Veerupaksha Temple
The Vijaya Vittala Temple and the Virupaksha Temple Hampi India, stand as magnificent examples of the rich temple architecture of India. Both temples are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site that has been designated as the Hampi Group of Monuments. The Virupaksha Temple Architecture is of course a marvel of design, but the mystery behind the inverted shadow of Virupaksha Temple is even more fascinating.
The mystery of a shadow at the ancient Virupaksha Temple at Hampi is a cause for wonderment. What is the mystery surrounding the inverted shadow in Hampi at the Virupaksha Temple Hampi Karnataka? Is it an unsolved enigma? Can science explain it? Read on to know more about the Virupaksha Temple Facts and Mysteries, and decide for yourself.
One generally associates temples with concepts like divinity, God, spirituality, and religion. But what do temples have to do with Mathematics? one would ask. However, the fact is that many of India’s great marvels of architecture have been designed using complex mathematical concepts and calculations.
The Virupaksha temple in Hampi is one that not only has exquisite craftsmanship and aesthetics but is one whose builders have used complex principles of mathematics and engineering in its design.
Virupaksha Temple And The Use Of Fractals:
What are fractals? You must be wondering. In the simplest of terms, fractals are geometric patterns that are created by repeating the same process again and again, but with different scales.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “fractal, in mathematics, any of a class of complex geometric shapes that commonly have “fractional dimension,” a concept first introduced by the mathematician Felix Hausdorff in 1918.
It is amazing to note that fractals have been used in the design of the Virupaksha temple in Hampi as early as the 15th century, which is hundreds of years before the concept was introduced to the world!
The main Gopuram or the tower of the Virupaksha Temple which towers to a height of about 50 meters is made up of 9 tiers, and as you gaze up at the structure, you can see the fractal design incorporated into its design. The pattern can be seen repeated with different scales every time.
Hampi Virupaksha Temple And Fibonacci Geometry:
The Fibonacci number sequence is one in which each number is the sum of its two preceding numbers. The sequence is like this; 0,1,1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144…
The sequence of Fibonacci numbers was introduced to the Western world by the Italian mathematician Leonardo Bonacci, also known as Fibonacci at the beginning of the 13th century through his book, Liber Abaci or the Book of Calculations.
What is amazing is that this sequence which has been christened Fibonacci numbers was known to Indian mathematicians as early as 200 BC! The great Indian mathematician Pingala has written about it in his works on Sanskrit prosody, which is related to the meter (or Chandas) of ancient Sanskrit verses.
The Fibonacci numbers are used in the architecture and design of some of the greatest monuments in the world including the Pyramids of Egypt, and many Gothic structures in Italy like the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral in Florence, and the Church of San Nicolo in Pisa.
It is believed that the Fibonacci number sequence has been used in the design of the Virupaksha temple Gopuram in Hampi also. It is one of the earliest applications of this concept of mathematics in temple architecture.
Hampi Virupaksha Temple Inverted Shadow Mystery:
The main gopuram or tower of the Hampi Virupaksha Temple is indeed an object of immense fascination. Apart from using complex mathematical concepts in its design, the concepts of Physics also seem to contribute to the Virupaksha temple mysteries.
The shadow of the Raj Gopuram or the main tower of the Virupaksha temple in Hampi falls on a wall in the Saalu Mandapa, some 300 feet away. What is amazing about this is that the shadow is inverted. The Hampi Virupaksha temple inverted shadow mystery has generated a lot of interest and fascinated people.
However, what this phenomenon demonstrates is one of the concepts of physics and the fact that light travels in a straight line. This principle is known as the Rectilinear Light theory and is used in the Pinhole Camera. This must be familiar to those who have studied physics it is usually a part of the science syllabus in primary school.
Virupaksha Temple Pinhole Camera Effect:
There is a scientific explanation for the inverted shadow of the tower of Virupaksha Temple of Hampi. But what is astounding is the use of this principle of light on a gigantic scale and that too in the 15th century, at the Virupaksha Temple.
The inverted shadow on the wall of the Saalu Mantapa is due to the effect of what is in essence a giant Pinhole Camera. To understand this, one needs to first understand the workings of a Pinhole Camera.
The Pinhole camera is a very basic camera without a lens. It consists of a light-proof box with a small hole or aperture that is called a pinhole. Light from an object passes through this hole and casts an inverted shadow on the other side. This effect is called Camera Obscura. This is essentially the principle that can be seen in action at the Virupaksha temple in Hampi.
Virupaksha Temple Pinhole Camera Effect
In the case of the Virupaksha temple, a cleverly designed, small opening in the Saalu Mandapa acts as a pinhole or aperture. When light falls on the Gopuram, it travels through the opening in the Saalu Mandapa and casts an inverted shadow on the opposite wall. This a classic case of the Camera Obscura effect in action!
Isn’t the depth of knowledge possessed by our ancestors simply mind-blowing? The inverted shadow phenomenon of the Virupaksha temple is just one of the amazing and ingenious achievements of the architects and engineers of our ancient temples.