Virupaksha Temple is dedicated to Virupaksha, a form of Lord Vishnu. The temple houses shrines of Lord Shiva and Goddesses Pampa and Bhuvaneswari. Parts of the temple is said to belong to 11th or 12th century. It is amazing to see that how when a ray of light passes from the east through a hole near the sanctum sanctorum, the shadow formed on the wall looks like a miniature shadow of the temple tower.
Ugra Narasimha
Located to the south of Virupaksha Temple, atop Hemkuta Hills, is the 6.7m tall monolith of 'Ugra Narasimha', a form of Lord Vishnu with head of a lion and body of a man. He is shown seated under the canopy of a seven-hooded snake. It was erected in 1528 during the reign of Krishnadevaraya and was carved out from a single boulder.
Vithala Temple
The Vithala temple is a World Heritage monument with fantastic sculptural work from the time of Vijayanagar Empire. It features 56 'Musical Pillars', which reverberate when tapped and an ornate stone chariot in the temple courtyard with an image of Garuda, the Bird-God and the 9m tall statue of Lord Ganesha along with recently excavated 'Nobleman's Palace'
Shivling
Next to the statue of Narasimha is the 3 m high Shivalinga that stands permanently in water coming through an ancient channel.
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