Lord Virupaksha may be presiding deity of Hampi, but the monkey warrior Hanuman steals the limelight. Hampi presents a typical cross-section of the religious moorings of India. Hindu icons with its pantheon of gods dominate this vast site.
In general the Hindu icons and temples you would find in Hampi broadly fall in two categories. The first groups are of the Siva lineage, the god of destruction. And the second clusters are of Vaishnava themes for which lord Vishnu, the god of sustenance, as the principal deity.
Lord Siva:
Siva Linga, the symbolic image of lord Siva
Hinduism considers lord Siva as the lord of destruction. According to its philosophy the universe goes through a perpetual cycle of creation and destruction. It is Siva’s cosmic dance that brings the physical universe to and end.
In mythology Siva is often described as a wandering ascetic god who wears funeral ash from the pyre and sleeps in the graveyards.
Invariably in all the Siva temples in Hampi (for that matter any where) you can spot the icon of a bull positioned in front of the sanctum. The bull (Nandi) is considered as the vehicle of Siva. The lardest Nandi in Hampi is located at the east end of the Hampi Bazaar.
Parvathi, Sivas consort is often associated with the Nature.
Symbolically Siva is often represented with a phallic icon called Linga, positioned at the centre of what represents as the female sexual organ. On a philosophical front this is explained as the balance of creative energies of the male and female. Or even the guiding code of the universe as a whole in some abstract way.
You can see the numerous Lingas all over Hampi. Some of them are inside the shrines, and many of them are carved on the rocky surfaces. The sprout at its circular base is made to point to the north.
Image of Siva Linga and devotees offering prayers carved on a sheet of rock near the riverside. Vermilion powder on the Linga and the leaves of Bengal quince/Stone apple (Aegle marmelos Correa) near by are offerings part of the rituals.
The sprout of a Linga always points to the north. And that makes it a sort of compass carved on the rock!
Nandi :
In Hampi you can find as many Nandi images as there are the Siva Images. There is a relation. Nandi is the vehicle of Siva, the lord of destruction. In iconography the animal form (bull) represents the instincts (for example sexuality). And Siva being the master of Nandi represents his mastery over it.
In mythology there are a few stories about the origin of Nandi. According to one Nandi was born from the right side of lord Vishnu , and was given as a son to a sage called Salankayana .
Typically Nandi images are installed infront of Siva shrines, facing the sanctum. In Hampi you can literally find hundreds of Nandi images in various forms. Some of them are carved as bas-reliefs, some are tiny sculptures, and some are carved on the boulder surfaces, even in the middle of the river.
A much smaller , yet peculiar, one is located inside the Virupaksha Temple campus. Look for the three headed Nandi image as you enter the temple campus through the eastern tower.
There are a series of Nandi images (with Siva lingas) carved on the Malyavantha Hill top. These are located just outside the main temple compound, very close to the rear exit.
According to the Hindu mythology this elephant headed god is the son of Siva and his consort Parvathi. In general you may ancounter a number of Ganesha icons and shrines close to the Siva temples. The largest two statues of Ganesha are located at the slops of the Hemakuta hill.
Ichnographically Ganesha spots an elephant head with a chubby human body. In most of the icons in Hampi Ganesha is portrayed with four arms.
Hindus treat Ganesha as the lord of the beginings. Any rituals are started with the praise of this god. Unlike most of the Hindu gods Ganesha does not have a consort.
Image of Vittala , Vishnu and Narasimha carved on a boulder
Vittala:
Sometimes also refered as Vithoba or Vijaya Vittala , is diety with Vaishnava affiliation. Originally Vittala was a folf god worshipped mostly by the nomadic cattle herd tribes. With time the worship of the this diety got popular and subsequently absorbed into the larger hindu phanteon.
Often the Vittala icon is portrayed in a semi-nude standing posture. Hands are placed on the hips with the elbows projection outward ( in typical akimbo style).
Pandharpur (Pandharpura) in Maharastra is believed to be the origin of the Vittala cult.
The grand attraction of Hampi, Vittala Temple is dedicated to this form of Vishnu. According to folklore, the idol could never be enshrined in the temple. The temple was so magnificent, that the god refused saying that it was way too much elaborate for him!
According to another story, after the fall of Vijayanagara in 1565 and during the arson and plunder of the city that followed, the idol was safely taken out of Hampi. Later it is enshrined in Pandharpur.
Hanuman is a minor deity in the Hindu pantheon. However he is an important god as far as Hampi is considered. Hanuman is closely associated with lord Rama, an incarnation of lord Vishnu.
He is an embodiment of wisdom, strength and devotion.
In Hampi you can see Hanuman in two perspectives - First with Rama, Sita and Lakshman; second Hanuman in the form of Anjeyana.
In the first context he stands next to Rama with folded hands - a sign of extreme humility and devotion.
In the Anjanaya form, he is portrayed as symbol of valor. He stands with his right hand raised above head, palm open, left fist folded close to his hips and the tail forms an arch around him. This represents a heroic Hanuman in an ever-ready posture.
According to the Hindu mythology, Hanuman is the son of Wind (god). That gave him the supernatural power to fly. In the epic Ramayana he flies across the ocean to Lanka in search of Sita, lord Rama’s lost wife. It’s Hanuman who leads the army of the monkeys to Lanka.
Virupaksha may be the presiding deity of Hampi, but hanuman images are seen pretty everywhere in Hampi. You can easily feel the depth of the belief that Hampi was the mythical monkey kingdom Kishkinda.
Almost all the gateways to the citadel has a shrine next to it dedicated to Hanuman. The largest image of Hanuman is located at the Ranga Temple in Royal Center. The most important temple dedicated to Hanuman is located at the hilltop of Anjeyamna Hill across the river , the hill believed to be his birth place.
.Vali & Sugreeva :
The monkey princes who were at powerstruggle over the monkey kingdom Kishkinda. You generally find their wrestling images carved on Hampi’s temples.
The image of Mahishasura Mardini (the slayer of the buffalo demon) appears at many places in Hampi.
One of the oldest shrines in Hampi is dedicated to this furious goddess (the shrine facing the Matunga Tank near Virupaksha Temple). One can get a close look at the image of this multi-armed goddess holding various weapons in a posture of trampling the buffalo demon under her feet at this temple.
The image above is carved on a boulder near the Chakratirtha facing the Kodandarama Temple.
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