Vijayanagara Temple Complex

Timeline

1. 1300–1336Virupaksha Temple · KarnatakaThe Virupaksha Temple, dedicated to Shiva, was already an important pilgrimage site before the empire's founding; after the empire rose it was elevated to a royal ritual center, establishing the temple complex's core religious status.
2. 1421–1430Hampi temple district · KarnatakaIn the early part of his reign Deva Raya II continued to fund the repair and expansion of the Virupaksha Temple and temples around the capital, adding gopurams, colonnades and ritual facilities; religious festivals and pilgrimages were frequent, and the temple economy (donations, markets) flourished.
3. 1509–1529Hampi · KarnatakaKrishnadevaraya vigorously built the Hazara Rama Temple, Vittala Temple and others, bringing sculpture, musical pillars and the stone chariot to their zenith; the temple complex became a landmark heritage of South Indian art history.
4. 1565Hampi World Heritage Site · KarnatakaAfter 1565 large-scale new construction ceased and most temples fell into ruins; the Virupaksha Temple continued its ritual tradition. In 1986 Hampi was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, becoming the core site group for studying Vijayanagara architecture and art.