Lakshmi Narasimha Statue & Badavilinga
Ugra Narasimha
The largest monolithic sculpture in Hampi: a roughly 6.7 m man-lion seated beneath a seven-headed serpent canopy, beside a giant lingam in water.
This statue of Narasimha, the man-lion avatar of Vishnu, was carved from a single boulder in 1528 at the command of King Krishnadevaraya. It stands about 6.7 m tall and sits cross-legged beneath a canopy formed by a giant seven-headed serpent. A statue of the goddess Lakshmi originally sat on his lap, but it was damaged after the city fell in 1565, which is why the face looks so fierce and the figure is popularly known as Ugra (Fierce) Narasimha. In a small shrine nearby stands the Badavilinga, a lingam about 3 m tall whose base is always submerged in channeled water. Admission is free.
Opening hours
Open all day (daytime)
Nearby sights
- Krishna Temple, Hampi
- Hemakuta Hill Temples
- Sasivekalu & Kadalekalu Ganesha
- Virupaksha Temple
- Hampi Bazaar
- Matanga Hill
- Achyutaraya Temple
- Tungabhadra River Coracle Ride