Heinz-Murray 2E.book

Virupaksha Temple, Vijayanagar, Karnataka. From 700 to 1200 C.E., Hindu kings pro-
claimed their authority in a new way. The earlier emphasis on elaborate Vedic sacrifices
was replaced by the building of temples. Virupaksha (Shiva) is the chief deity of the tem-
ple, built over a smaller early shrine by a chieftain of the Vijayanagar Empire in the four-
teenth century. Unlike stupas, temples are open to worshippers who bring gifts to the
deities enshrined in the innermost room, the garbhagriha (“womb house”). They face the
east, so the deity greets the sun every morning as it rises. These vast temple complexes,
raised on the dry plains of Central India, resemble the high Himalayas where the gods live.
They were widely copied in the soggy lowlands of Southeast Asia, such as at Angkor Wat.