Monolith of Lakshminarasimha at Hampi

The monolith of Lakshminarasimha is the largest statue at Hampi with6.7 meter tall. Narasimha, the half-man-half-lion incarnation of Mahavishnu, one of the Hindu trinities, sits as four-armed form – this is the monolithic idol.

The god sits in a cross-legged Yoga position, and seven-hooded serpents spread their hoods over his head. Built in 1528 this idol is one of the last contributions of Krishnadeva Raya, the Vijayanagara emperor. This continues to be the official motif of Vijayanagara Empire.

Hampi, once the seat of the Hindu Kingdom Vijayanagara dynasty, is situated on the southern bank of Tungabhadra River at Hospet village in Bellari district, Karnataka state, India.