Darshan in Hampi

The temple that never stopped

Everything around it is ruin; this one is not. Virupaksha has been in continuous worship since about the seventh century (through the rise of Vijayanagara and through its sacking), and the morning puja goes on in a town that is otherwise a field of broken stone. Standing inside at dawn is the difference between visiting a monument and visiting a temple.

Morning puja at dawn; the temple keeps a midday break like most South Indian temples.