Virupa, one of the eighty-four enlightened Great Adepts (Mahasiddhas) and a preeminent master of both the Chakrasamvara and Hevajra lineage is shown in his popular posture with his right hand and his gaze directed towards the sun and his left hand holding a skull cup or bowl of gold paint.  Typically a garland of flowers drapes over his left shoulder and a floral crown adorns his head.  The curls of Virupa's hair, beard and eyebrows, too, are standard to his iconography.  He sits on an antelope skin atop a lotus pedestal, with its high rim below the row of rounded pearls.  The row of elongated lotus petals is a common feature in the Nepalese tradition.  In Tibet, Virupa is particularly important to the Sakya order, which traditionally offered patronage to Newari artisans.

The story of the origin of Mahasiddha Virupa is as follows:
Virupa was born as the crown prince into a royal family in south of India, some 1020 years after Lord Buddha reached nirvana or enlightenment.  However, the dating of Virupa is somewhat uncertain given the limited factual evidence although it is believed that Virupa made at least three appearances in this world.

As a young child, Virupa received the novice ordination in the famous monastery of Somapura in North Bengal.  After completion of his studies there, he left for the Nalanda Monastery where he received the bhikhu ordination from, Dharmamitra, the Abbot of Nalanda, where he was given the name Dharmapala.  Virupa was known as a Dharmapala and it was only towards the latter part of his life, after achieving Siddhi that he called himself, Virupa, which means "wicked".

At Nalandra, Dharmamitra gave Virupa Vajrayana teachings and in particular Chakrasamvara tantra.  Virupa became the Abbot of Nalanda after the death of Dharmamitra.  In the daytime, he gave teachings and composition and at night he secretly practiced Chakrasamvara.

At the age of 70, after many years of faithful practice on Vajrayana, Virupa began having dreams which he interpreted as bad omens and he saw no signs of spiritual attainment.  Having decided that he had no karmic connection with Vajrayana, he threw his prayer beads into the latrine and gave up his practice on Vajrayana.  On the same night, the Goddess Nairatmya appeared in his dream and told him that he should not act in such a manner when he was about to attain Siddhi.  Hence he was requested to pick up his beads and wash them in scented water and to continue his regular practice.  The following evening, Vajra Nairatmya appeared before him in her own mandala of fifteen goddesses where she bestowed on Virupa the four initiations, after which Virupa attained the Path of Seeing of the First Bhumi.  Virupa had then realised the true significance of his dreams which he wrongly interpreted as bad omens.  From that evening onwards, Virupa attained a higher Bhumi each day until he became the great Bodhisattva of the Sixth Bhumi.

In order to express his gratitude to his Guru and Yidams, Virupa arranged for a Ganachakra feast offerings where meat and wine were included as offerings.  The other monks became suspicious over the behaviour of their Abbot.  Wishing to avoid any disparagement to the doctrine from the misunderstanding of his behaviour, Virupa declared himself "wicked" and left the Nalanda monastery.  This was how the name Virupa came to be.

Upon leaving Nalanda, Virupa headed for areas such as Varanasi, Bhimesara, and other southeast parts of India.  In his journey, he met two men, Dombi Heruka (the boatman) and Krishnacharin, who became his two disciples.  Virupa demonstrated his magical powers to many along the way, including kings and their spiritual advisers.  Virupa was known for his magical power such as parting the water of the Ganges River on two occasions and halting the sun in its normal course for three days from a beer tavern in southern India.  In Sowanatha, he built a temple and established a community of monks where he ordered that animal sacrifices be stopped thereby saving the lives of million of animals.

When Virupa passed away, some said that he dissolved into a stone image and others said that he became a stone image.  This stone image pointed at the sun with its right hand and held a container of gold paint in its left hand.  It is said that this gold paint can turn any metal into gold.