Located in the Anantpur district of Andhra Pradesh, Lepakshi makes a great destination for a day trip from Bangalore.
Lepakshi is at a distance of around 120km from Bangalore and
It takes nearly 2 hr to reach the place by car via Bangalore - Hyderabad highway
According to the Valmiki Ramayana, it is believed that this was the place where Rama had met the dying Jatayu and had helped him achieve salvation by uttering the words 'Le Pakshi' or “Rise, oh bird” in Telegu.
Before reaching the main temple at Lepakshi, you will be welcomed by a large monolithic Nandi. This Nandi statue in Lepakshi is made of a single granite stone and is said to be one of the largest monolithic statues in India.
It is 20 feet in height and 30 feet in length. It was built in 1583 by the rulers of the Vijayanagara empire. The Giant statue of Jatayu, built recently near the Nandi statue also attracts a lot of tourists.
Veerabhadra Swamy Temple of Lepakshi is just 500 m from the location of the Nandi statue.
The temple dates back to 1583 and was built by the brothers, Virupanna and Veeranna, who were initially in the service of the Vijayanagara kings.
However, another legend states that the temple was built by the sage Agastya. The temple was built on a small hillock which is in the shape of a tortoise and hence known as Kurma Saila. Temple’s main deity is Veerabhadra, the fiery god created by Shiva.
The sanctum also houses the shrines of lord shiva, Lord Vishnu, Ramalinga, Bhadrakali & Hanuman.
As soon as you enter the temple, Natyamantapa and Ardha Mantapa greet you with eye-catchy and artistically beautiful sculptures.
The Lepakshi temple also has the finest specimens of mural paintings of the Vijayanagar kings. The ceilings of the Natya and Ardha Mandapa are decorated with murals that depict scenes from the epics like the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and the Puranas. The Shiva-Parvathi wedding painting is most notable among the rest.
There are about 35 large pillars in the mandapa and the most interesting one is the Hanging pillar which is suspended a few inches above the floor and does not rest on the ground fully. It is said that the pillar is dispositioned a bit after a British engineer tried to move it in an unsuccessful attempt to uncover the secret of its support.
A massive 18 ft tall Monolithic Nagalinga attracts visitors with three coils and seven hoods. It provides shelter to a black granite Shivalingam.
A huge Ganesha present at the right side is carved out of the same boulder as Nagalinga.
The maroon spots on the wall behind nagalinga are said to be the marks left by the bleeding eyes of Virupanna.
According to the legend, the builder Virupanna was the treasurer of the Vijayanagar Empire who utilized the treasury’s money to build the temple during the king’s absence. When the King returned from his campaign, he found the treasury had been emptied by Virupanna, and he ordered that the treasurer be blinded. Angered by this command, Virupanna carried out his punishment himself. So the red blotches on the walls of the unfinished Kalyana Mandapa are nothing but his eyes!
Yet another prime attraction within the Veerabhadra Swamy Temple complex of Lepakshi is Kalyana Mantapa. Similar to the structure of the main temple mandapa, the Kalyana mandapa has a circular arrangement of pillars. It was built to perform the Wedding ceremony for Lord Shiva and Parvathi during the annual festivals of the temple. There are about 38 pillars in the mandapa carved out of granite stone that exhibit the carvings of several gods and saints. According to legend, the main architect Virupanna ran out of funds while trying to build & complete the Kalyana mandapa. Hence the structure stands unfinished.
There is a large open area beyond the Kalyana mandapa which was used for cultural and recreational activities during the Vijayanagar rule.
At one corner of the courtyard, there lies this big footprint impression.
Some believe that it is of Lord Hanuman's and others say it is of Sita's.
It is interesting to note that this imprint remains wet during all the season.
A series of pillars at the backside of Kalyana Mantapa has beautiful intricate designs carved on them. These carvings have also inspired the designs of famous Lepakshi Sarees
Beautiful intricate designs carved on the pillars behind Kalyana Mandapa
are said to be the inspiration for Lepakshi Saree designs
In the courtyard, you can also find giant pallets carved out of stone. Even though there is no relevant information regarding these, one can only guess that they might have been used as the place to serve the offerings to god during the Pooja ceremony.
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