Lepakshi
Lepakshi is a small town, in Ananthpur district of Andhra Pradesh state. Lepakshi is famous for its temple, which is dedicated to Veerabhadra, the fiery incarnation of Lord Shiva. In this temple, there are beautiful frescos of Ramayana and Mahabharatha. Lepakshi style of painting is still practiced today and is sold as handicrafts.
Lepakshi is about 140 kms from Bangalore, and I know that a single day would be sufficient to visit this place and return back.
I got all the required information on the net, the route to be taken, the time it would take to travel, the history of the place, the temple itself etc.
It is in this place, that Jatayu fought against Cruel king Ravana, when he was taking away Sita to Lanka. Jatayu was injured in the fight and lost his wings. Lord Rama and Lakshmana, found Jatayu, and got to know about Ravana’s abduction of Sita. Jatayu died, and was buried by Rama and Lakshmana. It is due to this reason, that this place is called Le – Pakshi.
Me and my husband, along with my colleague decided to visit Veerabhadra Temple in Lepakshi one Saturday afternoon. We left at 1 pm. To reach Lepakshi one must drive on Bangalore Hyderabad highway, the exact route is Bangalore – Chikballapur – cross the Andhra check post – take a left turn at the Bird sanctuary – ( one would find huge models of painted storks ) – Lepakshi is about 10 kms from this point. Hindupur is beyond Lepakshi..another 15 kms away.
The climate was good, and since we had not had our lunch, we stopped by at a Dhaba. The food was good – hot parathas, egg masala omlette, channa masala, dal fry and a bottle of King Fisher – all at Rs. 147. The food was good.
I felt we started a little late..coz it was already 3pm and we had not reached Lepakshi. The road was good, except for a few bumps here and here. After crossing the check post at the border, we found a huge model of Painted Storks. We were approaching a bird sanctuary. My friend had visited Lepashi before and hence we din’t have problem decided how to proceed further. We had to take a left turn at the Stork models, and we reached Lepakshi. It was just 10 kms away.
We reached the Nandi first. It is considered to be one of the Largest Nandi’s in India. The temple was about 1 km away, and is constructed on a huge stone platform. When we reached the temple is was about 5 pm and was slowly getting dark.
The scene outside the temple was just like any other temple in India. Small shops selling flowers, coconut, incense, pilgrims in really colourful sarees, toys of all sizes, and of course the ubiquitous guides.
We din’t want to engage a guide, as we entered the temple. A guide followed us and kept a distance at first. Then, he came close to us and started speaking to us very politely. He told us in Telugu that Lepakshi is a very beautiful temple, and he would explain every thing about it, and in the end, we could give him anything we wished. He was not demanding, but, we felt sad for him, and decided to engage him to take us around the temple.
The temple is about 500 yrs old, is built in Vijayanagar Architectural style, and was built by Viranna and Virupanna brothers, who were Nayak chieftains of the Vijayanagar ruler , King Achutaraya. In the times of the Vijayanagar empire, the king split the country into different districts, and each district was given to a Nayak for Governance.
Virupanna, who was Achutaraya’s treasurer, had lot of money at his disposal, and he wanted to build a temple dedicated to their family diety – Veerabhadra. Some parts of the temple is incomplete, and there is a sad story behind it, which I will explain later.
So, our guide, how silly was I, I din’t ask him name at all. He was wearing a white shirt and white pant, and must be in his 50’s. Or may be, he was in his 40’s, but looked much older because of the hardships in his life.
He accompanied us right from the time we entered the complex. The complex has a large exterior wall, with a narrow verandah attached to the compound wall. These verandahs served as resting places for pilgrims who came from far off places. The outer walls and adjacent hall is called Nithya Mandapa or Mukha Mantapa.
Inside the Nithya Mantapa, is another small complex, called the Artha Mantapa. The main sanctum sanctorum or Garbha Graha is in the Artha Mantapa.
In the exterior verandahs and the open halls, there are are lots of inscriptions on the floor. There are names of the king and all the sculptors who worked there to build the temple.
Inside the main complex, there is a huge Ganapati idol, there is a large Shiva Linga, which is protected by a 7 headed snake. There are sculptures of many Shiva Lingas also. The guide told us that they are replicas of the Lingas of Sri Kala Hasti temple.
There are waiting halls, dance and music halls and wedding halls in the complex.
The wedding hall or Kalyana Mantapa has 38 carved pillars, without a roof and hence I think it was never completed. According to mythology the marriage between Lord Shiva and Parvathy is supposed to have happened here. The pillars of the wedding hall have images of Shiva and Parvathy and Parvathy father, and lots of guests, but, I could recognize who the rest of the people on the pillars were. It was easy to identify Shiva with his third eye.
There is a bathing tank with water in it.
Inside the main sanctum, there is a idol of Veerabhadra. There is also a idol of Goddess Durga which is decorated and is painted. There are smaller sanctums for Lord Shiva and Vishnu.
There are several beautiful pillars in the main hall, and the ceilings are painted with scenes of Ramayana and Mahabharatha. These paintings are called Lepashi paintings. These paintings were done with vegetable dyes other natural materials. At many places, the paint has peeled away due to weather and age, but, in some places, there are very nice and clearly visible. Models of these paintings, and paints done in this style are available in all Andhra Pradesh Handi Crafts showrooms.
The wedding hall is incomplete. There are pillars, but no ceiling. The guide gave us a very interesting story. Virupanna Nayak is supposed to have constructed this temple, without taking permission from the king, and is also supposed to have defaulted on paying the taxes. The king felt that Virupanna was using the money to make the temple. The king sent his men to punish Virupanna and ordered that his eyes be taken away. On hearing the kings orders, Virupanna became unhappy. In obeyance to the King, he voluntarily pulled away his eyes, and threw them at the walls. Even to this day, one can see the blood stains on the wall. To me, these two marks looked like rusting iron. I took this story with a pinch of salt, but, it may be true.
After going around the temple and clicking some snaps, we left the complex. We went to spend some time near the Nandi. The Nandi is huge, and is well decorated. From this place, we could see the main temple complex. At 6 pm, the flood lights were put on and the Nandi looked beautiful in the light.
We left Lepakshi at about 6 pm. We stopped by to have Chai. The drive back home was scary. We could not see the pot holes on the road, and went into all of them. The lorries heading the opposite direction, as they came closer, almost blinded us, and it was tough to drive.
If one is planning a single day trip, it is advisable to start early in the day, so that we can get back home when it is bright enough, and it is safe to drive.
Getting There
Road – 480 kms from Hyderabad. 140 kms from Bangalore.
The route from Bangalore is Bangalore – Chikballapur –drive on Bangalore Hyderabad Highway - cross the Karnataka Andhra Check post – immediately take the left turn at the model of Painted Storks – Lepakshi is just 10 kms from there.
There are also regular buses and taxis from Hindupur and Ananthapur.
Rail : The nearest rail head to Lepakshi is Hindupur at a distance of 16 kms.
Air : Bangalore airport is the closest. 140 kms.
Trip duration – 1 day
Best time – Any time of the year
Accomodation – As it is a day trip from Bangalore, one can return on the same day. There are several dhabas on the route, where one can stop for hot parathas or a hot cup of chai.
But if you do wish to stay, for what ever reasons, to take snaps of temple during sunrise, sunset etc…these are the places where you can find accommodation.
Hindupur Tourism Complex, Abhya Guest House at Lepakshi maintained by State Tourism Dept, AP Tourism’s motel at Hindupur, Travellers Bungalow at Hindupur, PWD travelers bungalow at Demakepalli – 5 kms from Lepakshi.
Lepakshi is about 140 kms from Bangalore, and I know that a single day would be sufficient to visit this place and return back.
I got all the required information on the net, the route to be taken, the time it would take to travel, the history of the place, the temple itself etc.
It is in this place, that Jatayu fought against Cruel king Ravana, when he was taking away Sita to Lanka. Jatayu was injured in the fight and lost his wings. Lord Rama and Lakshmana, found Jatayu, and got to know about Ravana’s abduction of Sita. Jatayu died, and was buried by Rama and Lakshmana. It is due to this reason, that this place is called Le – Pakshi.
Me and my husband, along with my colleague decided to visit Veerabhadra Temple in Lepakshi one Saturday afternoon. We left at 1 pm. To reach Lepakshi one must drive on Bangalore Hyderabad highway, the exact route is Bangalore – Chikballapur – cross the Andhra check post – take a left turn at the Bird sanctuary – ( one would find huge models of painted storks ) – Lepakshi is about 10 kms from this point. Hindupur is beyond Lepakshi..another 15 kms away.
The climate was good, and since we had not had our lunch, we stopped by at a Dhaba. The food was good – hot parathas, egg masala omlette, channa masala, dal fry and a bottle of King Fisher – all at Rs. 147. The food was good.
I felt we started a little late..coz it was already 3pm and we had not reached Lepakshi. The road was good, except for a few bumps here and here. After crossing the check post at the border, we found a huge model of Painted Storks. We were approaching a bird sanctuary. My friend had visited Lepashi before and hence we din’t have problem decided how to proceed further. We had to take a left turn at the Stork models, and we reached Lepakshi. It was just 10 kms away.
We reached the Nandi first. It is considered to be one of the Largest Nandi’s in India. The temple was about 1 km away, and is constructed on a huge stone platform. When we reached the temple is was about 5 pm and was slowly getting dark.
The scene outside the temple was just like any other temple in India. Small shops selling flowers, coconut, incense, pilgrims in really colourful sarees, toys of all sizes, and of course the ubiquitous guides.
We din’t want to engage a guide, as we entered the temple. A guide followed us and kept a distance at first. Then, he came close to us and started speaking to us very politely. He told us in Telugu that Lepakshi is a very beautiful temple, and he would explain every thing about it, and in the end, we could give him anything we wished. He was not demanding, but, we felt sad for him, and decided to engage him to take us around the temple.
The temple is about 500 yrs old, is built in Vijayanagar Architectural style, and was built by Viranna and Virupanna brothers, who were Nayak chieftains of the Vijayanagar ruler , King Achutaraya. In the times of the Vijayanagar empire, the king split the country into different districts, and each district was given to a Nayak for Governance.
Virupanna, who was Achutaraya’s treasurer, had lot of money at his disposal, and he wanted to build a temple dedicated to their family diety – Veerabhadra. Some parts of the temple is incomplete, and there is a sad story behind it, which I will explain later.
So, our guide, how silly was I, I din’t ask him name at all. He was wearing a white shirt and white pant, and must be in his 50’s. Or may be, he was in his 40’s, but looked much older because of the hardships in his life.
He accompanied us right from the time we entered the complex. The complex has a large exterior wall, with a narrow verandah attached to the compound wall. These verandahs served as resting places for pilgrims who came from far off places. The outer walls and adjacent hall is called Nithya Mandapa or Mukha Mantapa.
Inside the Nithya Mantapa, is another small complex, called the Artha Mantapa. The main sanctum sanctorum or Garbha Graha is in the Artha Mantapa.
In the exterior verandahs and the open halls, there are are lots of inscriptions on the floor. There are names of the king and all the sculptors who worked there to build the temple.
Inside the main complex, there is a huge Ganapati idol, there is a large Shiva Linga, which is protected by a 7 headed snake. There are sculptures of many Shiva Lingas also. The guide told us that they are replicas of the Lingas of Sri Kala Hasti temple.
There are waiting halls, dance and music halls and wedding halls in the complex.
The wedding hall or Kalyana Mantapa has 38 carved pillars, without a roof and hence I think it was never completed. According to mythology the marriage between Lord Shiva and Parvathy is supposed to have happened here. The pillars of the wedding hall have images of Shiva and Parvathy and Parvathy father, and lots of guests, but, I could recognize who the rest of the people on the pillars were. It was easy to identify Shiva with his third eye.
There is a bathing tank with water in it.
Inside the main sanctum, there is a idol of Veerabhadra. There is also a idol of Goddess Durga which is decorated and is painted. There are smaller sanctums for Lord Shiva and Vishnu.
There are several beautiful pillars in the main hall, and the ceilings are painted with scenes of Ramayana and Mahabharatha. These paintings are called Lepashi paintings. These paintings were done with vegetable dyes other natural materials. At many places, the paint has peeled away due to weather and age, but, in some places, there are very nice and clearly visible. Models of these paintings, and paints done in this style are available in all Andhra Pradesh Handi Crafts showrooms.
The wedding hall is incomplete. There are pillars, but no ceiling. The guide gave us a very interesting story. Virupanna Nayak is supposed to have constructed this temple, without taking permission from the king, and is also supposed to have defaulted on paying the taxes. The king felt that Virupanna was using the money to make the temple. The king sent his men to punish Virupanna and ordered that his eyes be taken away. On hearing the kings orders, Virupanna became unhappy. In obeyance to the King, he voluntarily pulled away his eyes, and threw them at the walls. Even to this day, one can see the blood stains on the wall. To me, these two marks looked like rusting iron. I took this story with a pinch of salt, but, it may be true.
After going around the temple and clicking some snaps, we left the complex. We went to spend some time near the Nandi. The Nandi is huge, and is well decorated. From this place, we could see the main temple complex. At 6 pm, the flood lights were put on and the Nandi looked beautiful in the light.
We left Lepakshi at about 6 pm. We stopped by to have Chai. The drive back home was scary. We could not see the pot holes on the road, and went into all of them. The lorries heading the opposite direction, as they came closer, almost blinded us, and it was tough to drive.
If one is planning a single day trip, it is advisable to start early in the day, so that we can get back home when it is bright enough, and it is safe to drive.
Getting There
Road – 480 kms from Hyderabad. 140 kms from Bangalore.
The route from Bangalore is Bangalore – Chikballapur –drive on Bangalore Hyderabad Highway - cross the Karnataka Andhra Check post – immediately take the left turn at the model of Painted Storks – Lepakshi is just 10 kms from there.
There are also regular buses and taxis from Hindupur and Ananthapur.
Rail : The nearest rail head to Lepakshi is Hindupur at a distance of 16 kms.
Air : Bangalore airport is the closest. 140 kms.
Trip duration – 1 day
Best time – Any time of the year
Accomodation – As it is a day trip from Bangalore, one can return on the same day. There are several dhabas on the route, where one can stop for hot parathas or a hot cup of chai.
But if you do wish to stay, for what ever reasons, to take snaps of temple during sunrise, sunset etc…these are the places where you can find accommodation.
Hindupur Tourism Complex, Abhya Guest House at Lepakshi maintained by State Tourism Dept, AP Tourism’s motel at Hindupur, Travellers Bungalow at Hindupur, PWD travelers bungalow at Demakepalli – 5 kms from Lepakshi.
posted by Sandhya Reddy at 11:22 AM
