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A Heritage Site
Lepakshi is a small village, which lies 15-km east of Hindupur in
Anantapur District of
Andhra Pradesh. It is the most important
place in the district from the historical and archaeological point of
view. A trip to Lepakshi is revitalising for those who believe in heritage
sites, for those who marvel at the art of our ancestors, and those willing
to get away from the routine multiple-destination tourist routes. The
place is renowned as the repository of the best mural paintings of the
Vijayanagar Kings.
The Sacred Shrines
Lepakshi
consists of three shrines dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and 'Virabhadra'. On
one of the hillocks near the place is known as "Kurma Saila"
(tortoise shaped hill), are located the temples of 'Papanatheswara',
'Raghunatha', 'Srirama', 'Veerabhadra' and 'Durga', of which the
Veerabharadra temple is the most important.
The Temple Of Veerabhadra
Veerabhadra temple is a notable example of the Vijayanagar style of
architecture. A reference is made in the 'Skandapurana' to Lepakshi as one
of the hundred and eight important 'Shaiva Kshetras' (shrines).
Though the temple of Veerabhadra is claimed to have been constructed by
Saint 'Agastya' himself, it was developed into the present exquisite
shrine by 'Virupanna', the treasurer of the Vijayanagar Kings.
He conceived the idea as he found the image of Veerabhadra. He executed
the plan in the absence of the king and used the treasure when he was away
at Vijayanagar. When the construction was almost finished and it was being
supervised the king returned and found the treasure empty. The king
ordered, as a punishment to this heinous crime, that be should be blinded.
The treasurer being a loyal person carried out the punishment spot with
his own bands.
Even today one can see two dark stains upon the wall near the 'Kalyana
Mandapa', which are said to be the marks made by his eyes, which he
himself dashed against the wall. The builder did not survive for a long
time and the village is called "Lepa-akshi Lepakshi", i.e., a
village of the blinded eye.
Division Of The Temple
The temple is divided into three parts - the 'Mukha Mandapa', (also
called 'Nitya Mandapa' or 'Ranga Mandapa'), the 'Artha Mandapa' and
'Garbha Griha', and the 'Kalyana Mandapa', with 38 carved monolithic
pillars in grey sandstone is unfinished. These three form a triangle with
a common Mandapam.
The Legend Of Veerbhadra Temple
As per local legend Lord Shiva and Parvati were married on the spot where
the Kalyana Mandapa stands. The temple is surrounded on all sides by an
outer enclosure. A second inner enclosure contains the main portion of the
temple. Its finest parts are the 'Natya' (Dancing) and 'Ardha' (worship)
Mandapas. The former is decorated with superbly sculptured pillars on,
which are carved life-size representations of musicians and dancers in
various poses displaying spirit and vigour. The Kalyana Mandapam is a
standing monument to the exuberance of Vijayanagar art but it is left
unfinished.
The Temple Enclosure
The shrines of Papanatheswara, PamaeswaraSwami, and GopalaSwami are all
located in the temple. To the south of the main shrine does a great 'Naga'
hood the huge Nagalingam with its base split.
An interesting legend associated with it. The room opposite the Naga
Linga was a kitchen. An old woman was busy preparing a meal for her
children who were sculptors. While waiting for the meal, they carved out
the huge Naga Linga from a boulder. On seeing the beautiful work, the
mother extolled her children and blessed them. Ever since the Naga Linga
stands where it is.
Two hundred yards east of the temple is a colossal Nandi reputed to be
the largest of its kind in the country. It is carved out of the monolithic
rock, twenty feet in height and thirty in length.
The Sulptures & Mural Paintings
The best specimens of the Vijayanagar style of sculpture and mural
paintings are found in the Natya and Kalyana Mandapams (dance and wedding
halls). These sculptures depict puranic episodes like those of
'Ananthasayana', 'Dattatreya', 'Chaturmukha Bramha', 'Tumburu', 'Narada'
and 'Rambha'.
The
musical instruments, the costumes, the gestures and ornaments have been
sculptured with incredible skill. The walls of the sanctum of the
Veerabhadra temple, the ceilings of Ranga Mandapa and that part of Mukha
Mandapa touching the shrine of Siva are full of murals. In the Ardha
Mandapa, there are a number of panels depicting mythological themes like
rising from Linga (the phallic emblem representing Shiva) to save
'Markandeya', 'Dakshinamurthy' seated on hillock surrounded by sages,
Shiva reposed in his 'anugraha' (pose of bestowal) and so on.
The Mukha Mandapa has also a number of murals portraying 'Kiratarjuniya',
and lord Krishna as 'Vatapatrasayi' (literally resting on a banyan leaf).
An excellent painting of the story of the legendary King 'Manuchola' draws
the eye of even the most casual onlooker. The Ardha Mandapa is
particularly noted for its paintings of the different manifestations of
Siva.
The temple authority conducts a festival during the month of February (Asvayujamasam), which is 10 day long celebration including the car festival. Lepakshi is packed with pilgrims from all over the country during the festivals.
Air: Bangalore airport is the
nearest one at a distance of 100-km.
Rail: The nearest railhead to Lepakshi is Hindupur at a distance
of 16-km between the Hyderabad
- Bangalore
railway line.
Road: Regular buses and taxis run from Hindupur and
Ananthapur.
Hindupur Tourism Complex with 8 Cottages
and a restaurant offers excellent accommodation. State Tourism Department
maintains a rest house called Abhya Griha at Lepakshi, and A.P.Tourism's
motel at Hindupur.
Travellers Bungalow
Travellers' Bungalow, Hindupur
PWD Travellers' Bungalow, Demakepalli 5-km from Lepakshi