Lepakshi

Overview

Lepakshi is a village in Sri Sathya Sai district, Andhra Pradesh, grown up around a Vijayanagara-era temple of the 1500s dedicated to Veerabhadra, Shiva in his wrathful aspect. The village lies about 15 km east of Hindupur and roughly 120 to 140 km north of Bengaluru, so it fits neatly on a road trip between Karnataka and Rayalaseema. It suits people who would rather study a painted ceiling and carved pillars than join a pilgrim crowd. Cooler months, from about October to February, are kinder for the open courtyards, since the local range runs from roughly 13 C to 42 C.

Two brothers, Virupanna and Viranna, who served at the court of Achyuta Deva Raya, are credited with commissioning the temple around 1530, though some accounts say 1540. Local tradition ties the site to the sage Agastya as well. It occupies a rocky hill, and its plan runs from an assembly hall through an antechamber to the sanctum.

The paintings are the reason to come. Scenes from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas cover the ceilings, and the Vijayanagara murals here are counted among the largest surviving groups of their period. One ceiling panel is reported to show fourteen forms of Shiva, while a large Veerabhadra figure is painted in front of the sanctum. Among the carvings, the hanging pillar draws the most curiosity: its base leaves a gap through which a cloth or a sheet of paper can be passed. Another oddity is the Naga linga, a granite boulder cut into a coiled, many-hooded serpent that shades a linga.

Some 200 metres away sits a monolithic Nandi, Shiva's bull, cut out of one granite boulder and often counted among the biggest Nandi figures anywhere. Most visitors walk across to it after the main complex.

Allow two to three hours for the village alone. Many people pair it with Penukonda, about 35 km away, where the Vijayanagara court relocated its capital after 1565, or with the ashram town of Puttaparthi. For rail, Hindupur is the closest station. Kempegowda International Airport at Bengaluru is the nearest major airport. A yearly Lepakshi Utsavam is usually held around March, but its dates are announced late, so confirm them before planning a trip around it.

Known for

A Vijayanagara temple of the 16th century, dedicated to a fierce form of Shiva