The Veerbhadra Temple at Lepakshi

A little introduction to Lord Veerbhadra

I was visiting the Veerbhadra temple at Lepakshi. I usually like to dig up the history before visiting any ancient heritage temple or site so that I am well prepared to take in the beauty and the aesthetics of the place. I was not sure why Lord Shiva is also known as ‘Veerbhadra’. When I googled the term, I found that he is the fierce incarnation of Lord Shiva, born out of anguish and wrath when he realizes that Sati has immolated herself in the yagna (holy sacrificial fire) conducted by her father.

That set me wondering then why is this fierce incarnation of the Lord is worshipped over the other incarnations? Well, the answer is that Veerbhadra is also known as the ‘warrior’ god and was worshipped by the rulers and kings during times of war. Veer means valiant and bhadra means a friend. This temple at Lepakshi is dedicated exclusively to Lord Veerbhadra and is much revered in the state of Karnataka. This Shiva temple is also considered a sacred divyakshetra and is protected by the ASI.

How to Reach Lepakshi

The 16th century Lepakshi temple is situated in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, some 120 kms north of Bangalore. It is about an hour-long drive from North Bangalore on the lovely Bangalore-Hyderabad highway (NH44). Cruising at a speed of little more than 100 kmph, we reached Anantpur at about 10 in the morning. Taking cues from the signboards, we turned left off the highway onto Lepakshi Road and passed a few charming villages before being welcomed by  the granite monolithic Nandi some 200 metres from the main temple. This Nandi faces the main idol in the garbgriha in the main temple complex.

Time taken:

One requires about 2-3 hours to explore the temple and enjoy the beautiful architecture of this ancient temple.

Parking:

We parked near the Nandi enclosure next to the APTDC Haritha hotel. The parking is free.

You will be surprised to see that the temple is not crowded with visitors. You can enjoy your solitude without bothering about the jostling crowds and pestering guides. yes, We did not see any guide as well here. But apparently, you can find one if you ask around.

The Lepakshi Nandi

The Nandi is ornately carved from a single block of granite, with a height of 4.5 m and a length of 8.23 metres, making it the largest monolithic Nandi in India. It is bedecked with bells, earrings, chains and other jewellery, entirely carved from the rock, and it accurately faces the shiva linga inside the main temple premises, some 200 metres away.

Another monolithic Nandi, probably the second largest in India, faces the Virupaksha temple from the bazaar lane of Hampi. Interestingly, both these monolithic bulls are the architectural marvels from the bygone Vijaynagar era.

Monolithic Ganesha

This monolithic Ganesha carved out of a huge boulder near the Kalyana Mantapa, is another exquisite piece of art that is so typical of the Vijayanagara architecture.

Of Murals and Mantapas

The Lepakshi temple is the treasure trove of the remaining murals of the Vijayanagara period. The other murals from Hampi and other noted places of the erstwhile empire are long gone. However, the murals here are relatively well preserved on the walls and ceilings of the temple. Photography was prohibited in the main temple and so I did not click any pictures there. But you can click here to know more about these murals.

The myriad panels on the ceilings and the walls of the main temple depict various tales from our glorious puranas with the finest details. A lot is lost over the centuries but still some murals remain that speak volumes of our colourful and glorious past. It would be marvellous if the general public could understand these murals in a better way. There was some talk on an audio-visual display being planned to be set up to give information on these murals. I hope this initiative from ASI materializes soon!

Lepakshi: The Temple of Many Legends

Dedicated to Lord Veerabhadra, Bhadrakali, Vishnu and Lakshmi, this temple is well-known for its hanging pillar and India’s largest monolithic granite-sculpted Nandi. Not to speak of its splendid architecture, the legends associated with the temple are simply mind blowing. Legends emanate from almost every nook and corner of this beautiful temple. It won’t be an exaggeration to call it a ‘temple of legends’. 🙂 Let’s take a look at these seemingly surreal folklores:

The Story of Two Brothers

It is inscribed on the temple walls that the two brothers, Virupanna and Veeranna, whose family deity was Lord Veerbhadra, built the temple complex around 1583 AD under the rule of the Vijayanagara King, Achyuta Devaraya. The deity of Veerbhadra is older and precedes the temple complex.

Legend goes that Virupanna, who was a royal treasurer, used the funds from the royal treasury for the construction of the temple without the approval of the king. The infuriated king, as a punishment, ordered Virupanna to be blinded for his act. When Virupanna heard of the punishment, he himself carried out the punishment by dashing his eyes against the temple walls. Even to this day, two red stains on the temple walls stand a mute testimony to this legend. Some say that because of this incident, the temple is also known as the Temple of the Blinded Eye (Lepa – embalmed; askhi – eye)

After this punishment, the temple construction came to a standstill and the Kalyana mantapa (wedding hall) and other temple structures remained unfinished.

Le-Pakshi – Rise O’ Bird!

As another legend goes, Lepakshi is the place where Jatayu, the pious vulture, fell  wounded while trying to save Sita from the clutches of the demon king, Ravana. ‘Le-pakshi’ in Telegu means: ‘Rise – O – bird’. These were the words which Lord Rama uttered on seeing Jatayu injured in that condition and eventually the place came to be known by this name.

Sita’s footprint

Very interestingly, this huge footprint found in the temple premises is always wet. There is a constant trickle of water from underneath the footprint whose source remains unknown till date. The devout consider it to be nature’s way to honour the footprint.

Nagalinga was built in just an hour!

The monolithic Naga lingam is believed to be carved out from a single stone by the sculptors in just an hour while their mother was preparing lunch for them. After emerging from the kitchen, when she saw the beautiful three-coiled, seven-hooded naga lingam forming a canopy over the beautiful black granite lingam, the mother could not believe her eyes and cast an evil eye on the naga lingam. Soon enough, a crack appeared at the base of the structure much to the dismay of the sculptors. Interesting story, isn’t it!

It is a 15-foot long imposing structure and is the biggest of its kind in India .The seven hoods represent the seven Nagarajas (Serpent kings) of the netherworld. Nagas also symbolise protection and are supposed to guard Hindu temples and shrines.

Hanging Pillar or the Akasa Stambha

The story of how the pillar became the ‘hanging’ pillar is quite believable. Some Britisher decided to get to the bottom of the technology used to carve these exquisite pillars and tried to dislodge it. Consequently, the pillar came off from its base and started hanging. Today, one can pass a thin sheet of paper or cloth under the pillar to verify the fact.

There are about 70 pillars as per the local estimates in this mysterious temple and this one is the most popular of all 🙂 Isn’t it a wonder that even after so many centuries, inspite of the pillar hanging, the temple is still stable. Amazing ancient architecture is all that I can say!

Unfinished Kalyana Mantapa

The Kalyana mantapa stands stupendous inspite of its incompleteness. There is no ceiling on this mantapa as the construction supposedly came to a standstill after Virupanna was punished for his audacity. The mantapa is full of marvellous sculptures and is built as per vaastu to commemorate the wedding of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati. Kalyana means wedding Hence the name.

Food Options Nearby

After walking around the temple for hours, hunger pangs are sure to set in. However, food options are limited around Lepakshi. So it advisable to pack your own lunch and water if you are planning to visit Lepakshi.

There is just one APTDC restaurant in the vicinity, Haritha, which did not have any variety in their menu.  So we decided to head back towards Bangalore without trying it out. We pulled over at Nandi Upachara restaurant near Nandi hills  for lunch and were not disappointed with their fare.

Lepakshi is a half-day trip from Bangalore. Not to be missed by the residents of Bangalore for sure. If you like to explore and learn more about our ancient temples and heritage then do check out my blog on the temple town of Melukote as well. You will enjoy reading it.