Lepakshi is a city of legends and historical vibes. Located in the Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh, this small village is famous for the Veerabhadra temple. As per the legends, Lord Rama attended the dying Jatayu in this village and granted him salvation by saying ‘Le Pakshi’ which translates to ‘Rise, bird’ in Telegu. This beautiful village also is home to various shrines dedicated to Lord Ram, Raghunath, Papanatheswar, Vishnu, and Shiva
Magical Stories of Lepakshi
1) Veerabhadra Temple- It is one of the oldest temples which is dedicated to the fearsome form of Lord Shiva, Veerabhadra. As per the Mythology, Daksha humiliated his daughter, Sati, and his son-in-law Shiva during a magnificent sacrifice. Unable to stand the insult, Sati immolated herself in the fire of the sacrifice. To avenge her, Lord Shiva took the form of Veerabhadra. The temple is divided into three sections, Natya Mandapa, Ardha Mandapa and Kalyana Mandap. You can also find beautiful murals at the ceiling of Ardha Mandapa and Natya Mandapa depicting stories of Puranas, Ramayana, and Mahabharata. One of the murals also depicts the wedding of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. The temple is also the home of one of the biggest murals in Asia that measures 23 feet x 13 feet and depicts the story of Veerabhadra.
On the western halls of Kalyana Mandapa, you can also observe two red spots that surround the myth that when Virupanna was cited for abusing the state treasury for constructing the mandapa, he plucked his eyes out and crushed them against the wall to escape the punishment.
2) The Hanging Pillar- As you walk through the beautiful Lepakshi temple, you will come across the pillars which seemed to be hanging as they are not resting on the ground. It is a collection of 70 pillars that were built around the 16th century. These pillars are a tribute to the engineering brain of medieval and ancient temple builders in India. You can efficiently pass a thin paper through them, without any damage.
3) Legend of Lepakshi Temple-As per one of the legends, a British engineer during the British period, tried to move the hanging pillar to reveal the mystery of its support; however, when he tried to move the pillar, the entire temple structure started to shake and he ran for his life
4) The Basavanna Temple- The biggest statue of Nandi, is situated in this temple. With 27 feet in length and 15 feet in high, it is one of the most loved spots by photographers. This monolithic statue of Nandi is crafter from one single stone.
5) Shopping- If you want to shop for some traditional and hand-crafted stuff, you should visit the market of this historic town. You can shop for jute floor mats, cherial scroll portraits, Kalamkari paintings, brass artifacts, Banjara embroidery articles, and Kondaplli toys.
