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| Lepakshi Basavanna |
Lepakshi is a small village in
Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh and is located at a distance of about 120
KMs from Bangalore. The route one can
take is Bangalore- Yelahanka – Devanahalli – Chikballapur – Bagepalli –
Gudibanda – Lepakshi (NH7). Alternatively one can also take Dodaballapur –
Gauribidnur – Hindupur –Lepakshi. The travel time would be about 2 hours .
The route i would suggest is via
Devanahalli since the National highway is good to drive and moreover you have
good restaurants for food. (Kamat Upachar about 10KM from Chickballapur is a
good place )
Lepakshi is famous for its
Vijayanagar style of architecture, and has three temples dedicated to Lord
Shiva, Vishnu, and Veerabhdra .Lepakshi is a heritage site renowned for its
mural paintings made with vibrant colors made from vegetable and flower dyes
that still grace the roof in the temple.
The wonderful stone carvings
depicting mythology is fascinating. Each pillar has a story to tell. The
temple has a central pavilion, which runs through the intermediate hall and
hall for ritual dance. There is a large open court which is accessible from the
main hall.
Another attraction is the idol of
“Naga Linga” . This is a seven hooded Naga, carved out of a single rock and
shelters a Shiva Linga placed on the grooved coil of the serpent .Just below
this on the same platform ,you can find “Saptamatrika” panel. A huge statue of coloured Lord
Ganesha captures your attention when you
enter the second prahara. This idol is carved out of a big boulder and is
sheltered in a separate mandapa with sculpted pillars. Just next to this
Ganesha , you can find on another huge rock the carving depicting the legend
of Srikalahasthi where Sri (spider), Kala(serpant), and Hasti(elephant) are
worshiping Lord Shiva,
As you move further you can see
circles carved on the ground which were said to be plates for food .The main
center of the temple complex has a pillar that looks as if it is hanging in the
air. A piece of paper can be passed from one end to another end. It is said
that the paintings on the ceiling is one of the largest murals ever painted.
There are also paintings depicting the incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
There is a ‘Ranga mandapa” with some
with carvings of warriors holding dagger mounted on Yali. To the center of the
mandapam there are pillars which have intricate carving on the sides. The idol
of Bhringi ,a three legged dance master is fascinating.There is also a
unfinished “Kalayana Mandapa” which has many interesting sculptures. Though
“Lepakshi” temple is incomplete one can never stop appreciating the
architecture, sculpture, and the paintings
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| Saptamatrika |
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| Virupaksha temple entrance |
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| Lingam installed by Chola King |
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| Painting on temple roof |
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| Monolith Nagalinga |
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| Hanging Pillar |
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| Monolith Ganesha |
