Lepakshi Veerbhadra swami Temple ( Andhra Pradesh )

Location: Lepakshi, Anantapur
State: Andhra Pradesh ( AP )
Deity: Veerbhadra
Type: Dravidian architecture
Famous for: Hanging pillar, mural paintings

Lepakshi is a village in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. The famous Veerbhadra temple that dates back to 1583 is located here.


History: The Veerbhadra swami Temple was built in 1530bc. by two brothers Virupanna Nayaka & Viranna. They were both governor in the Vijayanagar kingdom. They blamed by others for using royal treasury. The King give orders for taking off his eyes. Disturbed by false allegation , he threw his eyes onto the walls of the temple. Hence the place got it's name Lape- Akshi meaning the village of the blinded. The interesting fact is the temple wall still has the blood marks of the eyes.

       ( Blood stain of the Virupanna's eyes )

Architecture: The architecture of the temple reflects the Vijayanagar style and the beauty of the temple is fine carvings & arts. The temple can be divided into 3 sections - the 'Mukha Mandapa', the ' Artha Mandapa', the 'Kalyana Mandapa'. The scluptures and mural paintings seen in those mandapas are exceptional for their beauty & skills. The temple was built in the honor of Lord Veerbhadra. The mandapas are the best part of the temple which is adorned with scluptured pillars. One of the most interesting pillar is its hanging pillar. This pillar is a salute to the makers of the temple. To prove its uniqueness people often pass cloth under it. The Nagalinga here is the largest monolithic Nagalinga in India.
    (  Entrance to the temple called Gopura )
               ( Pillar of the Mandapas )

          ( The famous hanging pillar )

                           ( The Nagalinga )
                         ( Big Nandi bull )
               ( Idol of Lord Ganesha )

 ( Thousands of serpent stone offered by the devotees )
             ( Stone carving of a dancer )
                ( Paintings on the walls )

How to reach: 
By air: The nearest airport to the Lepakshi village is Banglore International Airport which lies at a distance of around 100km.
By train: There are no direct from Bangalore to Lepakshi however, you can ticket train from Bangalore to Malugur which take 3 hrs. You can hire a cab or taxi from Malugur.
Timing: 6am. to 6pm

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