Introduction the Lepakshi temple

The small village of Lepakshi in the Anantapur district is famous for its Veerabhadra Temple, which preserves amazing artifacts of the 16th century. The village is situated at a distance of 120 km from Bengaluru. According to legends, the name Lepakshi is associated with the bird Jatayu of Ramayana.

He fell down wounded here while rescuing Goddess Sita and was commanded to rise by Lord Rama, hence the name Le Pakshi, which in local language means rise bird.

About Lepakshi temple

The Veerabhadra temple is in Lepakshi in the Anantapur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Built-in the 16th century, the architectural features of the temple are in the Vijayanagara style with a profusion of carvings and paintings at almost every exposed surface of the temple.

The temple dates back to 1583 and was built by the brothers, Virupanna and Veeranna, who were initially in the service of the Vijayangar kings. However, Puranic lore has it that the Veerabhadra temple was built by the sage Agastya.
It has idols of Ganesha, Nandi, Veerabhadra, Shiva, Bhadrakali, Vishnu and Lakshmi.

How Lepakshi temple got its name?

“Le Pakshi”- “Rise bird” in Telugu – hence the name, Lepakshi. According to the Valmiki’s Ramayana, Ram accompanied by Hanuman, met the dying Jatayu here, and helped him to attain moksha by uttering the words “Le Pakshi” (“Rise bird” in Telugu). Hence the name, Lepakshi.

What is the attraction in the Lipakshi temple?

Points of interest in the temple include a rock chain, Vastu Purusha, the Padmini race lady, the hanging pillar, Durga Paadam, the eyes of Viroopaakshanna, and Lepakshi saree designs and you can see Lord Sita footprint in the temple premises. It is said that when Ravana was abducting Goddess Sita, and taking her to Sri Lanka, they stopped at this temple to rest for a while. That is believed to be the source of the footprint that is seen on the floor of the temple premises.

The paintings on the roof are made with natural segments. Another interesting aspect of this temple is that it is North facing. There is a 3 headed bull with a single body is carved on the pillar of the main entrance.

Lepakishi temple hanging pillars.

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The Floating Pillar of the Veerabhadra temple in Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh. Called the Aakaasa Sthambha (floating pillar), Among the 70 stoned pillars, there is one pillar that hangs from the ceiling and barely touches the ground. Known as the hanging pillar, any thin object like newspaper or cloth can be passed through its base.

What should I buy in lepakshi?

If you visit this magnificent place you will buy a lot of things like Banjara embroidery, Brassart ware, Cotton and jute durries, Kalamkari paintings with their colorful depictions of the epics and landscapes, Kondapalli toys carved out of softwood, Cherial scroll paintings, and the Bidricraft with silvery contours are among the best things to shop for.

How do you get lepakshi temple?

Lepakshi is situated at a distance of 116 KMS from Bangalore. The best part about traveling to Lepakshi from Bangalore is that you can travel by roadways and railways.
The most preferred way of transport from Bangalore to Lepakshi is by car.