Lepakshi temple is located to the east of Hindupur in Anantapur district. It is famous for its architectural style. The temple in Lepakshi village belongs to 16th century and resembles Vijayanagar period of architectural approach. The three main shrines in Lepakshi are dedicated for Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and Lord Virabhadra. Lord Virabhadra is portrayed as enraged form of Lord Shiva. This deity is worshiped by Nayak Rulers.
The Lepakshi temple attracts tourists from all over world for its intricate design and architecture, Hanging Pillar, Lepakshi Nandi, sculptures, Kankala Murthi, Mural painting on the ceiling and huge Nagalinga. To visit nearby places, hire a bus for safe and comfortable journey.
Style of Lepakshi temple
The temple is located in the southern part of the Lepakshi village.
The sculptures in the temple are depicted in unique style and pattern. Each section of the pillars is with Vijayanagar Corbels. The sculptures include the art of dancers, musicians and drummers. Halls of the temples are depicted with various forms of Lord Shiva, Brahma and Virabhadra.
In Kalyanamandapa, the marriage rituals of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati are carved on the pillars. Kankala Murthi sculpture is the typical style of Lord Shiva. In-depth representation gives clear idea of the posture. Nagalinga sculpture depicts Lord Shiva placed on the bed of seven headed serpent. Gigantic Nandi in the temple attracts people because of its huge structure. It is about 15 feet in height and is carved out from a single granite stone (monolithic).
Rangamandapa is engulfed by the sculptures of warriors with daggers on Sarabham.
When to visit
During the month of February “Maha Shivarathri “is celebrated every year. This festival is carried out for ten days followed by the car festival. The festival is celebrated grandly throughout Lepakshi and daily 4 to 5 pujas are performed to the Lord. During this time the temple is packed with devotees from all over India. October to February would be the best time to visit the temple because during this time the weather is cool and breezy.
Nearby places of attraction
· Hindupur is famous for historical temples. Famous Sri Raghavandra mutt, Anjeneya and Gayathri temples and waterfalls are the major attractions of this place.
· Makalidurga hill is opted for trekking. It is about 60 kms from Bangalore.
· Skandagiri is another beautiful spot for trekking lovers.
· Jain temple in Chikballapur is located very near to the NH-7 highway.
How to reach there
Lepakshi is about 120 kms from the Bangalore City. To reach there you can either go to Chikballapur or Hindupur. There are many bus facilities offered by the Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh Government. Online booking of bus tickets option are provided by KSRTC and APSTRC to Hindupur. From Hindupur it is just 15 kms travel to reach Lepakshi. So, purchasing bus tickets will not be a big hurdle to you through online facilities.
Where to eat
Lepakshi is located near Bangalore to Hyderabad highway NH-7. There are couple of good restaurants that serves excellent south Indian meals, especially in the Andhra style. There are also some Dhabas around Chikballapur, where you get good North Indian dishes.
