Veerabhadra Temple in Lepakshi – Mysterious Facts

Lepakshi, an ancient village, is located 214 km from Bangalore in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The iconic Veerabhadra Temple in Lepakshi makes an excellent weekend destination from Bangalore. Steeped in rich history and mysterious facts, Veerabhadra Temple is a monument of architectural brilliance. This Lepakshi Temple is renowned for its captivating stone sculptures, intricate carvings, and many wonders that attracts tourists in hordes throughout the year.

My visit to Lepakshi Temple left me stunned that such a wonder existed so close to Bangalore City. On our weekend outing we had halted in Devanahalli Fort and were admiring the temples in Devanahalli village when a local pointed out that we must not miss the Veerabhadra Temple in Lepakshi. He highlighted to us about the hanging pillar in Lepakshi Temple and that piqued my interest. Devanahalli Fort is 86 km away from Lepakshi Temple. Could we give it a miss?

How to reach Veerabhadra Temple in Lepakshi

If you love traveling and love to soak in beauty of Indian sculptures then make yourself comfortable in the hotels of Bangalore, Lepakshi is one of the nearest destinations from Devanahalli International airport, Bangalore. LePakshi is 87 km from the airport and can be covered in 1hr 17mins. You can stay at any of the boutique, mid-segment, budget hotels in Bangalore and below is the route map to LePakshi from google maps.

How to reach Lepakshi

The temples of Lepakshi are carved with mythological stories. If you are there ask the pujaris to guide you around. They tell you such interesting stories of why Lepakshi Temple is so famous! The mysterious facts associated with Veerabhadra temple, the sculpture, the legends and art make Lepakshi world famous.

Mysterious Facts of Lepakshi Temple

Ask the guides specifically for hanging pillar, Padmini rice lady, giant footprint (place where Hanuman of Ramayana is believed to have stepped), mural paintings, Nandi, rock chain, red marks on the wall where the sculptor is believed to smashed his own eyes… many more.

Interesting facts of Lepakshi Temple Andhra Pradesh

Entire Construction by Two Brothers

It is believed that the three temples in Veerabhadra Temple complex and all other structures were sculpted by two brothers Viranna and Virupanna. There is a different mention in Puranas. Scriptures in Puranas mention that the Veerabhadra temple was built by the Sage Agastya. It has idols of Ganesha, Nandi, Veerabhadra, Shiva, Bhadrakali, Vishnu and Lakshmi.

Nagalingam in Lepakshi Temple

I found the ‘naga (snake) lingam’ in Veerabhadra Temple in Lepakshi most amazing. The shiva lingam is shaded by seven headed snake! I stood rooted at the spot at its sight! What imagination!

(The original lingam is replaced by a new one made of black granite stone.)

The temple priest told us it is a monolithic structure, the largest monolithic Nagalinga in India. The whole sculpture was sculpted by two brothers in a span of few hours. The story is: when sculptors returned home for lunch they saw their mother hadn’t prepared the lunch yet. So instead of sitting idle while their mother prepared the lunch the two brothers sculpted this naga lingam.

The original lingam developed a crack right in its early stages because of which it was abandoned and never worshipped.

Different Forms of Lord Shiva worshipped

The main deity of temple is Virabhadra, a fierce emancipation of Shiva. He acquired this form when Daksha, father of Sati, insulted her husband, Lord Shiva. When Sati felt humiliated because of her husband’s insult she immolated herself. Shiva was furious after this and this angry form of Shiva is Veerabhadra.

Besides Veerabhadra, other forms of Shiva worshipped here are: a majestic Kankala Murthi, Dakshinamurthi (Guru of Gurus), Tripuranthaka or Tripurasurasamhara (vanquisher of demon Tripura); Ardhanareeshwara (the half-female, half-male form, where Shiva and Parvati are equally represented in one body).

The Hanging Pillar in Lepakshi Temple

One of the most captivating aspects of Lepakshi which makes it world famous is the enigmatic hanging pillar of the Veerabhadra Temple. There are 70 stone pillars in Veerabhadra temple and one among them hangs from the ceiling. Do ask a purohit there to guide you to the pillar. It is possible there are tourists there testing out the hanging pillar under some priests’ supervision. They try to slip in a sheet of paper or cloth through the space between the pillar and floor. I stood watching and to my disbelief the newspaper slipped through smoothly with no obstruction.

(There is only ONE hanging pillar in Veerabhadra Temple in Lepakshi. If no one is around you have to make some effort to find someone to point it out to you.)

This architectural marvel, seemingly suspended in defiance of gravity, remains steadfast despite not being fully anchored to the ground. There is no clear explanation even after centuries of scrutiny about the pillar’s mysterious suspension. Some eccentric British engineer, during the British era, tried to move the hanging pillar to check if it would affect the whole temple structure and decipher the secret. So the pillar is a bit dislodged from its original position. Other names for this hanging Pillar of Lepakshi are: floating pillar, Antariksh Stambha or Mool Stambha. Virbhadra Temple is called the hanging pillar temple.

Blood Stain Marks on a wall of Lepakshi Temple

When the guide asked me to guess what two red marks on a wall  in Veerabhadra Swamy Temple complex were, I could never imagine they were blood stains. The story he narrated left me stunned:

Virupanna and Veeranna, the brothers who built the ancient Lepakshi Temple, served in the court of King Achyutaraya. When Achyutaraya died without a son to succeed him, his son-in-law ascended the throne. However, this period was rife with conspiracies. Some malicious courtiers manipulated facts and accused Virupanna, the treasurer of the Vijayanagar empire, of misusing court funds to construct the Kalyan Mandapa during the king’s absence.

The new king, driven by anger and ego, ordered Virupanna to be blinded. Deeply insulted by the false accusations and the king’s order, Virupanna gouged out his own eyes in a fit of rage and flung them against one of the temple walls.

Remarkably, despite centuries of exposure to the elements, two blood-like stains remain on the walls of the Lepakshi Temple, bearing silent witness to this dramatic and tragic event.

Giant Human Footprint

Before witnessing this giant footprint in stone, I had read about the existence of many giant footprints around the world and found it hard to believe. However, seeing the giant footprint in the rock at Lepakshi served as undeniable proof that they do exist. Whose footprints are these? In Lepakshi, several legends surround this giant human footprint. Some believe it belongs to Sita, while others claim it is Hanuman’s.

According to one legend, Hanuman landed here with such force that his footprint was imprinted into the solid stone.

Mystery of Water in the Giant Footprint

Another legend states Sita had stepped down during the fight between Ravana and Jatayu. Water started oozing from the place where she placed her foot. Jatayu sipped the water and stayed alive till Lord Rama arrived. Even today the footprint retains some amount of water, it never dries. The spot is reverred by locals as Sitamma Padalu (Mother Sita’s Footprint).

(If any of these legends are true, it would suggest that this site was a stage for one of the events in the Ramayana.)

Giant human footprint in Lepakshi

Biggest Nandi in Lepakshi Temple

Lepakshi is also famous for the biggest monolithic statue of Nandi. It is said the Nandi was within Veerabhadra Temple complex. However so much of land was grabbed by land sharks and a village has cropped in between. You can see some more pics here: Nandi Lepakshi

Incomplete Kalyan Mandapa in Veerabhadra Swamy Temple

The sculpted images of Gods and Goddesses, dancers and musicians on the columns seem to be frozen in time. Our purohit-guide said they had all descended to witness the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. If incomplete Kalyana Mantapa could be so beautiful I wonder how amazing the completed one would look like!

Lepakshi Saree Designs

Some of the columns has creepers sculpted on them. The platform on them is called Lata (creeper) Mantapa. It is located next to the Kalyan Mandapa. Textile designers have picked up these creeper designs from the pillars and used to create patterns on textiles, sarees. Sarees with Lepakshi creeper designs make wonderful souvenirs to bring back home.

What is particularly intriguing is the  depiction of clothing in these murals. The murals showcase different styles of sari drapery, each adorned with varied textile patterns, ranging from floral to striped and chequered designs. These sartorial styles were heavily influenced by the kalamkari technique, a method of textile art that flourished under the patronage of the Vijayanagar rulers. The intricate details and rich colours of the murals captured the essence of the era’s artistic and cultural splendour.

Murals on Ceiling of Lepakshi Temple

The murals adorning the ceilings of the Virabhadra Temple in Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh, are among the most significant surviving pictorial works from the Vijayanagara Empire in southern India. Colors are vibrant and the designs quite clear. These intricate paintings, completed in the 16th century, embellish the ceilings of the mahamandapa and various shrines within the temple, depicting a rich array of themes from mythology and courtly life. The murals illustrate scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, as well as stories from the Puranas.

Don’t miss the most striking composition on the ceiling of the mahamandapa features a colossal figure of Virabhadra, flanked by his attendants, including Viranna, his wife, and the ram-headed Daksha, who is shown prostrating at the god’s feet. Neck will ache for sure!

How Lepakshi got its name

The connection to the Ramayana is further cemented by the fact that the name “Lepakshi” itself is derived from an incident mentioned in the epic. According to legend, this is where the bird Jatayu fell after valiantly attempting to rescue Sita from Ravana. Despite his brave efforts, Jatayu was overpowered, and one of his wings was severed by Ravana, causing him to fall wounded at this very place. When Sri Rama, in his search for Sita, arrived at the spot, he saw the injured bird and awakened him, helped him attain Moksha and compassionately said, “Le Pakshi,” which means “rise, bird” in Telugu.

However, this is contradicted in another version of Ramayana in which the the place where Jatayu fell is believed to be in Chadayamangalam (previously known as Jatayumangalam) Kollam, Kerala. It is known for the famous Jatayu Earth’s Center, the largest bird sculpture of the world. 

Where is Lepakshi located?

Lepakshi is located in the Anantapur district near the Andhra Pradesh-Karnataka border and the Pennar River. Lepakshi is home to a remarkable group of temples built in the 16th century. These temples sit atop a single granite outcrop, which is uniquely curved like the back of a tortoise, giving the hill its fitting name, Kurma-shila.

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