Lepakshi

The Veerabhadra temple at Lepakshi in Andhra Pradesh is quite famous for the hanging pillar, attracting hundreds of tourists round the year. The 16th century Vijayanagara monument enshrines Lord Shiva as Veerabhadra Swamy, in a self manifested linga (Swayambhu). Apart from this religiously significant linga, one can see India’s biggest monolithic Nandi statue situated only a few hundred metres away from the main temple. Once you enter the temple premises, ensure that you tilt your head up to look at the well preserved frescoes on the temple ceilings based on Ramayana and Mahabharata that charm the devotees till date. The temple is carved out of a low altitude, tortoise-shaped hillock, Kurma Saila. The temple wright Virupanna was convicted a victim of envy from king’s courtiers and lost his eyes, disheartened from an ordered punishment. 

The Veerabhadra temple, often known as Lepakshi temple is famous for its architectural wonder and mythical tales. The hanging pillar in Natya mandapa is a trademark feature of the temple. Many visitors pass a piece of cloth under the hanging pillar to only walk away with amazement and memories. The fresco on the ceiling of the temple is the biggest such painting in Asia. The temple enshrines Lord Veerabhadra, the Rudra avatar of Lord Shiva, with skulls and weapons around the neck. The place bridges the gap between mythology and reality as this is considered to be the place where Jatayu informed Rama about Ravana abducting Sita at this spot.

Construction of the Veerabhadra temple began in 1522, during the Vijayanagara reign, until it stopped in 1538 due to a mishap. The Kalyana mandapa of the temple remains half-complete as King Aliya Rama Raya sent orders to blind Virupanna, the treasurer of the Kingdom and the temple wright. The action was followed after the envious courtiers provoked the King to take strict action against Virupanna for misuse of treasury funds to construct the temple. Virupanna plucked his own eyes and threw them on the wall near Kalyana mandapa on hearing the King’s order. Such is the popular folklore of this place.

Apart from the recorded history in the form of inscriptions and evidence, Veerabhadra temple is associated with many other mythical tales and folklore. It is believed that Lepakshi was always a religiously sacred place housing five Shiva Lingas. In the Treta Yuga, Lord Rama consecrated a Shivalinga here, followed by Hanumana. A Shivalinga was consecrated by Sage Agastya muni about 5000 years ago and another one by a Chola king in the 12th century. The temple was constructed around the shrines in the 16th century AD.

The Veerabhadra temple has all the hallmarks of the Vijayanagara style of architecture. This is evident in its carvings, frescoes, and the Kalyana mandapa, a recurring feature of the Vijayanagar style. The temple stands out for its scale and fascinating artifacts. The largest monolithic Nandi statue, the biggest colored fresco in India, a hanging pillar, a big Ganesha carved from a boulder, a Nagalinga with multi hooded serpent sheltering it, armed lord Veerabhadra with Vishnu facing away from him, an incomplete Kalyana mandapa are a few of many fascinating architectural wonders in Lepakshi. The temple houses a small Hanuman mandapa with a large footprint of Sita. This inner compound has the Ganesh and Nagalinga sculpted from the same boulder to the south of the shrine. To the southwest is the famed Kalyana mandapa, for the marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvati.