Lepakshi is a fairytale rhapsody wrought in stone. It is one of the 108 Divya Kshetras or blessed pilgrimage centre for Shiva worshippers. A large foot, believed to be that of Goddess Durga, and named Durga paadam, is another architectural wonder we see in the temple courtyard. Another legend associates the temple with the Ramayana. It is claimed that it was here that Rama chanced upon the fatally wounded Jatayu after it valiantly fought the demon king Ravana in an attempt to rescue Sita. An equally strong belief associated with the temple is that it was sage Agasthya who installed the Shivalinga here and that it was worshipped by Rama and his most zealous devotee, Hanuman.
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Lepakshi --- A fairytale rhapsody in stone
A gargantuan monolithic stone Nandi, 27 feet long and 15 feet tall, embellished in all grandeur, beckons us to the 8 acre sprawl that stands on a low granite hillock, Kurmasailam, so named for being tortoise-shaped. A few hundred metres away within a walled enclosure, a giant serpent with three coils, emerges from a stone platform and raises its seven-headed hood to serve as canopy over a black granite lingam. The eye-catching nagalingam which towers a little over eight feet in height is considered the country’s tallest serpent structure. In close proximity to the lingam stands a roofless structure, ridden with richly sculpted pillars, making us feel we are in the midst of ruins.
We are in the pastoral environs of Lepakshi, home to a large, historic temple complex in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district bordering Karnataka near the Pennar River. Though once a bustling centre of trade and pilgrimage, archaeologically and historically significant, the shrine complex named Lepakshi after the hamlet, lies isolated from the tourist radar. It is dedicated to Shiva in his fierce form as Veerabhadra. According to mythology, Shiva created Veerabhadra when he was livid with rage following the Daksha Yajna and Parvati’s subsequent immolation. According to Skanda Purana, one of several Hindu religious texts, Lepakshi is one of the 108 Divya Kshetras or blessed pilgrimage centre for Shiva worshippers.
An imposing seven-foot-pot-bellied Ganesha welcomes us to the 16th century temple which was built at a time when the cult of Veerabhadra was in vogue and resulted in a plethora of shrines dedicated to the deity. He was the mascot and inspiration for the armies of the Vijayanagara kingdom. Lepakshi was built between 1530 and 1545 by brothers Veeranna and Virupanna, noblemen of Pennukonda during the reign of Achyutadevaraya, the Vijayanagara king of the Tuluva Dynasty.
Lepakshi is a fairytale rhapsody wrought in stone. It is less a place of worship and more, a monument which is a magnificent synthesis of art, architecture and sculpture of the Vijayanagara era. It brings together intricate carvings exquisitely chiseled, and an entire array of lively narratives on the ceilings and interior walls in the form of mural paintings. The temple complex with two gopurams or towers comprises several segments which lie within an imposing pillared cloister that serves as its peripheral wall.
Though Veerabhadra is the presiding deity, between two asymmetrical enclosures, there are three shrines, one each devoted to Veerabhadra, Shiva and Vishnu. The main components of the temple include, among other structures, the sanctum sanctorum, a kalyana mandap or wedding hall, and a natya mantap or dancing hall. Each of these edifices reverberates with its special story. Though the central theme of the carvings and paintings is the wedding of Shiva and Parvati, they also reflect societal aspects of the times.
The roofless kalyana mandapa, an unfinished sage in stone, lures visitors with the profusion of sculpted figurines on its massive pillars. The columns carry the images of the heavenly glitterati and guests who attended the divine wedding which is believed to have taken place at Lepakshi. The pillars adhere to the tenets of Vaastu Shastra in the direction in which they are placed. For instance, Kubera, the Lord of Wealth finds himself on a pillar on the north side while Agni, the Fire God graces a column on the south east corner.
The oblong natya mandap which lies adjacent to the main shrine is also ridden with intricate sculptures on pillars. They portray wedding guests being entertained by dancing apsaras who gracefully imitate their teacher, Bhringeshwara or Bhringi, a form of Shiva who has three legs. The ‘Hanging Pillar’ in this hall is a crowd-puller and stands out from among the 70 odd pillars in the temple. Guides show off this column by passing a twig or sheet of newspaper under it to authenticate the gap between the pillar and the floor. A popular story does its rounds here. When curiosity got the better of a British engineer, he tried unsuccessfully to move it, to unravel the secret of its support. With all the effort, while the pillar itself did not yield, all the other columns in the hall shook and parts of the roof became cracked! The pillar remained at its spot, hanging from the roof while the experiment left some of the other columns, misaligned.
Frescoes on ceiling, guests at Shiva's wedding
The artists have transformed every inch of ceiling space and upper reaches of the inner walls of the temple, to an unbroken picture gallery. The ceiling reveals fourteen panels, most of them depicting manifestations of Shiva and related episodes. These murals, created with natural pigments mainly in red, green, blue, black and ochre, serve as a mirror to the creative genius of the Vijayanagara artists. Unfortunately, while few of the painting have completed faded out, many reveal the ravages from weathering while others indicate restoration work. In addition to mythological themes especially pertaining to the wedding of Shiva and Parvati, the eloquent and vivacious narrative panels throw light on the cosmopolitan nature of society of the period, the fashions and trends then prevalent. The repetitive floral motifs that border each panel, attires of men and women with various accessories and jewelry that were then captured by the brush, still serve as a resource for textile and fashion designers in the country. The patterns on block-printed fabric and rugs made in India continue to be inspired by them. We strain our necks to see the large fresco of Veerabhadra on the ceiling just before the main sanctum. The 24 ft by 14 ft mural we learn, is the largest in India of any single figure.
A large foot, believed to be that of Goddess Durga, and named Durga paadam, is another architectural wonder we see in the temple courtyard. Another noteworthy marvel is the rock chain chiselled out of stone.
There are numerous legends associated with the temple. Local lore has it that Virupanna who discovered the idol of Veerabhadra, decided to build a temple to install it. According to another tale, Virupanna built this temple as a mark of gratitude to Shiva who restored his dumb son’s power of speech here. Whatever the reason for building the shrine, when the king suspected Virupanna of having used money from the royal treasury to erect it, he ordered him to be blinded. Virupanna who preferred carrying out the horrendous task himself, gouged out his eyes and threw it on a wall! In testimony to this, guides point to a couple of red blobs on one of the walls lying near the kalyana mandap, indicating it to be the blood from the dashed eyes! This has also given rise to the belief that Lepakshi derived its name from lepa-akshi, meaning ‘blinded eyes’. The truth perhaps is more prosaic than the make-believe. The temple walls, ridden with inscriptions in old Kannada, dating back to several centuries, speak of generous donations by Virupanna to the cause of the temple. Needless to say, there is no mention in support of the gory incident that continues to be recounted to every visitor to the temple, and also cited as reason for the unfinished sections of the complex. The inscriptions also point to the renowned Amarashilpi Jakanachari as having been the architect who designed the temple cluster.
Another legend associates the temple with the Ramayana. It is claimed that it was here that Rama chanced upon the fatally wounded Jatayu the vulture and demigod after it valiantly fought the demon king Ravana in an attempt to rescue Sita. Rama is believed to have hailed the bird saying, Laya pakshi (rise, bird) hence the name Lepakshi. An equally strong belief associated with the temple is that it was sage Agasthya who installed the Shivalinga here and that it was worshipped by Rama and his most zealous devotee, Hanuman.
There is an interesting story associated with the fissure at the base of the stunning nagalingam believed to have been sculpted by the artistes while they awaited their lunch. When the mothers appeared with the meals, they were astonished to see the entire temple, an awe-inspiring structure completed in such a short span of time. Their expression of exclamation caused a crack in the serpent’s coil!
Legends and myths apart, as the rays of a retiring sun fall on the mammoth structure, they highlight the rhythm that is manifest in the distinct constructs which blend aesthetically to form a harmonious whole, leaving every beholder spellbound and humbled.
Fact File at a Glance
Air: Sri Sathya Sai Airport, Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh is the nearest to the temple, 58 km away. Bangalore’s Kempegoweda International Airport, is 70 km away.
Rail: Hindupur Railway Station, 12 km away
Road: Several public and private buses ply from various cities of the country, to and from Hindupur. Taxis or buses may be taken from Hindupur to reach Lepakshi
Temple Timings: 6 a.m to 6 p.m
Festivals:
1. 10-day car festival in February
2. Mahashivaratri in Feb/March. The temple organizes a huge fair
3. Masi Brahmotsavam in Feb/March
4. Durgamma Festival: a 4-day long festival which falls in Bhadrapada month (Aug/Sept). Villagers draw water from the Majira River to worship the Goddess. The occasion is characterized by various sacrifices.
5. Tirukarthigai in Nov/Dec
Accommodation:
AP Tourism Hotel near Nandi;
Hotel Bheema near the temple, modest with modern amenities, is budget-friendly.
SRS Regency Hotel with modern amenities is pocket friendly, near the temple
*****
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