During my recent visit to Bangalore, one place that couldn’t stop myself from revisiting is Lepakshi Village which falls under the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. I made my first visit to Lepakshi village in 2016, while I was solo backpacking across India but I wasn’t able to cover much during that time. But, considering the culturally and archeologically rich that this site is, I had no option but to make a comeback and finally I was here to explore it in its full glory
Lepakshi Village: A One day Trip from Bangalore
Lepakshi Village is a popular weekend destination especially for people traveling from Bangalore. The origin of Lepakshi Temple has to do a lot with the mythological text of Ramayana, which is believed to be a place where the wife of Lord Rama, Sita stepped on the ground when the demon king Ravana abducted her. The giant footmark inside the premises of Mahadev temple indicates the same. It is also at Lepakshi village where it is believed that Jatayu, the vulture, who fought fiercely to protect Sita from the demon king, fell after Ravana cut his wings off. It is said that Sita prayed for Jatayu to survive even when she was flown away and it is only when he met Lord Rama, Jatayu died after hearing words Le-Pakshi (Rise-o-Bird) from where came the name of this village. This is the exact reason why you would spot the statues of open wing vulture at most of the corners at Lepakshi Village, believed to be of Jatayu.
Lepakshi Village undoubtedly preserves and showcases our ancient culture. Therefore, in this blog I am going to share an ultimate Travel guide to explore Lepakshi Village of Andhra Pradesh in under 5 hours
Veerbhadra Temple (Also known as Lepakshi Temple): Veerbhadra is considered to be another form of Lord Shiva. The origination of Lepakshi temple is believed to come from the mourning phase of mahadev, when in anger he threw his hairs on the earth and it is believed to fall exactly at this place.
Built during the 16th century, the architectural features of Veerbhadra temple are in Vijayanagara style with flux of carvings and paintings at every corner of the temple. It is one of the centrally protected monuments of national importance and is considered one of the most spectacular Vijayanagara temples. The fresco paintings are particularly detailed in bright colors depicting the scenes from the epic stories of the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The temple is also quite famous for its hanging pillar, which is said to be one of its kind
The World’s Largest Monolithic Statue of Nandi Bull: At a distance of 500 m from Lepakshi Temple, you will going to spot a giant Nandi Bull, believed to be one of the largest in the world. The giant size of this Nandi Bull makes it one of the most interesting point in Lepakshi village. You almost cannot miss a sight of it. It is said to be carved out of a single granite rock and is said to be the second largest monolithic structure in India, after the statue of Bahubali in Shravanabelagola. It is 20 feet in height and 30 feet in length, believed to be built in the same period as Veerabhadra Temple.
It is said that though the nandi faces in the exact direction of Veerabhadra Temple where you would find the 7 faced Shiva Linga, but unlike the submission expression, the face of this bull is a slightly high. Possibly the reason that this bull is built at a slight distance from the Shiva Lingam ?
Jatayu Theme Park: Recently, a theme park has been added in the list of must see places in Lepakshi village, by the Andhra Pradesh tourism board owning its association to the Ramayana Bird.
The best part about the Jatayu theme park is that it offers 360 degree view of the entire Lepakshi village. You can spot both the Nandi Bull and Veerbhadra Temple from the top. There is a nominal charge to enter this park and they give FREE wifi 🙂
Pro Travel Tips:
- All these three sites gets closed by 6 PM, so plan accordingly
- Carry your hat/scarf, sunscreen, googles and socks. The afternoon in Lepakshi village gets really hot
- Carry your own food and water in Lepakshi village. There is not much to eat or drink here
Ever heard or visited Lepakshi Village? Let me know in the comment section below
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