About Lepakshi

Country: India | State: Andhra

Ideal Trip Duration: 2-3 Hours

Nearest City to Lepakshi: Bangalore (124 Kms)

Best Time to Visit Lepakshi: October to March

Peak Season: January & April to May

At a distance of 125 km from Anantapur, 124 km from Bangalore City Junction, 225 km from Tirupati, 478 km from Hyderabad & 569 km from Vijayawada, Lepakshi is a small village which lies 14 km east of Hindupur in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. It is the one of the important heritage sites in Andhra Pradesh highlighting the legacy of Vijayanagara Dynasty. It is one of the famous Tourist places in Andhra Pradesh and also one of the popular one day trip from Bangalore.

Lepakshi was founded in the 16th century during the reign of the Vijayanagara king, Aliiya Rama Raya. Virupanna, the royal treasurer was accused of drawing funds without the king's permission from the state treasury to build the Veerabhadra temple at Lepakshi. However, he blinded himself to avoid the king's punishment. Even today one can see two dark stains upon the wall near the Kalyana Mandapa, which are said to be the marks made by his eyes. Hence the village is called 'Lepa-akshi', means a village of the blinded eye.

Lepakshi is the centre of some of the finest temple architecture and paintings. Lepakshi consists of three important shrines dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Veerabhadra, of which Veerabhadra temple is the most important place to visit in Lepakshi (this is also referred as Lepakshi Temple). The temples of Papanatheswara, Raghunatha, Srirama, Veerabhadra and Durga are located in the same complex on a hillock named as Kurma Saila (tortoise shaped hill).

The Vijayanagar styled temple has several wonderful paintings on the ceiling. The hanging pillar supported from the top is a surprise for the visitors. To the south of the main shrine is a huge Nagalingam, standing on a granite block, shrouded by a seven-headed cobra, magnificently carved out of single rock. The monolithic Nandi in Lepakshi village is another remarkable feature.

The handicrafts of Lepakshi are also quite popular among women all over the country.

Bangalore Airport, about 100 km from Lepakshi, is extremely well-connected by air. Hindupur Railway station is the nearest railway station, which is about 14 km from Lepakshi. It is well connected by rail with cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Hubli, Mysore, Vizag, Shirdi, Coimbatore, Luknow, New Delhi, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Machilipatnam, Bagalkot, Trivandrum, Nagercoil, Bhubaneswar, Gujarat, Jaipur, Jabalpur, Vijayawada and Tuticorin. Lepakshi is connected by bus with Hindupur. Hindupur has regular buses from Bangalore, Hyderabad, Anantapur, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Chennai and Nellore.

The best season to visit Lepakshi is from October to March while the Peak Season is January & April to May. It usually takes around halfday to visit all places in Lepakshi. Accommodation is also available with newly built AP Tourism Haritha resort near Nandi statue.

Temple Timings: 6 AM - 7 PM

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Other Info
Internet Availability: Average
STD Code: 08556
Languages Spoken: Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, English
Major Festivals: Details Not Available
Notes/Tips:
None

How to Reach Lepakshi

By Air

Nearest Airport: Bangalore - Bengaluru International Airport (100 Kms)

By Train

Nearest Train Station: Hindupur Railway Station (14 Kms)

By Bus

Nearest Bus Station: Lepakshi Bus Station (0 Kms)

Top 10 Places to Visit in Lepakshi

Heritage | Pilgrimage

#1 of 3 Places to Visit in Lepakshi

At a distance of 400 m from Lepakshi Bus Stand, The Veerabhadra Temple is the famous temple situated in Lepakshi (this is also referred as Lepakshi Temple). It is famous for its sculptures and archaeological beauty created by the artists of Vijayanagara Empire. It is considered as one of the best temples built by Vijayanagaras and is the prime attraction of Lepakshi.

The ancient shrine was constructed by Saint Agastya which was rebuilt in the present structure by Virupanna, the treasurer of the Vijayanagara King Aliiya Rama Raya. According to the legend, Virupanna, the royal treasurer was accused of drawing funds without the king's permission from the state treasury to build the Veerabhadra temple. However, he blinded himself to avoid the king's punishment. Even today one can see two dark stains upon the wall near the Kalyana Mandapa, which are said to be the marks made by his eyes.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Veerabhadra, .....

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Heritage

#2 of 3 Places to Visit in Lepakshi

At a distance of 400 m from Lepakshi Bus Stand, The Kalyana Mandapa is situated inside the Veerabhadra Temple complex (Lepakshi Temple). It is among the prime places to visit in Lepakshi.

Kalyana Mandapa situated on the rear side of the main Veerabhadra Temple within the same complex is another major attraction in the complex with extensive artistic work similar to the mukha-mandapa of the Veerabhadra Temple. The path past Nagalinga leads to the Kalyana Mandapa.

The Kalyana Mandapa built on an elevated platform follows similar structure to that of main temple mandapa with circular arrangement of pillars. This structure was built to perform the Kalyana ceremony for Lord Shiva and Parvathi during annual festivals of the temple. The carving in this beautiful mandapa depict that several gods and saints from heaven attend the wedding ceremony - Devendra, Vasishta, Brihaspathy, Viswamita, Vayu, Yama, Varuna, Kubera, etc.

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Heritage

#3 of 3 Places to Visit in Lepakshi

At a distance of 500 m from Lepakshi Bus Stand and 500 m from Sri Veerabhadra Temple (Lepakshi Temple), Lepakshi Nandi (Bull) is one of the main attractions in Lepakshi and a well-known landmark for the tourism of Lepakshi. It was built during Vijayanagara period when the main Veerabhadra Temple was built.

The Lepakshi Nandi is made out of single granite. The monolithic Nandi sculpture is said to be the second largest monolithic structure in India after Gomateshwara in Shravanabelagola. It is 20 feet in height and 30 feet in length. The Nandi statue is decorated with a necklace, muvvalahara, a bell chain with small horns.

It is noticeable that the head of the bull is held aloft at a higher angle than usual. In addition, the expression of submission, which is typical of Nandi before Shiva, is not seen in the statue here.

This big granite bull is situated on the main .....

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