Lepakshi Veerabhadra Swamy Temple, Andhra Pradesh

While returning from Belum Caves (Read about this in my previous post), we stayed in Anantapur at Hotel Sapthagiri Balla.  It is a very good hotel in this town with attached veg (Chutnees) and multi-cuisine (Spice) restaurants.  After a nice rest, we had breakfast at the attached Chutnees restaurant (buffet breakfast was included in the room charge), we started towards Lepakshi.

Lepakshi is a small village located in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh.  It is around 120km north of Bangalore.  The Veerabhadra Swamy temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is located here.  The temple is built in Vijayanagar architecture style and has excellent sculptures built by Vijayanagar empire artisans.  The temple also has a repository of mural paintings of Vijayanagar kings and gods.  A reference to this temple is made in the 'Skandapurana' as one of the hundred and eight important Shiva temples. This temple is a visual treat to anyone interested in historic sculptures and architecture showing the skill of the our predecessors.

From Bangalore or Hyderabad, it can be reached by going 16km west at Kodikonda checkpost on Bangalore-Hyderabad highway NH 7.  There were name boards pointing the way and this is close to Karnataka border.  While nearing the temple you can see a huge Nandi statue on the right side said to be built on a single rock.  The statue is 15ft high and 27ft long and is carved with excellent finishing.

Nandi Statue on the main road

After you cross the Nandi statue there is an arch on the left side of the road which takes you to the temple.  There is a small car part at the foot of the temple.  The temple is on top of a tortoise shaped rock.  We had to climb a small set of steps to reach the main entrance of the temple.

Steps to Temple

 On top of the steps is the main entrance and besides there is a beautiful landscaped gardens



Near the entrance there was a notice board depicting the history and details of the temple structure can be seen which in a concise manner tells the story of this temple.



The temple has a outer courtyard and an inner courtyard.  The main temple is in the middle.  The outer courtyard is big and is full of beautifully carved pillars. Remember to hire a guide to understand the history of the temple and the details about the carvings and stories behind them.  They are not very costly to seek help from and you will get good value.

Outer Courtyard

Outer Courtyard on the rear side

 There is a “kodimaram” or mast in front of the entrance to the inner courtyard. The entrance has beautiful carvings around and you will see more once you enter inside.




The inner mandap is built of several beautifully carved pillars staying close to each other.  Each pillar has numerous carvings of different figures from mythology.  The guide will explain you the story behind each carvings.




Ceiling of the mandap is full of mural paintings depicting stories from mythology.  They are still very legible and can show the class of the era.

Main Temple gate from the Mandap

It will take good time to go through all the carvings in the pillar since each pillar tells you a different story.  After that, you can get out into the back arena of the temple where sculptures of Shivling protected by snake and Ganesha can be seen.  The Shivling/Snake sculpture is big and is said to be built out of a single rock.




After this area, you will reach the rather interesting area of the temple which is a key highlight here.  This is the unfinished marriage hall.  You will find beautiful sculptures on the pillars of this marriage hall depicting the story of Lord Vishnu’s marriage.  The guide will be very helpful here as well, without which you won’t be able to appreciate the art here.  But more about that and more pictures in the next post.