LEPAKSHI Andhra Pradesh

LEPAKSHI   Andhra Pradesh

On 13th Febraury 2021, I had been to this place and had darshan of Sree Veerabhadraswamy here.  Lepakshi is at a distance of  120 kms from Bangalore and approximately on a two hours drive from Bangalore.  From the Hyderabad Highway, at Kodikonda check post,  should turn left and traverse 16 kms to the temple.   About a Km before the temple, on the way is the Park in which the large Nandhi has been installed from where the Large Bird in the small rock could be seen.   The adjacent building is the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Corportation with facility of a restaurant and also rooms are available for stay.   The Nandi, it is said is facing the Naga Linga of the Veerabhadra Swamy temple.

The place is associated with the Epic Ramayana and the bird referred too is Jatayu who tried to prevent Mata Sita being taken by Lankan King Ravanana and faught and lost its wings and fell here.  When Lord Rama arrived here, Jatayu narrated what happened and Rama asked the bird to get up when he uttered "Le Pakshi".   Thus the place has come to be known with the name of Lepakshi.

The temple opens at 06.00 AM and there is no closure in the afternoon and is open throughout the day and upto 09.00 PM.   The shops around also open at that time only.  Flowers and offerings can be taken from Bangalore itself if one wants to have darashn by 9 AM.   The temple which is 600 years old, is full of sculptures and the big rock surrounding the temple is shown as the place where Sage Agasthya did tapas. 

Lord Siva here is a self manifested and in the form of Veerabhadra Swamy and to the left of the vigrahaga is the head of the demon under the foot of the Swamy.   Opposite to the sannidhi of Veerabadhra swamy is the bronze vigraha of Durga.   Ganapathi who is on the right of the main deity's sannidhi is in a very small form.      Then next to the Ganapathy is the Papanatheswara, siva   who is on the seat of vishnu and to the left of the main sannidhi is the deities of  Parvati Devi, Hanuman Lingamu.   Adjacent to this Linga and outer prakara is the Lord Vishnu.      In the outer prakara are the exquisite carved pillars and also the hanging pillar. 

                                                 Lord Veerabhadraswamy Presiding Deity

Veerabhadra Swamy story is connected to the Daksha Yagna and when the Lord Siva became angry and livid with the self-immolation of Dakshayani, plucked his hair out of his matted locks and threw it on the floor and from that arose Sree Veerabhadra and Bhadrakali. 

                                                                            Naga Linga

                                                         

                                                                     Hanging Pillar

The outer prakara when we circumambulate, we can see the big Naga lingin the roca on a platform. Sage Agasthya is said to have done penance in the rocks of these temple.  In the rear of the temple in the outer parakara is the Ma Sita's feet where water oozes out and always remain in water.  At the time our darshan, except for two fingers all the portion was immersed.  Next to this is the Hanuman and also from here and on the open are the various pillars kept zigzag and in one such pillar Sage Agasthaya is seen worshipping Lord Siva and Parvathi Devi.   The whole temple is of a massive stone construction.   The collection of pillars at the rear give a rare sight and the importance given to sculptures in the princely states.

                                                      Sage Agsthya worshipping the Lord

                                                                           Sita's foot

   

The exquisite stone work of the temple was planned and executed by Virupanna, the treasurer of the Vijayanagara Dynasty.  He used the treasury in the absence of the King, who was at Vijayanagara and when the temple was almost completed the King found that the treasury was empty and gave punishment to Virupanna and ordered that he be blinded.  The punishment was carried out by Virupanna himself, the loyal treasurer and he blinded himself and there are two dark marks on the walls of the temple and the same are attributed to this.

Ghati Subramanya temple is around 65 kms from Lepakshi and on the Doddaballapur side.  Many times people combine the two places for Dharsan on week ends.