Lepakshi

Lepakshi is a small village in the Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located 15km east of Hindupur and approximately 120km  north of Bangalore. Lepakshi is culturally and archaeologically significant as it is the location of shrines dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Veerabhadra which were built during the Vijayanagara Kings' period (1336–1646).The temples are the location of mural paintings of the Vijayanagar kings and Kannada inscriptions. Near the temple complex is a large granite Nandi bull

The Veerabhadra temple of Lepakshi, is dedicated to Veerabhadra. It is an example of the Vijayanagar architectural style. Points of interest in the temple include a rock chain, Vastu Purush, the Padmini race lady, the hanging pillar, Durga Paadam, the eyes of Viroopaaksha and Lepakshi saree designs. The paintings on the roof are made with natural pigments.

The Shiva's bull Nandi is a granite monolithic sculpture on the main road of Lepashki approximately 200m from the temple. It is 4.5m high and 8.23m long making one of the largest nandi in India. The sculpture has been positioned so that it faces the shivalinga which is shielded by a large serpent inside the temple. The nandi wears a kaasu mala, a bell chain, earrings and other jewellery.

The following pictures were shot by me during my visit to this wonderful temple, with Nikon D300 and Tamron 17-55/2.8 lens

Please click on the pictures for bigger version to appreciate them.