We packed our lunch
and set out on a winter Saturday to visit the place named Lepakshi which has
many legends and artworks associated with it. We went on the NH7 past Bagepalli
checkpost till RAXA Academy. There is a left turn towards Lepakshi 50 meters
from the academy. The sign boards along the way lead you to the place. The road
from RAXA academy though not in the league of NH is decent enough.
The famous Nandi (Basavanna) greets you at the beginning of that small place and tells you that you are just beginning your archeological journey. From a particular spot beside the Nandi statue you can see the cobra's head that is guarding a linga behind the main temple.
The actual temple
compound is few meters away. It is on a small hill called Kurma Saila (Tortoise
hill) which got its name due to its shape. We parked our car near the steps and
went up to the temple.
The main diety is Lord Veerabhadra who is considered as the incarnation of Lord Shiva. Legend says that when Sathi devi jumped into the fire during Daksha yagna, Shiva in anger, tore off one of the locks of his hair and threw it. It fell in Lepakshi and incarnated as Veerabhadra swamy.
There are also idols of Lord Vishnu, Goddess
Durga and other dieties within the main sanctorium. All these are inside small
caves. What amazed me was that people of various religious faiths came with
children to take blessings. The architecture of the temple is amazing. There
are carvings on the roof as well as colored paintings dating back to 16th
century.
The temple is built
on various carved stone pillars. One of the attractions is the hanging pillar
which is joined to a stone column to the roof and is hanging at half an inch
distance from the ground.
Behind the temple is the statue of a large cobra
covering a linga. Legend says that serpents waited here for Garuda to return
with Nectar from heavens. Another legend has it that the Naga of the Nagalinga
was carved out of a single stone by sculptors while they waited for their
mother to prepare lunch.
There is a large footprint in stone in the
temple compound supposedly of either Godess Durga or Maa Sita. Some call it
'Durga Paadam' or 'Seethamma paadam'.
The temple compound
is full of various sculptures and mantapas built on pillars. Though some are
ruins, they still have inscriptions of Kannada, Telugu and Sanskrit.
We inquired around
for Lepakshi handicrafts but were disappointed. We were told that the designs
of carvings were photographed and all crafts/ sarees were made across the
nation with Lepakshi's name. A lost opportunity for the local people to encash
their fame. We had a good walk around the compound and headed our way back in
search of a spot to have lunch. We found one near the fields at the outskirts. Post
lunch we headed back to Bangalore.
I did not upload all the pictures taken. It is a place that one should visit and experience.
