Le Pakshi!

As I was gazing through the bus window, I noticed a marked change in the temperature that was more of dry heat and less humid. We were entering the district of Anantapur of the Rayalaseema region in Andhra Pradesh. The background song had changed from Ninnindale from Milana to Priyathma Neevachata Kushalama from Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu!

Reposed in the village of Lepakshi, the temple of Veerabhadra Swamy lies 120 km from Bangalore. It is built on the hill called Kurmasailam (meaning tortoise hill in Telugu), named after the shape of the low hill. We were welcomed by this huge statue of Jatayu on a hillock, which is a very recent addition overlooking the largest monolithic sculpture of a bull in front of the temple.

It is quite interesting to note the significance of this place as it dates back to an episode from the Ramayana. It is believed that Jatayu, hurt by Ravana, fell down here at this place and that Rama, when noticed the bird, said to him gently, Le Pakshi meaning Arise bird in Telugu. Interestingly, the village is called by other names namely Lepaksha and Lepakshipura from the inscriptions etched on the walls of the temple. The oldest inscription of the temple dates back to the 15th century and mentions donations made by Saluva King Narasimha to Papa Naseswara temple.

This temple dedicated to one of the fiercest forms of Shiva, Veerabhadra is significant in many ways. It was built in the Vijayanagara period by two ambitious brothers, Virupanna and Viranna, who were officers in the court of the Vijayanagara ruler Achyutha Devaraya. Krishna Deva Raya’s younger brother.

As we move into the temple complex steeped in history, the guide shows us red marks on the temple wall at a distance and explains to us in Telugu the significance. It is an interesting legend about how the temple was built in the Vijayanagara period. Virupanna, a treasurer during the rule of Achyutha Devaraya is said to have built the structure by using all the funds from the royal treasury without the king’s permission and when the king came to know about this news, he ordered that Virupanna should be blinded. Virupanna being a steadfast officer is said to have executed the order by plucking his own eyes and throwing them against the temple walls. The guide culminated the story by pointing toward what looked like two red stains on the temple wall, which could be bypassed otherwise. This is also the reason why the Kalyana Mandapa is left unfinished.

Next comes something iconic to Lepakshi, the colossal seven-hooded serpent rising above the Shivalinga. There is also this exciting legend about the Nagalinga statue that says the Naga was sculpted from a single block of stone while the sculptors waited for their mother to cook food for them!

A trip to Lepakshi is certainly incomplete without the hanging pillar. Of all the 70 pillars in the Nrutya Mantapa, this one is the most popular and it is said that it does not rest on the ground. There we were! We were one of the groups that tried to pass a dupatta from one side of the pillar to the other. There are various sculptures of gods and artists as well with musical instruments and we were there too, trying our best to identify them! It is indeed a special feeling for a person who loves to study iconography!

Lepakshi is one of the places where we find some exquisite mural paintings which are veritably a visual treat. These long panels on the ceiling give us the details of their dressing style, jewellery, and hairstyle, contemporaneous to that era. This place is also famous for its beautiful Kalamkari textile making and it is said that the design used by the Kalamkari craftsmen can also be found in this temple.

It was almost three hours since we reached this place and what remained in my mind was the imagery of how this place would have looked during the times of the Vijayanagara empire. Any heritage enthusiast would agree with the ineffable impression that these architectural marvels leave on the mind! It is exactly the reason why I am in love with this field. On the way back, it was Okey Oka Lokam Nuvve!

Lokamlona Andham Nuvve!

Andhaanike Hrudayam Nuvve!

Naake Andhaave!