Lepakshi

The heritage small village Lepakshi is one of the most famous places to visit near Bangalore.  It is a prime destination which distances 125 kilometers from the Anantapur, 124 kilometers from the city of Bangalore, 225 kilometers from the popular destination of Tirupati. 

This small rural village is located on the eastern side of the Hindupur in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the top heritage sites of the Andhra Pradesh which primly highlights the legacy of the Vijayanagara dynasty.

This village Lepakshi was founded around the 16th century under the rule of Vijayanagara King Aliiya Rama Raya. The royal treasurer Virupanna was mainly accused of withdrawing the funds from the state treasury without the king’s permission. It was done mainly to build the Veerabhadra temple at the Lepakshi. However, he simply unsighted himself so that he didn’t have to go through the process of the king’s punishment.

Even today, inside the walls of the Kalyana Mandapa, two dark strains are found where the marks are made by Virupanna’s eyes. As a result, the name of the village was called ‘Lepa- akshi’ which means a ‘village of a blinded eye’. The temple consists of three shrines dedicated for Lord Shiva, Veerabhadra and Vishnu.

There are some nearby temples of Srirama, Papanatheswara, Veerabhadra, Raghunatha and Durga are located on the same hillock, popularly known as Kurma Saila- tortoise shaped hill. 

Lepakshi temple footprint

Moving further inside the Kalyana Mandapa, there is a huge footprint inside the floor temple. It is like someone has stamped with all strength on the floor. The popular belief is that it is the footprint of goddess Sita. The most interesting fact is this footprint remains wet and water from inside is constantly dropping and rinsing the footprint.
 
The water appears magically and it is believed that it shows due respect to the footprint of Sita. Even if you try to wipe off all the water, slowly it comes back and makes it wet.
 
As per the mythology, Ravana abducted Sita, took her in his throne to Sri Lanka. They stopped here at the temple for resting. As a result footprints are sourced on the floor.

Lepakshi temple timings

The timings are 6 am – 7 pm every day. 

Lepakshi temple hanging pillar

The beauty of the Lepakshi hanging pillar supported from the top to surprise the visitors. The wonderful architecture and paintings on the ceiling inside are marvelous. To the further south of the main shrine there resides a huge Nagalingam, a standing rock of granite block. This is cloaked by seven-headed cobras which are brilliantly carved out of the single rock structure. 
 
There are about 70 pillars at this temple. It contributes to the fact of genius engineering, in the medieval era. The 20 feet tall pillars are dislodged from its correct position.  It completely hangs in the air. As a result, if you pass a thin piece of cloth below the pillar it comes out completely unobstructed at the other end. 

Once a British engineer tried to move the pillars to uncover the secrets hidden inside. However, moving the pillar made the entire temple shake in a dangerous way; the engineer was highly frightened and ran away.  It was because the temple was made in a way, you move on the pillar, all the pillars in the temple will start moving.
  
It was an architecture made in the year 1583 AD by the two great brothers, Virupanna and Veeranna. As per the Archeological department of India, this hanging pillar construction was not made by mistake. It was a deliberate and well-structured attempt. This shows the brilliance of the engineers at that time. 

Lepakshi sarees

This small village has the most talented people who can make amazing handcrafted traditional cloths. The mesmerizing range of traditional artistic crafts and sarees are available. Each saree has uniqueness in it.

The state of Andhra is popular due to the traditional hand-weaved silk sarees which has rich but that have significantly robbed the hearts of the million women across the globe. The small town of Dharmavaram is situated around 47 kilometers from the place called Anantapur. It is a famous hub for the silk weavers gained nationwide popularity.
 
The work Jamdani, in fact, have originated from the Persian word means jam flower and Dani means vase. The sarees are light weighted, durable and good quality. It is a perfect choice for wearing in weddings and festivals.

Lepakshi handicrafts & paintings
      
Lepakshi is the prime center for the finest temple architecture and paintings. The handicraft is very popular here. The handicrafts are loved by women across the globe. There is a famous puppet show based on Hindu mythology happening every year at Lepakshi.

If you are planning for one day trip from Bangalore you can explore this wonderful historical village in the months of October to March. Even travelers do visit the place from January to May which is the peak seasons. Accommodation is available.