Welcome to Mandal,Andhra Pradesh where hides  Lepakshi. In the small village Lepakshi lies a relatively unexplored and beautiful artifact with mediocre maintenance. A place with less crowd and happy monkeys. The place sings praises and tells us a lot about the powerful Vijayanagara dynasty.

A long drive I took from Bangalore to Lepakshi. Ita 125 km ride from the city to the village. A splendid spot  if you want a single day trip. The roads are good. For a place so good the sign boards are less but google map will help you out.  The route from Bangalore includes tolls. Get on to the Airport road, pass by the Nandi hill road onto Doddabalapur- Bagepalli -Ananthpur and then there are boards that help you to take the road to Lepakshi. I wouldn’t suggest traveling in train simply because of poor connectivity between the two places. There are around five trains from Bangalore that stops at Hindpur. From the Hindpur railway station, you could book a taxi or use a bus.

There are many stories as of now the name Lepakshi was formed. When Ravana was kidnapping Sita, the mighty bird called Jhatayu tried to rescue Sita but Ravana cut of Jhatayu’s wing. And when Rama saw the sight of Jhatayu, he exclaims,”Le,Pakshi!” Which means ‘arise bird’. So Lepakshi is apparently that place where this incident happened. So they say. Interesting, isn’t it ?

 Let me show you the first archaeological site called the Basavanna Temple.

The giant bull in couchant posture is a grand cut out a sculpture of a granite rock. You can see the finer details of the sculpture. It’s that beautifully sculptured. The monolithic sculpture is a unique example of its kind in the country. It is 6 meters high and  10 meters wide. And definitely a worthy visit.

Then we go to visit the famous Veerabadhra temple which has the famous hanging pillar. Yeah, it’s true it does hang. Monkeys welcome you to the beautiful temple. Like they say don’t judge the book by  its cover. Don’t judge the majestic temple with intricate architecture by the entrance, because the magic inside will mesmerize you.

You need to visit the beauty created by the Vijayanagar dynasty to witness the hanging pillar. Carry a newspaper for a better experience.

The idols in the temple are as if the lords sitting there were angry. The facial expressions and postures of all the God and goddesses worshiped there seem angry and agitated. The sculptures in the temple have a lot to stay about the Vijayanagara dynasty and it also depicts incidents from the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata . The murals are exemplary and sadly not well maintained. They are slowly fading and falling out.

See it here before this peels off too.

We are at the end of the journey. But here are few tips that would help you out:

1. Visit this place to experience the beauty and majesty.
2. Roadways are the best way.
3. Carry food if possible.
4. Buy the delicious mangoes from the local market if you are visiting in the summer or in the beginning of monsoon.
5. Visit the beauty anytime from June to January.
6. Do not miss out on the beautiful sarees you get there although it means you have to travel a few more kilometers.

And now that’s me saying Tata bye bye by posing in the present which once was part of the Vijayanagar dynasty.