Have you visited the hanging pillar of India at the Veerabhadra Temple in Lepakshi, a small village in Andhra Pradesh. If no ,then here I am...to guide you about the temple.It's an awesome Weekend-gateway trip from Bengaluru for the folks interested in historical architecture.
How can you reach?
Car - The temple is 125 km drive from Bengaluru. You will cross Nandi hills on the way. If you love driving ,this road is for you, they are smooth and the view is striking.
Bus - From Bangalore you get the bus till Hindupur and from Hindupur(15 km from Lepakshi) you get the APSRTC bus till Lepakshi. You can also get a taxi from Hindupur to Lepakshi.
Train - Lepakshi does not have a train station. You can reach till Hindupur via train and then take a bus or taxi to reach Lepakshi.
Story of Lepakshi Temple-
The story behind this temple comes from the Ramayana. Jatayu, the Vulture fell down at this place while trying to save Sita from Ravana during her kidnapping. After hearing the news Rama, took the bird in his arms and uttered the words “Le Pakshi” (In Telugu it means “Arise O Bird") and hence the name of this place came to be known as Lepakshi. Telugu is the local language of Andhra. The temple was built by the brothers Viranna and Virupanna, is dedicated to Veerabhadra. It is built in the Vijayanagara architectural style. The temple’s main deity is Veerabhadra, the fiery god created by Shiva in his rage.
It's a admirable sight to see the temple architecture . You can find a Shiva Linga covered by a magnificent hooded serpent in the temple which is carved from a huge rock.
Within 200 mts from the temple, a monolithic architecture of a Huge Nandi (bull) is found. This is the biggest 14-15 feet high Nandi statue in the world. The pillars are carved with heavenly beings, Shiva’s incarnations, Rishis, Dancers, the beautiful paintings on the ceiling, the incomplete kalyanamandapam , the large footprint, the main attraction -the hanging pillar.
Stories around the temple -
The villagers believe the hill on which the temple is built is called Kurmasaila as the hill resembles a tortoise.
The unfinished Kalayanamandapam was built by Viranna and Virupanna who were the courtiers of the kingdom. It is said Virupanna's son was blind. Once in his dream, Shiva appeared and asked him to build a temple around Shiv Linga. Virupanna started building the temple and his son blindness was cured. But the other courtiers were jealous and complained to King that he is using kingdom money for his son's cure. King ordered to blind Virupanna. After hearing this news ,he himself popped his eyes out and threw them at the wall of Kalayanamandapam. The villagers believe the stains of blood are still on the walls.
Giant footprint - A large carved foot can be seen on the ground. It is believed the people were 20 to 25 feet tall at that time. The footprint is 2 1/2 feet long. The sculptor has carved the footprint on the original footprint to preserve it.
Nandi statue- This statue you can find 660 ft away from the temple which is carved from a single block of stone, which is said to be one of the largest of its type in the world.
The hanging pillar - You can see people passing the piece of cloth under the pillar. It is surprising to see how the pillar is disconnected from the floor. How they have built the huge pillar hanging in the air. I saw about the hanging pillar in the discovery channel and I was so infatuated by this wonder that I decide to visit the temple. Not many people you can find in this temple. The silence of this temple is seductive. When I reach this hanging pillar ,this was the only place in the temple I found it crowded. People came here with dupattas , handkerchief etc to pass it under the pillar.
But there was the catch in the hanging pillar mystery. The pillar is not completely disconnected. You can see one of the corners is clearly resting on the floor.The cloth will stuck at that corner. It is not actually hanging in mid- air. The mystery is solved , actually there is no mystery. Though I was alas by finding out that there is no pillar hanging in mid-air. But same time I was overjoyed to visit this temple. If I would not have seen this hanging pillar in discovery I might have skipped this beautiful temple.
Tip:-
I would recommend you to visit this mesmerizing Vijayanagara architectural temple. Take a guide with you as you will get to know a lot of stories about this temple (few of them I have mentioned).The temple is calm and peaceful. You get to click a lot of photos because it is one of the most picturesque sites. There are not many eatery around the temple. So better be prepared for the food. But on the way from Bangalore to Lepakshi, you find some good restaurants.
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