Lepakshi - Lores set in stone

Lepakshi Lores set in stone

Living in North, one oes not realise that storie from Ramayana and Puranas are a great part of the living experience down south as well as it is up North ! One such eye opener was Lepakshi !

Lepakshi  was a synonym   for AP government’s emporium on Baba Kharak Singh Marg, New Delhi from where I would buy my lovely cottons. Little did i know about Lepaksi the town in the distict of Anantpur in state of Andhra Pradesh. Moving to Bangalore i was to learn about the stories of Lepakshi, the sacredness of the place set on tortoise shaped hill - the sanctity of the Kurma shila kshetra !

It is named after the fallen Jatayu . His  wings were chopped off at this very spot and he was set free by L Rama by the words...Le Pakshi, Rise ! Bird! The hill abounds with lores. This is the very place where Veerabhadra roamed after the death of sati,14 swayambhu lingas were found in this region ! In the very neighbourhood Arjuna fought the mighty Shiva disguised as Kirata and won over the the Pashupatastra by his devotion ! Rishi Agastya had consecrated this spot with a small temple.

Thus it was  only a matter of time before a grand temple rose at Lepakshi. And it rose in the Fifteenth century The temple was begun by Virupanna, Achyutaraya’s treasurer, in 1530 AD. He was assisted by his brother Veeranna.Considering the fact that the temple was begun by a minister and that it could not be completed owing to petty politics, we can only give an unbridled reign to our poetic imagination. We can guess what an example of Vijayanagara style of architecture it might have been, had the premises not been encroached and the Kalyan Mantapa been completed.

The temple had 7 structural rings, outer most being the Nandi and the inner most being the gaairbha griha. But now o rings remn, rest have been encroached. So much so that the Nandi is no more a part of the existing complex, sitting desolately about a km away from his deity.

India’s biggest monolithic Nandi is at the entrance of this village. This Nandi is supposedly in the 6th corridor Nandi iIts no more a part of the existing complex, sitting desolately about a km away from his deity carved in perfect magnificence with hara and Gandaberunda and the beauty of his countenance is palpable.

pic of gopuram

The small Gopuram and a  rather simple door way with Ganga on the entrance does not prepares one for the grandeur insisde .This temple fortified by plain walls is sprawling with the best specimens of the Vijayanagar style of sculpture and mural paintings.The temple system became more elaborate with increasing number of buildings within the temple enclosure.In addition to the main temple in the middle there are separate shrines, pillared halls, pavillions and other annexes each having its special purpose. The Amman shrine located in the northwest of the building , enshrined with image of the consort of the deity .

As one enters the Navaranga mantapa one is tranfixed by the surfeit of carvings....beautiful sculptures everywhere ! On pillars . on ceilings on wall as friezes , the door jambs. One  runs out of names for such carved structures but the shilpakars never ran out of spots to carve.

The Ranga mantapa is adorned with pillars that astonishes one  with its  exquisiteness and design dexterity.The most striking pillar type is the type  whose  shaft becomes a central core for the attachment of statuary of heroic size and chiselled entirely in the round. 

Bhikshatana carved in the finest details is one such example.

The Natya Mantapa re created the divine nritya mantapa with Rambha holding the centre court 

Guru Bhringi guiding her from the aisle and audience watching her dance. The audience that includes Lord Dattatreya, Shiva, Goddess Parvati, Surya, Tumbara, Riteshwara, Brahma, Nataraja, Chandra and other scholars, some of whom are seen holding musical instruments giving talam to her padam!

The temple can be reference text book where all diifferent kinds of Vijayanagara style pillars can be found The pillared pavilion on the sides of the Ranga Mantapa...the Chitrakhanda pillars with ornamental brackets as part of the capitalsand below the bracket is a pendant that terminates into an inverted lotus bud.

Pavilions containing groups of columns are a form of architectural scheme to add drama to the temple complex.

The Maha Mandapa has three shrines, the main one being of Veerbhadra. Another one is dedicated to lord Papanarheshwara and the third one is for lord Rahunath.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Veerabhadra - the angry manifestation of Shiva.One sees Veerabhadra in the sanctum , on the mural of the ceiling and the rawness of his emotions deeply moves you.

When Shiva found out that his Sati was no more he was seized by violent grief . He tore apart his locks and created Veerabhadra who in a blazing fury almost destroyed the creation. The anger, the sorrow , the resignation and finally the acceptance that Shiva shows as Bhikshatana speak a lot to you . Who will not be touched by the humanness of the Divine Love story ?

 The  temple is not about the fury of Shiva . It  also carries tales of joy and happy endings.Sati  comes back in Shiva's life as Parvati as Girija.Walking under the ceilings that have murals showing petite Parvati getting ready for the nupitals and Shiva waiting for her one is filled with assurance and great joy at this eternal lovestory.

Pic of murals

The temple has some beautiful murals on the ceiling in Fresco-Secco style.The maha mandapa has a beautiful mural of Lord Veerabhadra on the ceiling. 

The ceilings are richly painted. The murals painted in natural colors add visual drama to the granite temple.One cranes the neck to admire the paintings.
Parvati grooming herself and peering into a mirror; Baby Krishna, with his eye following you all around; Ravana with his Shivalinga, and many more such mythological tales. The ceiling of the Ranga Mantapa and the antarala are beautifully covered with tales from Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas. 
These paintings are a visual document of the social cultural mores of the times

One steps  out of the Rangamantapa to walk  in the open prangana  to seek the blessings of Doda ganesha . This being a temple for Veerbhadra, it is necessary to invoke Ganesha before entering the sanctum!

As one leisurely  walks  through the  pillared corridors winding down the Kurma shila with the sun setting , you realise there is still much to be savoured : like the unusual Natya mantapa...

One of the most fascinating part of the temple is the Lata Mantapa. A corridor filled with designs carved on pillars  that has been an inspiration for the weavers since eternity !

         Patterns carved on granite for eternity, asking for no royalty no credit nothing…

Veerupana's eyes were gouged out because he was accused of graft by the jealous courtiers hence the temple remained uncompleted the natya mantapa saw no roof and Shiva weds Parvati under open skies star lit with the who's who Hindu Pantheon blessing the divine couple.

The temple architecturally may not be as grand as the Chola temples or sculpturally as rich as any of the Hoysala temples, but many enthralling anecdotes are carved all over the temple. These anecdotes win you over with their human sentiments. It entices you with its sculptural narrative. Lo and behold, “Here is the feet of Sita, there fell Jatayu’s wings and therOne cannot remain untouched and unmoved in this Lepakshi and its sea of stories kind of atmosphere!!

I will leave these anecdotes with you as teaser - just permit me to spoil one for you:
There is a cute story about brothers who were working in the temple precinct. They were hungry and they wanted lunch. Their mother went to cook their meal and asked them to sit quietly. When she came out with their lunch’ she saw a huge seven fanged Naga carved where nothing existed earlier!



Today when I try to give 10 sums to my children to solve while I am organizing their meal, the elder one will deftly post 10 likes on Facebook and the younger one will try to finish off one episode of her TV serial.
How times have changed!