Lepakshi is a small village located in the Anantapur District, in Andhra Pradesh, india. It is very close to the IT city of India, Bangalore. A half day trip to Lepakshi would lead you into another world. Not many know about this gem of a place yet. It hosts a temple of great architecture - the Veerbhadra Temple. There are many interesting mythical stories associated with it as well. Here goes some of them that make this place a must visit:
The hanging pillar
There is a hanging pillar in the temple, that doesn't touch the ground. A newspaper or a piece of cloth can be taken across below this pillar !!
And it has stood like that for years.
The unique architecture
It is believed that once attempt was made to move just 2 pillars in the temple premises. The pillars form such a unique balancing structure that upon the attempt, the whole temple started shaking. The demolishers got afraid and ran for their life. And hence, the ancient structure remains untouched
The footsteps of Goddess
There is a huge footstep in the stone of the temple which is believed to be of Goddess Sita. According to the legend of Ramayana, she had once rested here. Interesting , the footstep is also continuously washed by water seeping from underneath the stone. The source of this water is unknown.
The incomplete marriage hall
There is a marriage hall in the premises of the temple. As per the legend, the construction of the hall was started by the then king's accountant, while the king was out of town. Upon his return, the king felt furious about the construction going on without his permission. So, he got the work stopped immediately.
Till date, the temple stands incomplete
The eye in the wall
There is mark of an eye and some blood strains on one of the walls of the temple. It is said the king was furious with the accountant and ordered his eye being popped out as a punishment!! Horrible, isn't it.
Nevertheless, these facts make the visit to the temple all the more interesting.
It is also an Offbeat destination, with almost no crowd. The priest, a multilingual person, is happy to have visitors and show them around. It is preferable to reach there early in the morning and return by noon. Because the stones of the temple tend to get hot later in the day and it becomes challenging to walk bare foot.
The temple houses several idols of Hindu Gods and Goddess. It also has marvelous carvings on its walls and beautiful paintings on it's roof. Overall, the visit to this temple is a nice once in a lifetime experience.
You might as well be interested in:
Most amazing trekking places in India
Five places that should be on your list of sites to see
