LEPAKSHI IS A SMALL VILLAGE WHICH IS NEAR(16KM) TO HINDUPUR AND COMES UNDER ANANTPUR DITRICT WHICH IS 150 KM AWAY.

LEPAKSHI VILLAGE IS KNOWN FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MONOLITHIC ” NAAG LINGA “, ” GANESH “, AND NANDI BULL.

LEPAKSHI VILLAGE HAVE ” VEERBHADRA SWAMY TEMPLE ” WHICH INCORPORATES FIVE SHRINES INSIDE VIZ OF LORD VEERBHADRA, DEVI BHADRAKALI, VISHNU, SHIV (NAAG LINGA) AND HANUMAN.

THE VEERBHADRA SWAMY TEMPLE COMPLEX HAVE THE MONOLITHIC NAAG LINGA AND GANESH JUST BEHIND THE MAIN SHRINE IE OF LORD VEERBHADRA’S , OUTSIDE THE MAIN TEMPLE COMPLEX, THERE LIES A SEETA PADAM WHICH IS SAID TO BE THE FOOTPRINT OF DEVI SITA, THE WIFE OF LORD RAM WHOSE HEIGHT IN THAT TIME WAS ABOUT 24 FEETS.

THE TEMPLE IS ALSO KNOWN FOR ITS ” HANGING PILLAR “, ACCORDING TO THE STORY, ONE ENGLISH ARCHAELOGIST WHO TRIED TO DISLOCATE THAT PILLAR FOR GETTING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ITS CONSTRUCTION, WHEN THE PILLAR WAS TRIED TO BE REMOVED, ALL THE OTHER PILLARS STARTED VIBRATING AND THEN THE FACT WAS KNOWN THAT ALL THE PILLARS WERE INTERLOCKED FROM THE CEILING IN A WAY THAT EACH ONE HAVE A PARTICULAR ROLE IN BALANCING THE OTHER.

THE ENGLISHMEN STOPPED THE WORK AND THE PILLAR WHICH WAS CONNECTED TO OTHERS VIA CEILING KEPT HANGING WITH A SMALL SPACE ABOVE THE GROUND. PEOPLE USE SILK SAREES TO SHOW THAT THE PILLAR IS NOT CONNECTED TO GROUND BY PUTTING IT BETWEEN THE BOTH.

THE TEMPLE WAS CREATED AFTER DISMANTLING 5 TEMPLES WHICH WERE PRESENT ON THE TOP OF A HILL WHICH WAS PRESENT AT THE PLACE OF THE CURRENT TEMPLE, SOME VIJAYNAGAR EMPIRE KING ORDERED TO REMOVE ALL FIVE TEMPLES AND CARVE THE WHOLE MOUNTAIN INTO BEAUTIFUL TEMPLE.

VIRUPANNA WHO USED TO BE THE THEN FINANCE MINISTER WAS GIVEN CHARGE OF MAKING THE TEMPLE. ACCORDING TO A STORY, HE WAS ACCUSED OF DOING CORRUPTION IN TEMPLE CREATION. HE TOOK BOTH OF HIS EYEBALLS AND THREW THEM ON OF OF THE WALL OUTSIDE THE MAIN TEMPLE, HE DIED AND AFTER THAT NO WORK WAS DONE TO COMPLETE THE TEMPLE.

THERE IS STILL AN INCOMPLETE MARRIAGE HALL WHICH IS STILL NOT COMPLETED AND IS AS IT IS AFTER VIRUPANNA’S DEATH , THE MARRIAGE HALL WAS BUILT TOO SHOW SHIVA-PARVATI WEDDING CEREMONNY AND ATTENDED BY ALL THE GODS.

THE NAAG LINGA – ACCORDING TO THE STORY, THERE USE TO LIVE TWO SCULPTURE ARTISTS ALONGWITH THEIR MOTHER JUST BEHIND THE TEMPLE, ONE DAY THE MOTHER TOLD THEM TO WAIT FOR SOMETIME WHILE SHE WAS COOKING FOOD FOR THEM, IN THE MEANTIME BOTH THE BROTHERS CARVED THE ” NAAG LINGA ” FROM WITHIN A BIG STONE.

ABOUT A KILOMETER AND HALF, THERE IS SITUATED ANOTHER MONOLITHIC STATUE, THE NANDI BULL WITH A BEAUTIFULL GARDEN AROUND IT AND A MORE KILOMETER AWAT STANDS THE JATAYU STATUE AT THE JATAYU THEME PARK WITH RUDRA PAAD ( RUDRA MUNI’S FOOTPRINT) ON THE TOP OF A HILL.

VILLAGERS IN LEPAKSHI DO SILK FARMING AS PROFITABLE BUSINESS. THEY PURCHASE SILKWORMS, FEED THEM THE BEST GREEN LEAFY PLANTS WHICH THEY GROW IN THEIR FARMS. THE BABY SILKWORMS FEED ON THE CROPS, GROW IN SIZE, FORMS A CUCOON OVER THEIR BODY WHILE RESTING, THESE CUCOONS ALONGWITH THE SILKWORMS IN IT ARE THROWN IN BOILING WATER, THE SILKWORM DIES AND THE SILK IS SEPARATED AND WINDED IN SOMETHING.

IN LEPAKSHI, THEY DO WHITE AND GOLDEN SILKWORM FARMING.

AFTER THE SILK IS EXTRACTED, SAREES ARE WOVEN. THE MININMUM PRICE OF SILK SAREE IS ABOT 800-900 INR.

THE STORY TELLS THAT WHILE RAVANA ASURA WAS TAKING SEETA TO LANKA, JATAYU SAW THEM. IN ORDER TO OFFER HELP, HE FOUGHT WITH THE RAVANA AND IN TURN GOT HEAVILY BLEEDED WHEN RAVANA ASURA CUT HIS WINGS WITH THE SWORD.

THE SEETA PADAM IS THE  SINGLE FOOTPRINT OF SEETA WHICH WAS CREATED WHEN THE FIGHT WAS GOING ON.

LATER WHEN LORD RAM CAME ALONGWITH LAKSHMAN, SUGREEV AND HANUMAN WHO DID THE CREMATION OF JATAYU AND SAID ” LE PAKSHI ” MEANS GO TO THE HEAVENS THE BIRD, AND THE BIRD AKA ” JATAYU ” GOT THE MOKSHA.

BESIDE THE NAAG LINGA, THERE IS INSCRIBED A STORY WHICH IS RELATED TO THE JAMBUKESHWARAR TEMPLE OF TIRUCHIRAPALLI, IN WHICH SHIVA CURSED TWO OF HIS GANAS TO TAKE BIRTH AS A SPIDER AND AN ELEPHANT ON EARTH.

THE SPIDER AND THE ELEPHANT WHO USE TO PLEASE LORD SHIVA ( LINGA ALREADY INSTALLED BY SOMEONE, MIGHT BE INDRA ) , THE ELEPHANT POURED WATER TO IT BY HIS NOSTRILS AND SPIDER CREATED A WEB ABOVE THE LINGA SUCH THAT NO LEAVES FALL ON THE LINGA, DONT REMEMBER THE WHOLE STORY BUT BOTH OF THEM WERE BLESSED AND WERE GRANTED HUMAN BIRTHS AS KINGS OF THE NEARBY AREA, MIGHT BE IN CHOLA KINGDOM.

LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST, SOMETHING ABOUT LORD ” VEERBHADRA “, LORD VEERBHADRA WAS AN ANGRY INCARNATION OF LORD SHIVA WHICH WAS SENT BY HIM TO THE PALACE OF PRAJAPATI DAKSH TO KILL HIM, VEERBHADRA SLAUGHTERED PRAJAPATI DAKSH BY CUTTING HIS HEAD.

SOME STORIES SAYS THAT LORD VEERBHADRA THREATENED ALL THE DEVI DEVATAS PRESENT THERE TOO AND THOSE WERE SAVED WHEN VISHNU CAME AND KILLED VEERBHADRA, LATER LORD SHIVA GAVE DAKSHA LIFE AGAIN BY PUTTING A GOAT’S HEAD ON HIS “DHAD”.

THERE ARE MANY STORIES, WHICH TO FOLLOW AND WHICH NOT TO, INSPITE OF DECIDING THE SAME, ONE MUST USE ITS OWN CAPABILITY OF THINKING VIZ WISDOM.

THATS ALL ABOUT LEPAKSHI …

THE TEMPLE COMPLEX HOUSES A GIANT SIZE CHAMPA ( FRANGIPANI ) TREE WHICH BEARS BEAUTIFULL ANF FRAGNATING FLOWERS AND A AEGLE MERMELOS ( BAEL ) TREE INSIDE AND TAMARIND TREES BEARING SWEET AND CITRIC  TAMARINDS OUTSIDE.  

THE VILLAGE HAS ONLY ONE PLACE OF ACCOMODATION IE THE GOVERNMENT OF ANDHRA PRADESH’S GUEST HOUSE, HARITA RESORTS , WHICH IS ONE OF THE BEST GUEST HOUSES I HAVE BEEN TOO. AN AIR CONSITIONED ROOM IN Rs. 990, THEY SERVE DELICIOUS FOOD TOO IN APPROPRIATE PRICES.

BEEN THERE TWICE, ONCE WHILE I WAS TOURING SOUTH INDIA ALONE AND SECONDLY WITH MY MOTHER.

THE VILLAGE HAVE MANY SMALL SHOPS WHERE YOU CAN GET FRUITS, MILK SHAKES, AND SNACKS BUT NOT MANY RESTAURENTS.

ANYBODY WHO WANT TO VISIT LEPAKSHI SHOULD GET TICKETS UPTO HINDUPUR, FROM WHERE YOU CAN TAKE EITHER AUTO, TAXI OR A GOVERNMENT BUS TO REACH LEPAKSHI.