Vijayanagar era temple at Lepakshi Andhra Pradesh

Subject – Art and Culture

Concept –

Built in the 16th century, the golden age of the Vijayanagar Empire, the Lepakshi temple in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh boasts impressive sculptures and exquisite murals portraying stylised versions of scenes from Hindu lore on its ceilings.
Vijayanagar empire ruled the Deccan from 1336 to 1646.
While the sprawling architectural marvel that is Hampi, Vijayanagar’s capital, is known for its exceptional town planning, excellently executed temples and exquisite sculptures, the Lepakshi temple’s salience lies in the elaborate and detailed paintings on its ceiling panels.
The place where this temple is located is the place where Jatayu(the Vulture that stopped Ravana while abducting Sita to Lanka) died.This place has got the name when Rama told Jatayu-Le Pakshi-Get up Bird when Jatayu was dying.
But this temple is not a Rama Temple but is a Veerabhadra Temple. Veerabhadra was born from Lord Shiva’s hair-Jadamudi.
Built in the 16th century, the architectural features of the temple are in the Vijayanagara style with the profusion of carvings and paintings on almost every exposed surface of the temple.
It contains idols of Ganesha, Veerabhadra, Shiva, Bhadrakali, Vishnu and Lakshmi.
There is a very large Nandi (bull), about 200 meters 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 is one of the main attractions in Lepakshi.
The temple is of the Vijayanagara architectural style.