Lepakshi

Lepakshi - This is one place which is so close to Bangalore, yet we had never visited it. The monsoon was set and weather was great in Bangalore and we were itching to go for a long drive. And so, Lepakshi was chosen. This is a great place to go with a group of friends/family. I checked with my friends if anybody was free to join us on a day trip to Lepakshi. Most of them were busy with Kids exams and other commitments. One of our family friends Latha & Mohan joined us with their kids.

And so it was decided - we would meet at Konark restaurant on Richmond Road for break fast at 8:30AM and then start to Lepakshi on a Sunday morning. We had found out that there aren't any good restaurants in Lepakshi and best option would be pack lunch. We split some dishes and decided to carry packed lunch and have a picnic. In the hind sight, this was an excellent idea. We really enjoyed it.

On Sunday morning, with lunch packed, we started at 8 AM to meet at Konark restaurant. Latha's family was already waiting for us. We were all meeting after a very long time and everybody was excited to meet each other. Had a good breakfast of Idlis and Dosas. Latha had got her Honda CRV and she suggested we drive in a single car. We parked our car on Richmond Road and all of us (4 adults + 4 kids) hopped in CRV. This was fun. We played a lot of games on our way. We reached Lepakshi around 11:30 AM.

Lepakshi is a small town in Andhra Pradesh bordering Karnataka. This place is about 130 KMs from Bangalore on the NH7 highway to Hyderabad and is famous for Veerabhadra Temple, dedicated to Veerabhadra. Built by the brothers Viranna and Virupanna, the temple is a notable example of the Vijayanagar architectural style. It is famous for its sculptures, which were created by the artisans of Vijayanagara empire. A huge Nandi bull made out of a single granite stone is one of the attractions in Lepakshi. This monolithic Nandi is the largest Nandi in India and second largest Monolithic statue in India. The place is renowned for being one of the best repository of mural paintings of the Vijayanagar Kings. 

Nandi - Monolithic Granite Stone

Seven Hood Snake

The first stop at Lepakshi is the huge Nandi built from Granite stone. The Nandi is around 500 years old and still in very good condition. 200 mts from here is the Veerabhadra temple which was built during the Vijayanagar dynasty in 1500 AD. The temple is still in very good condition and is functioning. Some of the paintings on the ceiling still have clear paints showing the pictures. The carvings on the pillar are excellent. It is best if the temple complex is explored with a guide. Without the guide it is very difficult to know the history and significance of this temple. Unfortunately there is only one guide. But he is pretty good though some of the stuff he mention may not make sense if you think rationally :) 

500 year old paintings on the ceiling

Unfinished Kalyana Mantap

Few interesting points in the temple - paintings on the ceiling, a pillar which is not touching the ground, the huge 7 hooded stone carved snake, the unfinished Kalyan Mantap, the foot of Sita (who was about 8 1/2 feet tall), the huge thali's etc. The entire exploring of temple will take around 1 1/2 - 2 hours. By the time we were done it was 1:30 PM. It was lunch time ans we were pretty hungry. First thought was to have the lunch at the temple complex - but there are quite a few monkeys and also beggars who are constantly pinging you. We decided to stop at some open farm around the temple.

The so called Sita's foot

We boarded the car in hunt of some place - preferably under a tree. We found a farm and went it to check if there was anybody from whom we could take permission to have our lunch in their farm. But none was in sight. There were few cows tied in the shed. We were very hungry and decided, we will talk to the farmer after food. We had a tasty lunch - over ate. By the time we were finishing our lunch, the care taker of the farm came by. He was more than happy to have us in his farm. We chatted with him for some time. Its amazing how people in villages are so friendly and extend their warmth and hospitality to strangers which is not common in cities.

Kids Enjoying in the Farm after lunch

After a relaxed lunch, we started back to Bangalore. On the way back we stopped at Cafe Coffee Day for a short break and then it was straight to Bangalore-Richmond Road to pick our car. We bid good bye to Latha's family. It was one short trip full of great memories.