So finally managed to execute the trip to Lepakshi. This was on my list for some time now (came on after Outlook published it in their list of places which should be on the World Heritage site).
Went this Sunday (27th September,2009). We left , packed in our Altis, at around 10:00 AM. Getting out of Bangalore was a bit of a pain (managed to hit most of the signals when they were Red) and then drove at 80km / hr till the airport (rumors of speed guns keeping it around 80). The road till the airport seems to be improving by the day. New plants and pots adorn the dividers now. The signals seem to be increasing (think there are 4-5 now). We still managed to reach the airport entrance in about 55 min. There was a change in all this (dramatic) once we crossed the airport and reached the Devanhalli cross. The road to Lepakshi otherwise was great. It's NH - 7 , road was smooth (apart from Chikballapur, where the highway 'bypass' is still under construction). There was minimal traffic on the road, so hitting 100+ was safe. The big problem is the number of unannounced speed breakers. They are plenty in and around Chikballapur, so you need to really keep your eyes on the road.
In spite of the warning that there is an non-descriptive turn after the AP check post, we managed to miss it and drove another 5-7 kms before we asked someone and turned back. For people travelling that side, once you cross Raxa Academy and an AP tourism restaurant , slide down and out of the highway. There are a number of Auto's (bright yellow) and small shops which can act as the landmark. Lepakshi is around 10-12 km down this road. This road is pretty bad, though it's getting repaired now.
We hit the Nandi statue first. This was supposed to be outside the outer wall at the temple, facing the Shiva Lingam there. This is the biggest Nandi statue in India. The next bigger ones are in Tanjavur, Chamundi Devi (Mysore) and at the Bull Temple (as Divya pointed out, we have now seen all of them !).
Though it was cloudy most of the journey , it was sunny and hot when we reached there. Apart from the Nandi statue, there is nothing at this point. The actual temple is around a km further down the road, a small left on the main road takes you the main complex.
After a refreshing coconut (fresh) water break, we reached the temple (climbing a flight of steep steps). The temple is old, 500 years. It's been constructed with seven layers.. The inner three survive now. The temple is on a huge mountain rock, shape of a tortoise. It has 5 Shiva Lingams (Ram, Shiva, Vishnu, Hanuman..can't recollected the other ones). The one established by Rama is the oldest one. This was established (as the legend goes), when searching for Sita he reached here and met Jatayu. (The village derives it's name from the fact that Ram asked the great bird to rise and said 'Le Pakshi'). There is foot print sign which signifies Sita foot (it's huge, as the guide pointed out the people in that age used to have a height of 24-30 ft). There is a Matsya Hanuman who is supposed to be the son of Hanuman (born when the fish swallowed a drop of sweat when Hanuman was crossing the sea to Lanka).
The inner most layer of the temple has the dancing area. There pillars and statues have been done up accordingly. The next layer is the marriage hall, which depicts the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. Again the pillars and the statues go with the theme, with all gods visiting them on their vehicles shown on the walls.
If you have heard of Lepaksi sarees. a set of pillars in another area are the original 'inspiration' for this. http://www.dharmavaramsaree.com/Lepakshi.aspx
The last surviving layer is the third one, which is the resting place for travellers and their vehicles (guess horses etc). Again done thought fully, with stone hooks and holes for hanging bags and babies (the ancient hammock).
The inner part has 876 pillars. One of which is the hanging pillar. It touches the ground at one point now (thanks to 2 British researches who somehow managed to move it). The ceiling also have some nice fresco's done in natural vegetable based paints (including one showing Krishna with 3-D eyes). Then there is another interesting story of the person building the temple, throwing his eyes at a wall which still shows the point where they hit (has tested / verified blood stains).
The other interesting statues include one facing the kitchen, a Shiva Lingam with a 5 snake hood over it.(The story goes that this was carved out in an hr, while the workers were waiting for lunch).Wish the same happened while the metro was being constructed in Bangalore :). There is a lovely carving of Ganesh on the same rock.
All and all , a nice experience. The imagination of the people who carved this temple out of rock is amazing as well as the stories that have got handed down over generations.
We left the place around 3:30 PM, Plucked a few 'Imly's' en-route to the highway. Had a very spicy lunch at around 4:00 (we were so hungry that the spicy food did not come in our way to finish the food off). The ride back was quicker and we made to home by 6:45 PM.
So this knocks off one more of the list of 50. Looks like Jaisalmer fort this winter will be the next one......
