Veerabhadra Temple, Lepakshi

Veerabhadra Temple
Gopuram
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DistrictAnantapur
DeityVeerabhadra
Location
LocationLepakshi
StateAndhra Pradesh
CountryIndia
Veerabhadra Temple, Lepakshi is located in Andhra Pradesh
Veerabhadra Temple, Lepakshi
Shown within Andhra Pradesh
Geographic coordinates13°48′6.64″N 77°36′34.37″E / 13.8018444°N 77.6095472°E / 13.8018444; 77.6095472
Architecture
TypeDravidian architecture

Veerabhadra temple is a Hindu temple located in the Lepakshi, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The temple is dedicated to the Virabhadra, a fierce form of the god Shiva.

Built in the 16th century, the architectural features of the temple are in the Vijayanagara style with profusion of carvings and paintings at almost every exposed surface of the temple. It is one of the centrally protected monuments of national importance and is considered one of the most spectacular Vijayanagara temples.[1][2] The fresco paintings are particularly detailed in very bright dresses and colours with scenes of Rama and Krishna from the epic stories of the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas and they are well preserved.

There is a very large Nandi (bull), mount of Shiva, about 200 metres (660 ft) 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. The temple is home to many Kannada inscriptions as its located close to Karnataka border.

  1. ^ "Centrally Protected Monuments". Archeological Survey of India. Archived from the original on 26 June 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  2. ^ Dallapiccola, Anna Libera; Majlis, Brigitte Khan; Michell, George (2019). Lepakshi: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting. Niyogi Books. ISBN 978-93-86906-90-8.