• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

Myoksha Travels

Chardham and Jyotirlinga Tours

  • Temple Tours
  • Jyotirlinga in Maharashtra
  • Dwarka Somnath Tour
  • Char Dham Yatra 2025
  • Panch Dwarka Temples
  • Jyotirlinga in India
  • Contact Us

Lepakshi Temple Timings, Poojas, Dress Code, and History

March 9, 2020, Sasidhar Darla 41 Comments Filed Under: Andhra Pradesh Temples Tagged With: Shiva Temples

Lepakshi Temple is a dedication to the cult deity Veerabhadra. The temple is based in the small village of Lepakshi in the Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh. The construction of the temple took place in the 16th century during the reign of Vijayanagara Kings.

Lepakshi Temple has three shrines dedicated to the Hindu Gods Shiva, Vishnu and Veerabhadra. There exist about 70 pillars at this fabulous 16th-century stone structure of Vijayanagar style architecture.

This temple houses the largest sculpture of the demon king Veerabhadra. Moreover, much of the temple stands on a low rocky hill called Kurmasailam. The word ‘Kurmasailam‘ translates to tortoise hill in the Telugu language.

One of the pillars n Lepakshi Temple is popular as the Aakaasa Sthambha (Hanging Column). This pillar does not rest on the ground fully. During the British era, a British engineer’s labour in trying to move it were in vain. However, doing so made the pillar dislodge from its original position.

Introduction of Lepakshi Temple
This Nandi is India’s largest monolithic structure.

Besides the Hanging pillar, the other thing that is worth seeing is the spectacular Nandi which is located almost a mile before the main temple. It is 27 ft in length and 15 ft in height which is reputedly India’s biggest monolithic Nandi.

Facts About Lepakshi Temple

Opening and Closing Timings6:00 am – 6:00 pm
Entry FeeNo fee
Main DeityVeerbhadra
Nearest AirportSri Sathya Sai Airport
LocationAnantapur district, Andhra Pradesh
Photography Allowed

Lepakshi Temple Timings

Devotees can visit the temple for darshan in the following timings –

Timings From
Morning6:00 AM
Evening6:00 PM

The temple opens all days of the week. However, timings may change during festivals, important rituals and eclipses.

Significance of Lepakshi Temple

  • Lepakshi Temple has three separate Mandapas. The first one is Mukhya Mandapa (or Natya or Ranga Mandapa). The second one is Artha Mandapa and Garba Griha and third is Kalyana Mandapa. The last Mandapa is unfinished.
  • Devotees worship Veerbhadra who is Shiva’s depiction in his ferocious mood. Warrior God Veerbhadra was worshipped during wartimes in the ancient and medieval periods.
  • A huge Ganesha is there in the temple’s outer enclosure. And it leans against the rock which is perpendicular to a massive Naga with three coils and seven hoods. This Nagalinga is the largest in India.
  • Goddess Sita’s footprint is there in the temple premises. Beliefs say that the footprint got imprinted on the floor during the time Ravana was taking Sita to Lanka.
Legends of Lepakshi Temple
This footprint is considered to be of Devi Sita’s from the time Ravana was abducting her.

Poojas and Rituals performed at the Lepakshi Temple

Abhishek TimingsFrom
Morning7:00 AM – 7:30 AM

At first, the puja of the Shivalinga takes place. Henceforth Lord Veerabhadra is worshipped. In the morning, the lord appears in Bala rupa (youth). And turns to a hero in a moustache by the evening.

Devotees perform Abhishek to Lord and Mother and offer clothes. Offerings in form of the sweet pudding – Sarkarai Pongal Nivedhana is also made. As in Lord Vishnu temples, here too Sadari blessing with the lotus feet of the Lord is offered to devotees. Betel leaf is given as prasad in the temple.

Lepakshi Temple History

The history of Lepakshi Temple dates back to 1530-40. The Virupanna and Viranna brothers did the construction of the temple. The two brothers were in the service of Vijayanagar Kings. At that time Vijayanagar was King Achutarya’s kingdom.

But according to the Puranic story, Lepakshi Temple was built by the sage Agastya. Moreover, Skanda Purana states that this temple is one of the important pilgrimage sites of Lord Shiva known as divyakshetras.

Legends associated with Lepakshi Temple

  • The origin of Verbhadra is an interesting mythological tale. According to the tale, it was Sati’s suicide that enraged Shiva to cut off a lock of his hair. And from this lock of his hair, Demon God Veerbhadra and Goddess Kali were born.
  • Virupanna constructed the Lepakshi temple using the resources from the state treasury. After knowing this, King Achutarya got angry with him and decided to punish Virupanna. Hence, he ordered to blind Virupanna. And on hearing this Virupanna blinded himself there and then.
  • The temple has different panels of paintings depicting different stories. One of the panels narrates the tale of Shiva’s marriage. Parvati is shown seated on the raised seat alongside six maidens.
  • The paintings of this temple were first noticed by A H Longhurstin 1912-13 but lack of attention and leakage resulted in deterioration of these artforms.
  • Rumours are that a lot was later done to the temple during Vijayanagar reigns. However, there are no significant records for it. But we do have a lot of other temples built around the shrine of Veerbhadra.
  • Also, the presence of the Uddana Veerabhadra Temple in Hampi provides evidence that claims that during Vijayanagar days the people of Hampi worshipped the Gods in their ferocious forms as well. In fact, the ruins of Hampi points towards the existence of this cult.

Rules to follow in Lepakshi Temple

  • While visiting the Lepakshi temple, do not forget to wear decent clothes. And do not carry leather bags or belts, etc. However, temple authorities permit photography inside this temple so one must carry their camera.
  • Moreover, one should choose to wear a traditional piece of clothing to the temple. Temple authorities prohibit clothing items like jeans, t-shirts, shorts and skirts etc in the temple premises.

Festivals celebrated at Lepakshi Temple

  • The month of February calls for a 10 day-long celebration in the premises of Lepakshi temple. This festival also includes the car festival. During the festival, pilgrims flock in huge numbers to the temple.
  • Mahashivratri– On this occasion dedicated to Lord Shiva, the temple organises a huge fair. The fair invites traders of sweetmeats, clothes, bangles, toys and bamboo articles. Also, the trading of domestic animals like goats, cows etc take place in the temple fair. Moreover, a lot of villagers arrive on this day to redeem their vows.
  • Durgamma Festival– This is a four-day-long festival that falls in the Bhadrapada month of Hindu Calendar. On this day devotees draw water from Majira river for worshipping. Moreover, a lot of other sacrifices also take place during the time. Temple authorities organise a fair on this day.
  • Masi Brahmmotsavam falling in the months of February-March and Tirukarthikai falling in November-December are some of the other festivals that call for celebration in the Lepakshi temple.

How to reach Lepakshi Temple – Road, Rail and Air

  • Train– Hindupur railway station is the nearest railways station to Lepakshi. It is located about 12 km away from the temple.
  • Road– Lepakshi has good road connectivity via Hindupur. Many private and government buses connect Hindupur to the rest of India. Also, one can hire a taxi service to reach their destination.
  • Air– Sri Sathya Sai Airport, Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh is the nearest to the temple. It is 58 km away from the Lepakshi temple.

Hotels near Lepakshi Temple – Where to stay

Lepakshi temple does not have any guesthouse available. However, there are some good hotels nearby it –

  • AP Tourism Hotel near Nandi– This place is very affordable. Also, this hotel accepts bookings one day in advance too. Moreover, one must carry a confirmation voucher of the same along with a valid ID proof.
  • Hotel Bheema– This place is another stay near the temple. It is a blend of all the modern amenities and is very budget-friendly.
  • SRS Regency Hotel– This hotel is a complete divinity for the travellers. One can have all the modern amenities here. This place is also quite near to the temple and is pocket-friendly.

Where to eat?

There are several hotels around the temple that offer tasty and mouth-watering dishes. The South Indian food prepared here has an unbeatable taste. Tourists can get both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food near the temple. Other cuisines one can find here include North Indian and other modern varieties. The nearby restaurants that are worth visiting include Annapoorna and Ghuma Ghumalu Restaurant.

Nearby Temples

  • Lepakshi Nandi: There is a monolithic sculpture of Shiva’s bull Nandi on the main road of Lepakshi which is approximately 550 m from the temple. The sculpture faces the shiva linga that a large serpent is shielding.
  • Sri Veerabhadra Swamy Temple: Sri Veerabhadra Swamy came to life with an aim to demolish Dakshyagna. After doing so, Dakshyagna was redone successfully. However, even after the completion of yagna, Sri Veerabhadra Swamy lived in anger and was burning in fire caused by the Yoga Sakthi of Sati. Hence, other saints and devotees of Veerbhadra Swamy went to Vaikunta to request Lord Vishnu to pacify Veera Bhadra Swamy. This temple is 48 Km from Kadapa.
  • Bayalu Veerabhadra Swamy: Bayalu Veerabhadra Swami Temple idol is there is a temple facing north. Beliefs say that it guards the Lord Mallikarjuna Swami. He is the kshetrapalaka of Srisailam. He has no roof above him. Hence, it goes by the name Bayalu Veerabhadra Swamy.
  • Sri Bhadrakali Sametha Veereswara Swamy Devasthanam: In this temple, the Goddess Bhadrakali is present on the same platform, in order to pacify Veerabhadra Swamy. Pujaris perform Nithyakalyanam here to Veereswara Swamy and Sri Bhadrakali.
  • Sri Agora Veerabhadra Swamy Temple: A goat’s head was put on Dhakshan after Sri Veerabhadra cut his off. Beliefs are that Dhakshan lost to Sri Veerabhadra at this place. Sri Veerabhadra faces north, holding many weapons. Goddess Kaali is present just outside the sanctum, facing east. This temple attracts lots of devotees during new moon days and full moon days. Beliefs are that it cures people with mental illness.

If you have any questions about Lepakshi Temple, please leave a comment below, and we will get back to you within one hour.

About Sasidhar Darla

Sasidhar Darla is Myoksha Travel's Founder. He is passionate about traveling to temples and preparing travel guides to help other pilgrims.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. C Manohar Nayak says

    July 23, 2024 at 12:25 pm

    Is Prewedding photoshoot allowed in the temple, do i need to take any permission, i yes can you please help with the process to get the perission

    Reply
  2. CHENNAYYA S MATHAD says

    October 2, 2023 at 8:14 am

    Is this Lepakshi temple on hill? Is there any hill to climb up to reach temple or vehicle can go up to temple..

    Reply
  3. T.sridaran says

    May 12, 2023 at 7:47 pm

    Does nandi abhisekam done at lepakshi on thriodasi. Please send me reply. If so how much to be paid and time

    Reply
  4. T.sridaran says

    March 27, 2023 at 9:39 pm

    Does nandi abhisekam being performed on thriodasi at this temple. If so please inform details. My phone is 9885703758

    Reply
  5. Raghavendra says

    October 27, 2021 at 2:19 pm

    Hello Sashidhar,
    Thanks for the elaborate article.But one query.Does this temple visit require lot of walking to each place and is it easy for elderly to cover this without straining.
    Thank you and regards
    R k Bhat

    Reply
  6. Vimala says

    October 24, 2021 at 9:31 pm

    Is their sny package trips is availabel to lepakshi

    Reply
  7. Kubs says

    October 14, 2021 at 5:16 pm

    Tommarow is open tempal

    Reply
  8. Sailee says

    October 13, 2021 at 6:18 pm

    Is leepakshi temple open . Asking due to pandemic any restrictions?

    Reply
  9. Kislay says

    September 10, 2021 at 10:58 am

    Is Lepakshi temple open for visitors in weekend? My family wants to visit the main temple on Sep 11th 2021 (Saturday) and we wanted to know if there is any weekend curfew or any other restrictions for outside visitors. We are coming from Bangalore.

    Reply
  10. Saravanan says

    September 9, 2021 at 9:03 pm

    Whether it is open on Saturday and Sunday?and if there, what is the time to do darshan

    Reply
  11. Pancham Anand says

    September 7, 2021 at 10:16 pm

    Is the Lepakshi temple opened for public these days? We are planning to visit on 10th and 11th September. Can we go there?

    Reply
  12. Ramesha s says

    September 5, 2021 at 7:41 am

    Sir today temple is open or closed

    Reply
  13. Reddeppa says

    September 3, 2021 at 3:54 pm

    Is the temple open on 4th September ?

    Reply
  14. Rekha says

    August 27, 2021 at 2:54 pm

    Our family is planning to visit temple on 29 August 2021 Sunday
    Is temple open

    Reply
  15. Rekha says

    August 27, 2021 at 2:52 pm

    Is it open on 29th August 2021

    Reply
  16. DR. SHIVARAM HV says

    August 24, 2021 at 2:09 pm

    Is it open on this Sunday 29 August 21 ?
    Any COVID restrictions?

    Reply
  17. Dinesh says

    August 3, 2021 at 3:41 pm

    Is it open tommorow 4th Aug 2021..

    Reply
    • Nagaraj says

      August 14, 2021 at 9:49 pm

      Tomarrow Darshanam is available?

      Reply
  18. Dr Khamitkar says

    July 23, 2021 at 9:22 am

    Our family is planning to visit Lepakshi temple tomorrow, Saturday 24th July 2021.
    Is temple open ?

    Reply
  19. Rajesh says

    July 13, 2021 at 1:41 pm

    Hi Sir, I m Rajesh from TamilNadu. and I like to know the availability to visit this Temple now due to pandemic covid-19.

    Reply
  20. Chaitanya Kulkarni says

    March 10, 2021 at 12:36 pm

    Planning to come with old parents for Veerbhadra Swamy’s Darshan on 13th March, but want to avoid crowd due to Covid. Will the place be crowded?

    Reply
  21. Vibha Joshi says

    February 22, 2021 at 10:35 am

    Request the following info,
    When is the february fesitval in 2021. The exact dates please. Are guides available at the site who can tell more about the history and art.

    Reply
  22. Manoj says

    January 25, 2021 at 8:13 pm

    Is open 2moro????

    Reply
  23. Prakash says

    January 25, 2021 at 8:10 am

    Sir covid resulet yes r no

    Reply
  24. D B A Narayana says

    December 19, 2020 at 10:18 am

    Whether tourists are allowed to visit Lepakshi and have varsham of Lord Veerabhadraswamy temple in these Corona period

    Reply
  25. Ranganathan says

    November 15, 2020 at 9:48 am

    How to book sevas
    Whether we can light diyas

    Reply
  26. Kranthi Gandi says

    September 24, 2020 at 5:57 am

    Is temple is open on 1/10/2020

    Reply
  27. Deep says

    August 22, 2020 at 2:48 pm

    Dear team,

    Is temple open for tourists tomorrow? Can u please say the timings also

    Reply
  28. rishabh bansal says

    July 30, 2020 at 11:33 am

    is Lepakshi temple open for tourists to visit this weekend. If yes whatare the timings?

    Reply
  29. Murali says

    May 5, 2020 at 7:46 am

    Is temple open due to Covid issues

    Reply
  30. Renuka says

    March 22, 2020 at 9:52 pm

    Hi sir wanted to know lepakshi veerabardra swami temple are open tomorrow or not

    Reply
  31. Ramanath says

    March 14, 2020 at 7:39 pm

    Hi Sir,
    Wanted to know if Lepakshi Veerabhadra and surrounding temples are open tomorrow or not.

    Reply
  32. Kavitha Kumaravelu says

    March 6, 2020 at 12:19 pm

    Good day Sir / Madam,
    First thanks for your detailed explanation of temple. We are planning to go to Lepakshe temple from Bangalore. Would like to know is there any good hotel on the way to have breakfast before reaching to Lepakshi. Second is some of the friends are telling temple timings are 10.30 am to 6 pm. Please clarify it. Last one is about clothes, is it allowable to wear Chudidars, Kurtas and Lehenga.

    Please give your valuable information on this.Since we are planning to go tomorrow i.e,7th March 2020.
    Just now I found your blog which is highly appreciable.

    Thanks in advance.

    Reply
  33. MANKUMOOTI Hari says

    December 21, 2019 at 3:51 pm

    Hi we are from chittoor district Madanapalli. We are planning to do my daughter naming ceremony in lepakshi temple is there any possibility to doing there

    Reply
  34. venkata surya markandeyan says

    November 27, 2019 at 10:10 pm

    We are planning to travel on 25th December from Chennai to lepakshi, to visit the temple on 26th December however we came to know that the solar eclipse is on that day.my question is from which time the temple will be closed for the rituals so that we can plan the visit accordingly.
    Can you help?

    Reply
  35. Ambika. A says

    November 5, 2019 at 8:29 pm

    Thank you so much for the Valuable information..
    It has helped me a lot..
    For a perfect landmark destination for our Wedding Anniversary..

    Reply
    • Sasidhar Darla says

      November 13, 2019 at 4:53 pm

      That’s great to know. Happy wedding.

      Reply
  36. Amit Nandurkar says

    August 9, 2019 at 7:31 pm

    Sir,
    Do you have information about Veerbhadraswamy temple trust?

    Reply
  37. KUSUM CHUGH says

    January 24, 2019 at 3:22 pm

    My group coming soon

    Reply
  38. LOGANATHAN V says

    June 15, 2018 at 6:11 pm

    Really superb information about the temple. Thanks a lot and very kind of you.

    Reply
  39. Balaji Revanth says

    May 31, 2017 at 4:22 pm

    Yeah it is very useful

    Reply

Contact Us

Contact Us

  • info@myoksha.com
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Make a Payment

Terms & Policy

  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Pricing Policy
  • Cancellation Policy

Copyright © 2025 Myoksha Travels

  • info@myoksha.com
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Make a Payment