Lepakshi Tourism And Travel Guide

Lepakshi is one of the villages in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. It is closely located 14 km to the east of the famous Hindupur city and some 115 km from Bengaluru. Lepakshi is a village that has several dedications in the form of temples to Lord Shiva, Vishnu, and Veerbhadra. So this village is again a primarily devotional site which you should visit at least once in your lifetime. Not only the temples are religiously significant, but they also have beautiful architecture. There's also a history behind the construction of these temples and some unfolded mysteries. Think you can solve them? Be here and give it a try. Before that, read through the travel guide to learn more about the place and its tourism.

Lepakshi, one of the most mysterious places in Andhra doesn't enjoy the luxuries that cities such as Vizag and Vijayawada enjoy. There isn't any railway station or an airport to connect you directly with Lepkashi from different cities in India. Despite that, trains remain the most convenient way to reach Lepakshi whereas airways are the fastest and the most expensive ways to get here. Continue to read the article to understand the available options.

By Rail:

As said above, Lepakshi doesn't have a dedicated railway station. So you will have to get down at the nearest railway station which is at Hindupur. And Hindupur is well connected with Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and other major cities in India. To reach Lepkashi from Hindupur, you can either take a rickshaw, a cab, or a bus from the railway station and reach the hotel that you have booked.

By Road:

Roads are one of the best ways to reach Lepakshi. Lepakshi enjoys good connectivity with other cities in Andhra and India through roadways. So it is quite convenient to reach Lepakshi from Chennai, Vizag, Bengaluru and other major cities in Andhra. You can choose between the privately-managed and state-owned buses depending upon your city you're starting from. AC, non-AC, Delux, Sleeper, Semi-sleeper buses are available for your perusal. As Lepakshi is pretty close to Bengaluru, a lot of people prefer self-drive from Bengaluru to Lepakshi and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way.

By Air:

The nearest airport to Lepakshi is the Bengaluru International Airport which is 100 km away from Bengaluru. At the airport, there are many options available to help you reach Lepakshi. You can either take a cab, or a bus and reach your destination. Many air service providers such as Air India, GoAir, Indigo, and so on run regular flights between Bengaluru and Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, and others.

Getting Around:

Lepakshi has several places of interest for visitors and to get there, you have quite a few options. As Lepakshi is a village public transport is not extremely well-developed. You can use either a local bus or a private auto-rickshaw to move from one place to another. If you are staying in or around Hindupur, you can book a private cab easily and enjoy the whole day of fabulous sightseeing without worrying about transport. So choose the options that best suit your requirement and you're comfortable with. And yes, negotiate and confirm the price before you get into one of those private vehicles.

Lepakshi falls into the category of the most pleasant places in Andhra Pradesh. The weather here for the most part of the year is quite favorable for sightseeing except for a couple of months when the weather conditions are extremely annoying for visitors and locals. Lepakshi has three major seasons like any other place in India. They are summer, monsoon, and winters. And the most favorable time to visit Lepakshi is the winter season. So let's discuss these seasons in detail.

Summer (March - June):

The summer season is considered to be the toughest season in India. The weather conditions can get extremely difficult sometimes. However, Lepakshi is quite different. The summer season starts from March and remains active till most of June. March and April are still better but May and June can be a bit difficult at times here. So if you are visiting Lepakshi in the summer season, ensure to carry light cotton clothes. The max temperature in summer can go as high as 35 °C with a minimum of 22 °C.

Monsoon (July - October):

The beginning of the showers by the end of June marks the end of the summer season in Lepakshi. The showers help in reducing the temperature and humidity. By the time August arrives, the monsoon takes complete control of the weather and it rains quite heavily this month. So avoid traveling in August to Lepakshi or best, check the weather forecast before planning your trip. The season ends at the start of October.

Winter (November - February):

The end of monsoon marks the beginning of the most pleasant time of the year, the winter season. These perfect weather conditions begin from the start of November and remain active by the end of February and early March. These are your best opportunities to enjoy the best part of Lepakshi without any issues related to the weather. The magnificent conditions enhance the beauty of the places that you plan to visit during your trip to Lepakshi.

A trip to the beautiful village of Lepakshi can be one of your best trips in Andhra Pradesh. This historical place has a lot of things in store for visitors. Some of the places can even surprise you and will blow your mind when you learn more about them. So let's discuss some of the popular things to do in Lepakshi.

Admire the Grandeur of Lepakshi Temple:

At a walking distance of 400 m from Lepakshi bus stand lies one of the finest architectures that was built during the Vijayanagara Empire. It's also known by the name Veerbhadra Temple and is famous for its majestic archaeological & sculptural beauty created by the engineers of the great Vijayanagara Empire. This temple is a dedication to the incarnation of Lord Shiva, Lord Veerabhadra. It has a shape of a tortoise and was built on a low altitude hillock. The most incredible feature of the temple is the hanging pillar that remains suspended a few inches above the floor. See for yourself.

Visit the Second-largest Monolithic Structure:

At just about half a km from Lepakshi Bus Stand, you come across the second-largest monolithic structure in India The Nandi Lepakshi is yet another brilliant attractions of this small village that's well-promoted by the AP tourism. It was built when the Veerbhadra temple was built by the Vijayanagara Empire. The idol of Nandi is made out of a single granite and has a 20 feet height and 30 feet length and the structure looks simply mind-blowing.

Enjoy Your Time at Lepakshi Jataayu Park:

It's believed that one of the important figures from the Epic Ramayana, Jataayu fell down here and people asked Lakshmi to get up. So in remembrance of that, a huge statue of Jataayu has been constructed over a small hill. But now this has been converted into a park and people can enjoy it here. The bird-eye view from the top gives a fabulous look of the entire region. The park has a nice green garden and a decent walking path.

Take a Heritage Walk at Kalyana Mandapa:

At about 400 m from the Lepkashi city center, Kalyana Mandapa is situated inside the complex of the Veerabhadra Temple or the Lepakshi Temple. This mandapa showcases a comprehensive artistic work that is quite similar to the mukha-mandapa (the primary mandapa) of Lepakshi Temple. It was built to perform the Kalyana ceremony for Parvathi & Lord Shiva during the annual festivals of the temple. It has amazing carvings depicting several saints and gods (Kubera, Varuna, Viswamita, Devendra, Brihaspathy, Yama, Vayu, and others).

South India is one of the best states with regard to cuisine and delicacies. The place is very famous for the typical spices that are available in different cities and villages of Andhra Pradesh. On those lines, food options in Lepakshi mostly revolve around the spicy and typical South Indian food such as Idli, Wada, Dosa, Sambar, and the special chutney. 

Along with these, you also get other categories of food which include Moghlai, Chinese, and some international cuisines. Street food can also be tried some of them are pretty hygienic and offer good taste. You'll get more eating options in Hindupur which is 14 km from Lepakshi. Some of the famous eating joints include Hari Hotel, Haritha AP Tourism Restaurant, Nandini Restaurant, Vignesh Restaurant, and so on.