Veerabhadra Temple Boasts 15 Avatars Of Lord Shiva: Know Its Connection To The Ramayana

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Veerabhadra Temple in Lepakshi during his Andhra Pradesh tour today and did the aarti. PM Modi offered prayers at the revered shrine just six days before the Pran Pratishtha of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. The temple at Lepakshi holds a lot of importance. Let us find out more about the Veerabhadra Temple.

The history and significance of the temple

The presiding deity of the temple is Veerabhadra, a raudra or fearsome form of Shiva. The story behind this form of Shiva is entrenched in history. Daksha insulted his daughter Sati and her husband Shiva at a grand sacrifice he had organised. Unable to bear the humiliation, Sati immolated herself. To avenge her, Shiva took the form of the wrathful Veerabhadra. There are also representations of at least 15 avatars of Shiva in this temple.

Architecture of Veerbhadra Temple

The central portion of the roof has a mural of Lord Veerabhadra, Ranked by the builders of the temple Virupanna and Viranna. Measuring 23 ft 13 ft, it is probably the largest mural in Asia. The hanging pillar in the temple is very famous and you can pass a newspaper from underneath the pillar to make sure that it is not joined to the ground. A gigantic statue of Nandi, known as Basavanna, is located about 200 mts away from the temple.

Connection with Ramayana

The tale of Jatayu is very popular and that is where the city of Lepakshi is believed to have gotten its name from. According to Ramayana, Jatayu had fought valiantly against Ravana to save Mata Sita from him, but he was not successful. However, he managed to inform Lord Ram about Her whereabouts. He fell to the ground after being injured, so out of compassion, Lord Ram uttered the words Le Pakshi, which means rise bird in Telugu.