The Sri Veerabhadra Swamy temple and the Monolithic Bull (Nandi) at Lepakshi in Anantapur district known for the Vijayanagara sculpture and painting art tradition, have found a place on the tentative list of the World Heritage Committee and the same was published on the U nesco World Heritage Convention website.
This is one among the two entries from the Telugu States, which includes the Qutb Shahi monuments of Hyderabad the Golconda Fort, Qutb Shahi Tombs and Charminar. The website said the entry was submitted by the State through the Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO on February 17 this year under the cultural category. The entry has been given reference No. 6607.
U nesco as a disclaimer has said that the publication of the Tentative List does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the World Heritage Committee, the World Heritage Centre, or the Secretariat of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its boundaries. It has given the geographical coordinates for the two locations in the listing. The mural paintings on the ceiling of the Lepakshi temple are unique striking features of the heritage site.
The Sri Veerabhadra Swamy temple, also known as the Lepakshi temple is dedicated to Veerabhadra (the fiery incarnation of Lord Shiva). From the inscriptions engraved on the prakara walls of the temple, the village is alternatively called as Lepaksha, Lepakshi and Lepakshipura. The literal meaning of the word is Lepa + Akshi, an embalmed eye or a painted eye. Due to several stories signifying the meaning of the name of the village, it is difficult to understand its origin, the entry said.
The All India Panchayat Parishad chairman Jasti Veeranjaneyulu had written to the Archaeological Survey of India asking it to process the submission of Lepakshi as an entry for getting the U nesco Heritage Site tag way back in March 2017.
The legend
The significance of the place dates back to the Indian epic Ramayana. It is believed that the bird Jatayu, wounded by the king of Lanka Ravana, fell here after a battle against the king who was carrying away Sita, the wife of Rama, the king of Ayodhya. When Rama reached the spot, he saw the bird and said compassionately to him, “ Le Pakshi” — meaning “arise, bird” in Telugu.
Nandi is a gigantic bull sculpture carved out of a huge granitic rock. This monolithic sculpture is a unique example of its kind. It faces west and is looking towards the Naga Linga located at Sri Veerabhadra temple. On the eastern face of a granite boulder in a second enclosure, is a basaltic S iva Linga canopied by a monolithic sculpture of seven-hooded Naga.
