Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
LEPAKSHI
While actually located in Andrha Pradesh, Lepakshi is most easily accessible from Bengaluru, and is the site of
the
Veerbhadra Temple
(admission free). The town gets its name from the Ramayana: when demon Ravana kid-
napped Rama's wife, Sita, the bird Jatayu fought him and fell, injured, at the temple site. Rama then called him to
get up; 'Lepakshi' derives from the Sanskrit for 'Get up, bird'.
Look for the 9m-long monolithic
Nandi
- India's largest - at the town's entrance. From here, you can see the
temple's
Naga-lingam
(a phallic representation of Shiva) crowned with a seven-headed cobra. The temple is
known for its unfinished
Kalyana Mandapam
(Marriage Hall), depicting the wedding of Parvati and Shiva, and
its
Natyamandapa
(Dance Hall), with carvings of dancing gods. The temple's most stunning features, though,
are the Natyamandapa's ceiling
frescoes
.
To get here from Bengaluru, take a Hindupur-bound bus (?70, 1½ hours) or train, from where it's a further
11km to the temple. A private car from Puttaparthi is ?1000.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Mysore
0821 / POP 887,500 / ELEV 707M
If you haven't been to Mysore, you just haven't seen South India. Conceited though it
may sound, this is not an overstatement. An ancient city with more than 600 glorious
years of legacy, Mysore is one of the most flamboyant places in India. Known for its glit-
tering royal heritage, bustling markets, magnificent monuments, cosmopolitan culture and
a friendly populace, it is also a thriving centre for the production of premium silk, sandal-
wood and incense. It also flaunts considerable expertise in yoga and ayurveda, two trades
it markets worldwide.
