Lepakshi: Information & Tips

      For stories from my Lepakshi trip, read this blog 
      For my story published in the English newspaper Deccan Herald's 'Sunday Herald', read this

Travelled in: August 2011
 
The drive from Bangalore:

•  Lepakshi is 130 kms from my home in South Bangalore; deduct about 10 kms if driving from North Bangalore.  
• There are 2 routes to drive there. I drove along this: New airport road-Devanahalli-Chikballapur-Bagepalli-Lepakshi. Basically, drive on NH-7 (new airport road) till you hit the toll booth at the Andhra border. Do not take any of the exits to either Chikballapur or Bagepalli. After the toll gate, watch out for Raxa Academy to your left. At the following circle, take the small road to your left (leading towards Hindupur). A couple of kms down this narrow road, you will come across a statue of 2 cranes to your left. Continue driving straight…Lepakshi is 15 kms from the NH turn-off.  
• An acquaintance drove via the other, slightly shorter route: Bangalore-Hebbal-Yelahanka-Doddaballapur-Gauribidanoor-Lepakshi. But the road, apparently, was quite bad & they too drove on NH7 while heading back home.  
• Driving time: exactly 2.5 hrs, averaging 90 kmph. The last 15 kms is narrow & un-tarred & your speed drops to 50-60 there. Add extra time for any breaks that you might take.  

Breaks & Food:

• There’re no restaurants or bathroom-break stops on NH-7. There’s a Kamat about 7 kms before Chikballapur, when you drive from Bangalore. It’s rather small & the food’s not as great as the other Kamat’s. Or maybe,  I just caught them on a bad day. The saving grace was another restaurant, Nandini Deluxe, right next door…much better food. Both have bathrooms. Or, you have to get into Chikballapur town, a detour off NH7, for more food options.  
• There’re no eateries at Lepakshi. Time your trip so that you can come back to Kamat’s / Nandini for lunch or carry packed food with you. I packed food from Nandini & ate it at Lepakshi (you can pull over under a shady tree once you get off the NH, on certain wide stretches of the road). However, you can buy water / cold beverages / Ice creams / packed munchies from shops near the temple.

At Lepakshi:

• I spent 4 hours at the Veerabhadraswamy temple & the Nandi. That’s because I tend to linger. Most people can easily cover both these places in 2 hours.  
• Get a guide to tell you about the temple. Apparently, there’s only 1 guide: Virupanna. He’s really busy on holidays & you may have to wait your turn. He can speak Kannada & Telugu & very very basic Hindi. I did see some other people guiding visitors around but don’t think they were guides. Virupanna was good. There are no fixed charges…pay what you feel or check with him.  
• The temple was open for darshan when we went, at 2 pm (unlike some that shut in the afternoon).  
• You have to leave your footwear outside the temple premises or in your car. There are no ‘official stalls’. Just leave them outside the temple or at one of the shops outside the temple.
• The temple celebrates festivals from time to time. Shivaratri & Ugadi are apparently celebrated on a grand scale here.  
• A useful website: lepakshitemple.com  
• You will come across the Nandi as you enter Lepakshi town, to your right. Step away from the Nandi & gaze towards the direction of the temple: you can actually see the Naga linga that is there in the temple.