Huge serpent coiled ShivaLinga at lepakshi!

Huge serpent coiled ShivaLinga at lepakshi!
Lepakshi is a village in the Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located approximately 120 km north of Bangalore. Lepakshi is culturally and archaeologically significant as it is the location of shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva, Shri Vishnu and Veerabhadra which were built during the Vijayanagara Kings' period (1336–1646). The temples are the location of mural paintings of the Vijayanagara kings and Kannada inscriptions. Near the temple complex is a large granite Nandi bull, mount of Shiva, which is carved from a single block of stone, which is said to be one of the largest of its type in the world. On a hillock known as Kurma Saila, "tortoise shaped hill", are other temples to Papanatheswara, Raghunatha, Srirama, and Durga.

According to Skanda Purana, Veerbhadra Temple is one of the divyakshetras, an important pilgrimage site of Lord Shiva. The temple is of the Vijayanagara architectural style. The main temple is laid out in three parts. The fresco in the ceiling of ardha mantapa (ante chamber), which is said to be Asia's largest. It has frescoes of the 14 avatars of Lord Shiva as: Yogadakshinamurthy, Chandes Anugraha Murthy, Bhikshatana, Harihara, Ardhanarishwara, Kalyanasundara, Tripurantaka, Nataraja, Gouriprasadaka, Lingodhbava, Andhakasurasmahara and so forth.

The presiding deity deified in the sanctum sanctorum is a near life-size image of Veerabhadra, fully armed and decorated with skulls. There is a cave chamber in the sanctum where sage Agasthya is said to have lived when he installed the image of the Linga here. Within the temple complex, on the eastern wing, there is a separate chamber with Shiva and his consort Parvati carved on a boulder. In another shrine chamber there is an image of Lord Vishnu.

Within the temple precincts, to its eastern side, there is huge boulder of granite stone which has carving of coiled multi-hooded serpent providing an umbrella cover over a Linga.

A huge granite Nandi (bull), 20 feet in height and 30 feet in length, bedecked with garlands and bells, carved out of a single block stone, is located about 200 metres from the temple, which faces the statue of the serpent in the precincts of the temple. ✨🐍👁🐍🕉🌀🙏

Jai Shri Vishnu ~ Om Namah Shivaya ~ Jai Shri Veerbhadraya Namah 🕉✨🙏