Lepakshi Temple – Part 12: Sculptures Beyond the Mandapas: Exploring the Outer Prakara

While the inner mandapas of Lepakshi temple captivate with their pillars and paintings, the outer prakara holds its own quiet grandeur, revealing a series of monumental sculptures and enigmatic carvings etched directly onto the surrounding rock surfaces. These works, scattered around the complex, form a powerful visual chapter in the Lepakshi narrative.

The Rock-Cut Ganesha

Carved directly against the rock face, a massive seated Ganesha dominates a niche along the western side. This rock-cut murti is not only impressive in size but also in its intimate detail. Ganesha is portrayed in a four-armed form, seated in lalitasana, with the left leg folded and the right hanging loosely. He holds the usual attributes, a pasha, ankusha, broken tusk, modaka and rests his trunk gently in a relaxed arc. A small mouse, his traditional vahana, is carved in front, crouched on a pedestal that runs along the base. The sculpture radiates volume, softness, and a sense of gentle benevolence, enhanced by the natural curvature of the enclosing rock canopy.

Lepakshi - Ganesha

Nagalinga – The Icon of Lepakshi

Arguably the most iconic image of Lepakshi, the monolithic Nagalinga stands just a few paces away. This colossal sculpture features a finely polished Shiva Linga framed by the coils and multi-hooded canopy of a seven-headed Naga (serpent). The serpent's hoods curve protectively above, fanning out with symmetrical elegance, each head marked with a subtle relief. The coiled body forms a circular base with a diamond-checkered pattern that represents snake scales. The entire sculpture is monolithic, carved from a single granite boulder and rises over 12 feet in height. It is believed that a small shrine to Parvati was once carved nearby but was later lost or never completed.

This sculpture is not only a feat of scale and craftsmanship but also a potent representation of Shiva’s cosmic energy, unified with the serpent motif, symbolising protection, energy, and eternity.

Lepakshi Nagalinga Swami

The Miniature Shrine with Linga

Nearby stands a small pavilion, raised on a simple four-pillared base, sheltering a Shiva Linga. The entire platform, including the pillar capitals and roof slab, is carved from stone, and the Linga rests on a circular yoni-pitha. Though modest in scale compared to the Nagalinga, this shrine is symbolically rich and may have functioned as a secondary worship space or an outdoor altar used during specific rituals or processions.

Lepakshi Shiva Linga

The Giant Footprint

One of the most curious features in the outer prakara is a giant footprint carved into the bedrock, permanently filled with water. Local tradition offers an interpretation: some believe it to be the divine imprint of Hanuman's foot, given its orientation and size. It is venerated, and offerings are still placed nearby. The simplicity of its form contrasts with the elaborateness of nearby sculptures, yet it holds profound emotional and spiritual weight for visitors.

Lepakshi Hanuman Footprint

Narrative Panel on the Boulder

This triadic rock relief, carved onto a large granite boulder in the outer precincts of the Lepakshi temple, presents a powerful tableau of devotion to Shiva through three distinct mythological episodes, each drawn from sacred lore and depicted with sculptural clarity.

On the left, the panel illustrates the legend of Karkadeswarar. A crab (karkada) is shown worshiping a Shiva Linga. As the story from Tamil Nadu goes, a crab would secretly collect lotus blooms and offer them to Shiva daily. When Indra, whose moat provided these prized lotuses, discovered the crab’s actions, he struck the Linga in anger. The crab took refuge in a hole on the Linga’s crown. Shiva, moved by the crab’s devotion, absorbed the blow, leaving a scar on the Linga, thus earning the name Karkadeswarar. This rare legend is beautifully rendered in stone, with the crab visibly near the Linga and the divine tension between offering and intervention subtly expressed.
In the centre, the focus shifts to the famed Kannappa Nayanar, the hunter-saint known for his unparalleled devotion to Shiva. The sculpture captures the poignant moment of Kannappa seated before the Linga, about to perform his ultimate act of sacrifice. With arms extended and posture set in motion, he appears poised to offer his eye, a moment drawn from the legend where he replaces the bleeding eye of the Shiva Linga with his own, without hesitation or ritual. His rugged form and intense expression contrast sharply with the serenity of the Linga, marking this as a powerful visual of bhakti beyond orthodoxy.
On the right, the scene reflects the Jambukeswara legend. Here, an elephant is shown in a gesture of ritual worship, offering flowers to a Shiva Linga placed within an arched shrine. According to the traditional lore from Tiruvanaikaval, an elephant and a spider would both worship the same Linga, the elephant by bathing and garlanding it with flowers, the spider by spinning a web to shield it. The panel at Lepakshi seems to isolate the elephant’s act of veneration, sculpted with reverence and movement, celebrating the instinctive devotion of beings beyond the human realm.

Together, these three reliefs speak of Shiva’s universal accessibility, whether to a crab, a hunter, or an elephant and celebrate a spiritual truth echoed across traditions: true devotion transcends form, ritual, and even species.

Lepakshi Linga Panel

The Sapta Matrikas Panel near the Nagalinga

Adjacent to the massive Nagalinga sculpture lies a beautifully carved panel depicting the Sapta Matrikas, a motif frequently seen in Shaiva temples. Though the stone is worn, the divine forms are clearly distinguishable, seated in a rowed posture, each crowned and richly ornamented.

From left to right, the figures are shown in graceful stances, each holding attributes in their hands, though some of the detailing is faint due to erosion. They are Brahmi, Maheshvari, Kaumari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, Indrani, and Chamundi.

Lepakshi Sapta Matas

The Hanuman Stambha in the Outer Courtyard

Rising from the raised platform within the outer prakara, a striking freestanding sculpture of Hanuman is enshrined under a tall four-pillared mandapa capped by a miniature vimana. The figure is carved in high relief on a monolithic slab, positioned upright and encased in a rectangular niche.

Hanuman is shown with one leg forward and the other stretched behind, conveying motion and readiness. His raised right hand holds the Sanjeevani hill, while the left rests near his waist, accentuating the heroic profile. The detailing of his tail curling behind, the muscular build, and the subtle movement in the torso lend the sculpture both dynamism and grace.

This dedicated pavilion and the prominent placement of the Hanuman relief near the temple’s edge highlight the devotional importance of Hanuman in the Vijayanagara era, often associated with protection, strength, and unwavering service to Shiva and Vishnu alike.

Lepakshi Hanuman

The sculptures along the outer prakara at Lepakshi extend the sacred geography of the temple beyond its constructed mandapas and shrines. Here, rock becomes shrine, earth becomes canvas, and myth finds shape in open air. These carvings, whether colossal, symbolic, or quietly devotional, serve as vital counterpoints to the temple’s more formal architectural spaces.

Happy travelling.

This is the part 11 of my series on Lepakshi Temple. You can read the previous part from the below link:

Part 1 - Lepakshi Temple

Part 2 - Layout of Lepakshi Temple

Part 3 - The Presiding Deity Veerabhadra

Part 4 - The Other Shrines and Deities

Part 5 - The Ceiling Paintings of Veerabhadra's Ardha Mandapa

Part 6 - Murals Beyond the Ardha Mandapa

Part 7 - Paintings of the Natya Mandapa

Part 8 - Ardha Mandapa

Part 9 - The Sculptures of Natya Mandapa

Part 10 - The Hanging Pillars

Part 11 - The Kalyana Mandapa