Lepakshi Temple – Part 9: Sculptural Splendour of the Mukha Mandapa
After exploring the ceiling murals, painted corridors and sculpted legends of the Ardha Mandapa, the next phase of the journey through the Lepakshi Veerabhadra Temple leads into the Mukha Mandapa, a space where stone comes alive in rhythm, grace, and divinity. This hall not only connects the outer structures to the inner sanctum, but also serves as a stage where divine episodes, mythological characters and architectural marvels converge in breathtaking stonework.
A Forest of Pillars and Stories
The Mukha Mandapa is supported by an impressive arrangement of around 70 monolithic pillars, each standing approximately 15 feet tall. The entrance is located on the northern side, leading visitors into a forest of exquisitely carved columns, many of which are elevated on ornate pedestals and designed in varied formats: those with Vyala brackets and a few with dual Vyala brackets set at right angles. Several pillars feature large sculptural figures emerging from the shafts, while others are adorned with miniature iconographic bands and bracket figures.
One of the most iconic features of this mandapa is the "hanging pillar", which appears to hover just a centimeter above the ground. Legend holds that during the British era, an engineer attempted to investigate its structural mystery, causing a minor shift, but failing to decode its secret, a symbol of the sophisticated load-distribution systems employed by temple architects of that era. I will explore more about the hanging pillar in an upcoming article.
Sculptures of Deities, Dancers, and Legends
As one walks barefoot across the cool stone floor, flanked by the guardian figures of Ganga and Yamuna near the entrance to the sanctum, the mandapa unfolds as a gallery of high-relief sculptures, each around four feet tall, carved with remarkable precision.
There are a few pillars which are a single block of granite, set on neat stepped bases and carved so they read like mini temple towers. Their square shafts are shaped into small “storeys” and the faces carry little shrine frames and niches (some even pierced like lattice windows). The surfaces are hand-chiselled, so they have a fine, pecked texture rather than a smooth, turned finish. On top sits a flat block and the typical Vijayanagara bracket that locks into the stone beam above.
There are a few pillars with a tall, narrow mini-pillaret projecting along the face of the shaft running almost the full height and complete with its own tiny base and capital. It’s purely ornamental and a hallmark of Vijayanagara design.
And there are corner pillars with vyāla (yāli) brackets. From the capital, a simha-vyāla with a curled tail springs outward; a small rider sits astride it, one arm raised with a weapon, a classic Lepakshi motif. Below, a kneeling figure (bhāra-vahaka) shoulders the bracket. The pillar rests on a stepped base and finishes above with the standard Vijayanagara stepped corbel that locks into the stone beam. Together, the vyāla-and-rider above and the burden-bearer below turn a structural support into a lively sculptural tableau.
Among the most striking is the figure of Nataraja. Shiva appears four-armed, framed by a scalloped prabhāvali crowned with a kīrtimukha mask. His left leg is raised across the body, while the right leg presses down on Apasmara, the dwarf of ignorance shown squirming at the base. In his hands he holds the usual dance attributes, ḍamaru (drum) and agni (flame), with the remaining hands in expressive gestures that balance the pose. The figure is richly ornamented (crown, necklaces, armlets, waist-belt) and carved on a stepped granite shaft; above sits the typical Vijayanagara corbel tying into the stone beam. The whole composition turns the pillar into a self-contained shrine façade, with movement, rhythm, and iconography captured in stone.
Beside Nataraja stands the four-headed Brahmā holds an akṣamālā and kamaṇḍalu in his upper hands, while his lower hands play a pair of cymbals. On a nearby pillar, the six-headed Subramanya is depicted playing the mridangam. In another pillar, Adhikara Nandi is also shown keeping rhythm on a mridangam. Meanwhile, Tumburu Rishi, the horse-headed celestial sage is portrayed playing the veena.
On another pillar stands a beautifully sculpted female figure, possibly representing Ganga, the river goddess. She is depicted in a graceful tribhanga posture, with one leg slightly bent and the other resting on a makara, her traditional vahana. Her upper arms are elegantly lifted, one raised above the head in a delicate curve, while the other arm bends outward with poised fingers. The rhythmic flow in the posture of her arms and legs, combined with the elaborate ornamentation and serene expression, reflects the refined aesthetics of Vijayanagara craftsmanship. (There are other writers who identify her as Rambha.)
There is another fascinating sculpture in the hall, a dancing male figure rendered in such a dynamic posture that at first glance, it appears to have three legs. This visual illusion is the result of the sculptor’s exceptional ability to capture motion in stone. By overlapping one bent leg with another in mid-stride and projecting parts of the body forward in high relief, the artist conveys a sense of movement so vivid that the figure seems to step out of the pillar. The pose, full of energy and rhythm, stands as a testament to the mastery of three-dimensional composition in Vijayanagara art.
Many other sculptures in the mandapa depict figures playing musical instruments or engaged in dance. Even the smaller carvings on the sides of the pillars follow the same theme of music and movement.
On another pillar, Shiva appears as Kalari Murti: a four-armed figure with a tall jaṭā-makuṭa, heavy necklaces and a broad chest. His right leg sweeps across the torso, while the left leg presses down on Yama, who kneels below. Beside Yama a small Linga is clearly carved, anchoring the scene to the Markandeya episode. The hands are shown in vigorous bends, heightening the action; the body is tightly modeled with a flaring waist-cloth and bold jewelry.
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Another pillar shows Kankālamūrti. The four-armed Shiva holds a kapāla (skull-bowl) in his upper left hand and damaru in his upper right arm. His lower right arm stretches down in kaṭaka hasta toward the mouth of his playful deer/antelope. The lower left hand grips the kankala-daṇḍa, a staff strung with arm- and leg-bones, trimmed with peacock feathers, a pennant, and a small bell, carried horizontally and resting on his left shoulder. He stands with the left leg firm and the right slightly bent, as if stepping forward, and he wears pādukā (wooden sandals). Beside him stands an attendant with a large bowl to receive alms. The figure is richly jeweled and framed by an ornate prabhāvali.
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The Mukha Mandapa is more than a transitional hall; it is a sanctified stage where deities dance, sages meditate, musicians play, and stories unfold in sculpted rhythm. With its varied pillars, hanging mystery, and iconographic depth, it represents the finest synthesis of form, function, and faith seen in the Vijayanagara tradition.
In the next part of this series, we will continue our exploration deeper into the other parts of this great temple.
Happy travelling.
This is the part 9 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
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