Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh · 13.8047°, 77.6100°
Vijayanagara art at its most painterly: Asia's finest surviving 16th-century ceiling murals, a colossal monolithic Nandi 200 m away, a seven-hooded Naga-linga carved — legend says — in the time a cook's lunch simmered, and the famous 'hanging pillar' that clears the floor by a sliver.
Here the eagle Jatayu fell wounded by Ravana as he carried off Sita; Rama, finding the dying bird, bade him rise — 'Le, pakshi' — and granted him moksha. The unfinished Kalyana Mandapa is tied to the tragic tale of builder Virupanna, blinded for allegedly misusing treasury funds.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-26 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Vijayanagara