Lepakshi Festival

Lepakshi FestivalTo create awareness and spread the legacy of art and culture of Lepakshi, which is the Architectural Marvel of Andhra Pradesh, the festival of Lepakshi is designed to organize every year by Andhra Pradesh tourism in association with State Government. The two-day held annual festival by the Government of Andhra Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority to celebrate the culture and heritage of Lepakshi. The festival is hosted on a grand scale to promote Telugu art, culture and traditions. It puts on display a fascinating range of traditional crafts, like handloom sarees and dress material, Etikoppaka toys, Kalamkari, Machilipatnam jewellery, and wood carvings and wall panels from Tirupati. The platform improves the marketing of these crafts and boosts the confidence of artisans and local economy. The art and cultural activities were organized at different locations in Lepakshi. In the evening a musical concert will be organized followed by entertainment programmes. Huge number of students from classical dance institutes participate in the classical dance programmes. Tourist from different sects and different parts of country participate in the festival. Huge number of tourists from Karnataka love to visit Lepakshi.  About LepakshiLepakshi is gearing up to get UNESCO Certification. UNESCO has included Lepakshi in the tentative list for UNESCO recognition. A charming village historically significant for India, Lepakshi is a trove of fascinating archaeological sites, beautiful ancient temples and rich culture. Founded in AD 1535 by Maharaja Aliya Rama Raya of the Vijayanagara Empire, the place is today known for three famous temples and a small hillock shaped like the shell of a tortoise, Kurma Saila. The temples are a magnificent example of timeless art and architecture. Lepakshi’s other attractions include a large monolithic idol of Nandi made of granite, wall paintings depicting the scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, a hanging pillar and Durga Paadam. The hanging pillar is an amazing art of engineering to place the pillar in such a way un-touching the base.