It is said that when Lord Rama went in search of Sita, he came across the fallen bird Jatayu here and he commanded the bird to rise: 'Le Pakshi,' which over time, evolved to Lepakshi.

There are narrative illustrations on the south walls representing Shiva's legends, including Arjuna's penance. In the principal sanctuary is a life-size Veerabhadra decked with skulls and carrying weapons, appropriate to the form of the angry Shiva, bent on taking revenge.

The beautiful sculptures on the prakaram attract the pilgrims' attention. These include 14 forms of Siva, like Dakshinamurthi, Ardhanareeswara, Tripurantaka etc. The hall of creepers is another excellent work of art, which has provided perennial inspiration to textile designers over the years. About 500m, North-East of the temple stands India's largest monolithic Nandhi, measuring about 8.25m long and 4,60m high.