Murals of Lepakshi are among the best exhibits of the murals and paintings of Karnataka during the Vijayanagara period. In tracing the development of Karnataka paintings, it is seen that there can be discerned no proper continuity in the same. While art and architecture continued to grow and develop unabated under the rule of different dynasties, the same cannot be said of paintings. Following the Badami murals, the next major works of painting are seen in the Vijayanagara period in the 15th-16th centuries. By analysing closely the murals of the Vijayanagara period, it is possible to acquire a glimpse into the nature, style and structure of the murals of the period.

The most outstanding work depicting in detail the nature and features of murals in the Vijayanagara period is found in the temple at Lepakshi. The Veerabhadra temple was built in the 16th century during the regime of King Achuta Deva Raya. The significance of these murals lies in that they provide a link in an otherwise disconnected history of paintings in Karnataka. The tradition of paintings again continues its course of development following the murals of the Vijayanagara period. These murals are found depicting scenes from the epics and the Indian Puranas. The murals are found in the high ceilings of the huge gateways of the Veerabhadra temple. The ceiling is divided into a number of strips, and the individual strips are broken into square or rectangular panels. Each one of the panels depicts a particular scene, or part of one, in keeping with the theme of representation in the central panel.

It is seen that most of the murals deal with themes and figures from mythology. There are found a number of panels here depicting the Gods- Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, as well as other mythological characters like Arjuna etc. There are also murals dedicated to figures yet unknown, probably Kings and Queens of the time. Most of the figures depicted have been drawn in profile, a style that seems to have been preferred by the artists of the time. The costumes and ornaments of the various figures have been depicted in detail. The panels are bordered with decorative margins on four sides, which go very well with the central panel. A rather decorative style has been adopted in executing these works. The figures in front are well captured due to the light shade of the background. The nature of line work is rather different from what is usually seen in folk paintings, in that it is not continuous. Sometimes the facial profiles or some dark costumes may not have a line at all at the edges. It may be noted that the costumes are never left blank and without any design, and all of them are shown with decorative patterns. A rather prominent aspect of the figures is that the profile figures are shown tilting backwards, from the feet upwards till the waist, and then again forward from the waist to the neck. The head stands erect. In terms of both the brush work and the lines, the parts do not attain unity with the total figure.

A closer analysis of the murals depicted here will provide an insight into the technique and style of the Vijayanagara murals. Most of the murals, as has been mentioned, deal with mythological figures and themes. In one of the panels, Lord Shiva can be seen riding a bull with his consort Uma. The Lord is shown blessing a royal couple, allegedly the Chola King and Queen. The entire backdrop to this scene has been painted a light shade of brown, with the King and Queen and their attendants standing to their left. Towards the right of the panel stand Lord Shiva and his ganas. A small-sized white cow along with its calf stands in the middle of the panel, forming a kind of link between these two groups. Varied hues dominate the panel, ranging from a dark-brown lady, Shiva in white, Uma in light ochre, the bull and its calf in white, and the ganas in different shades of brown. The human figures can be seen wearing dhotis and sarees but standing bare above the waist. They are adorned with a full body of jewels, including crowns, necklaces, bangles etc. A four-armed God is seen standing before a tree in full blossom in another one of the panels. One of the hands can be seen picking a flower from the tree, and two of the hands are pouring water into the extended hands of a lady. His fourth arm is seen clutching an emblem of the deer. The deer suggests that the figure is probably that of Lord Shiva. Before him and behind the Queen-like figure, in front, are a few princes, all wearing crowns and full dress. There are many panels here all depicting different scenes. One of the larger panels depicts Lord Shiva destroying the three cities. The Lord dominates the scene standing tall with his arched bow, the arrow itself being a chain of gods. His body is adorned by a garland made of skulls and a serpent. There are three circles in front of the arrow which are symbolic of the three cities he is about to destroy. An umbrella, Garuda, the sun and the moon are all shown on top of the main figure is a huge cobra projecting its hood and hissing out in anger behind Lord Shiva. There are a number of strange-looking animals on the right panel which cannot be discerned.

Another popular topic that is depicted on a number of panels here is the story of Arjuna`s archery feat, which won for him Draupadi as his wife. The strip on the top is smaller and deals with scene at the lakeside. The central panel is much larger and it depicts Arjuna with a bent bow, aiming towards the target of the fish above. The archer`s figure has been drawn remarkably, but excessively deep colours have been used for Draupadi`s saree and the water. There are panels to the left and right of the central one which depict the various people who have come to witness the swayamvara.

In yet another long panel, the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu are shown in a series and most of these figures have been drawn in the favoured profiles. The only exception here is Narasimha. There is a scene of battle below the panel where chariots drawn by elephants and horses are shown meeting face to face. One of the panels clearly illustrates a Hindu King being attended to by a person in a Muslim costume. Warriors are both Indian as well as European, and some are seen holding guns and bayonets.

There are also certain panels here which depict certain aspects and incidents from the times of the Vijayanagara history. There is seen, for instance, a panel here which shows the sage Vidyaranya being carried on a palanquin by four bearers. All of theses bearers are fully dressed and adorned. He is followed or preceded on either side by people holding various symbols that represent the grandeur of his stature. There is an elephant shown following the palanquin. The people who are meant to be portrayed as standing at a distance are raised a little higher compared to the rest. Seen in another panel form at Lepakshi is a seated queen with a row of maids standing behind her. All the figures in the mural are again shown in profile. The complexion of these women varies from light to dark, and they are adorned in rather elaborately designed sarees replete with varying coiffures. Rich borders adorn the panels at the top as well as the bottom. One of the panels depicts a full blossomed tree standing in the centre of the panel, with a King with extended palms standing behind it. A prince and princess stand behind the King, both shown with crowns on their heads. Standing to the left of the tree, facing the two above figures, are two other princes behind a queen, offering something to her. A similar posture is seen adopted by the figures in this panel where the legs are tilted backwards from the feet to the waist and forward from the waist to the neck with the head erect.

The paintings at Lepakshi have been a most crucial element in maintaining the continuity of paintings in Karnataka. They are outstanding pieces of the Vijayanagara architectural style, and their colour and composition is remarkable to observe. It has been observed that most of the murals have been retraced in the later periods. These later additions of colour are bold and contrasting, and the lines have been too strongly touched up. However the original figures have retained their old posture and the magic of the murals in Lepakshi remains intact.