Filmmaker Vinod Rajendra with his book Lepakshi: The timeless marvel of Vijayanagara’s art and architecture.
Vinod Rajendra, a young filmmaker from Hindupur, is on a mission to promote the historical site of Lepakshi and spread its glory far and wide.
Located in Sri Sathya Sai district, Lepakshi stands testimony to the architectural brilliance and cultural richness of the Vijayanagara Empire. Known for its stunning temples, ornate wall carvings and splendid sculptures, the place has been attracting historians, art enthusiasts and pilgrims alike, providing ample scope for convergence of heritage tourism and temple tourism.
It is this facet of Lepakshi that immensely attracted Mr. Rajendra, who has taken up the ambitious task of promoting Lepakshi as an international tourist destination.
His tryst with Lepakshi started in his college days, when he made his first documentary film on the heritage site. Now, he has authored a voluminous book, Lepakshi: The timeless marvel of Vijayanagara’s art and architecture.
“There are several mystic aspects of religion, especially the folklore pertaining to Sanatana Dharma, that remain uncovered in the currently available literature on Lepakshi. It is this gap that my book seeks to bridge,” Mr. Vinod told The Hindu.
Guinness Record
His documentary on‘Lepakshi, which was made available in eleven languages, English, French, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Assamese, Bengali, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam, has also secured a place in the Guinness Book of Records in 2015 for being the most translated short film.
By bagging four awards for four films the same year, Mr. Vinod also won a place in the India Book of Records as the ‘Most awarded short film maker in a year’.
Having made short films, documentaries and advertisement films, Mr. Vinod aims to adopt the modern form of storytelling to popularise the heritage site among the new generation. The book is is yet to be formally launched.
Published – March 03, 2025 12:37 am IST