Pattadakal

An old town in Karnataka, SW India, which reached the height of its glory in the 7th–8th-c, when most of its temples (now designated world heritage monuments) were built. The most notable is the Lokeshwari or Virupaksha temple, a huge structure with sculptures that narrate episodes from Hindu epics.

Pattadakal ಪಟ್ಟದಕಲ್ is a town in the Indian state of Karnataka famous for its group of monuments that are the culmination of earliest experiments in vesara style of Hindu temple architecture.

Pattadakal is 22 kms from Badami, the capital of the Chalukya dynasty of Southern India, who built the temples in the seventh and eighth centuries and the Badami Cave temple. Four temples were built in dravidian style, four in nagara style of Northern India and the Papanatha temple in mixed style.

The best known is the Virupaksha temple, built by Queen Lokamahadevi in 745 to commemorate her husband's victory (Vikramaditya II) over the Pallavas of Kanchi. The temple closely resembles the Kailashnatha temple in Kanchi which served as a model for this temple. The Virupakhsa temple in turn served as an inspiration for the Kailashnatha temple built by the Rashtrakuta dynasty in Ellora. Galganatha temple contains a sculpture of Lord Shiva killing the demon Andhakasura, Kadasiddeshvara temple which has a sculpture of Shiva holding a Trident or Trishul in his hands and its twin temple, the Jambulinga Temple are all built in nagara style and resemble the Hucchimalli' Guddi at Aihole. probably dates from the 9th century and was built by either King Amoghavarsha I or his son Krishna II Papanatha temple is built in the vesara style dated to 680. The temple was started in nagara style but later changed to a more balanced dravidian style. This temple has many similarities with the Navabrahma temples in Alampur, Andhra Pradesh, which were also built by the same dynasty.

Other important monuments here are the monolithic stone pillar bearing inscriptions, Naganatha temple, Chandrashekara temple and inscriptions in the Mahakuteshwara temple.