Temples in Pattadakal

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Pattadakal Temples

It has about ten temples that represent the ultimate in the early Chalukyan architecture. The Virupaksha, Papanath, and Mallikarjuna Temples were intricately carved in the 7th and 8th century. For construction of these temples they used sandstone that glows with a pink tinge in the sunset. The Sanghameswara Temple is the oldest temple. The Papanath Temple is a northern style temple with impressive carvings on the ceiling and pillars. This is a unique town due to the temples here that are built using the architecture of both North and South India.

The Malprabha River flows next to the town. There are no facilities in this town but a few tea stalls and coconut stands. Badami is an hour and a half away and Aihole is 30 minutes.

Temple Area

It contains six important temples and a small sculpture gallery.
Virupaksa, the largest of the temples, has sculptures depicting scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. In front of the Virupaksha Temple there is a 2.6m high Nandi bull made of a deep green stone which is covered by a red cape. The interior pillars of the Virupaksha Temple are carved with scenes from the Ramoyana and the Mahabharata. It is the largest temple in the village. This temple was built by Queen Lokamahadevi, the wife of King Vikramaditya II. There is a sculpture in this temple that looks like a buffalo on one side and an elephant on the other.
The Mallikarjuna Temple is small. It was built by King Vikramaditya II's second wife, Trailokyamahadevi. This temple has pillars with carvings depicting Lord Krishna's birth and activities.

There are other smaller 8th century temples, including the Kadasiddheswara, Jambulinga, Galaganath, Sangameswara, and Kashivishyanath Temples.