District: Bagalkot
Town: Pattadakal
Temple: Virupaksha, Mallikarjuna
Pattadakal is located in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka. It is present 22 kilometers away from Badami.
Pattadakal – Overview
There are ten major temples here, including a Jain temple. Out of the nine Hindu temples, four are in Nagara style, and the other six are in Dravidian style. Pattadakal has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Pattadakal – History
Pattadakal was an important town during the Chalukyan period. While Vatapi (now Badami) served as their political center and capital, Pattadakal was their cultural capital. Royal functions and ceremonies like coronations were held in the town. Pattadakal is also famous for its rich architectural heritage. There are numerous temples around the town, reflecting a fine blend of different style of temple building. Pattadakal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There is a pillar inscription in the Virupaksha Temple in Old Kannada script, recording the victory of Vikramaditya II over the Pallavas of Kanchi.
Pattadakal – Architecture
1.The Two Main Temples
The two major temples in Pattadakal - Virupaksha temple and Mallikarjuna temple - were built by the queens of Vikramaditya II to honor his achievements.
Virupaksha Temple
The Virupaksha Temple is modeled on the beautiful Kailasanathar temple in Kanchi. It has beautiful sculptures of various forms of Shiva like Lingodbhava, Nataraja, and Ravananugraha. There is also a magnificent sculpture of Ugranarasimha. This temple was built by Queen Lokamahadevi to commemorate her husband’s victory (Vikramaditya II) over the Pallavas of Kanchi.
The temples were named by them after themselves as the Lokeshwara (by Lokamahadevi) and Trailokeshwara (by Trailokadevi), which came to be known as the Virupaksha and the Mallikarjuna respectively. The temple is rich in sculpture like those of Lingodbhava, Nataraja, Ravananugraha and Ugranarasimha. Built in the southern Dravida style, it is the largest temple in the enclosure.
The Virupaksha temple, probably the most beautiful of all temples here is in the south Indian style and is almost a replica of the Kailasanatha temple of Kanchi. The 18 pillars in the temple has carvings depicting scenes from the puranas in each of them. There are also carvings of Ravananugrahamurthy, Narasimha, Gajendramoksham, the dance of Shiva.
Mallikarjuna Temple
This was built immediately after the Virupaksha temple and lies adjacent to it. It is a smaller version of the Virupaksha temple. It was built by the second queen of Vikramaditya VI, Trilokyamahadevi.
The ceiling has panels of Gajalakshmi & Nataraja with Parvathi. Pillars in the temple depict the birth & life of Krishna. There are sculptures of Mahishasuramardini & Ugranarasimha.
2.Other Temples
Sangameshwara Temple
This was the earliest temple built in Pattadakal, by King Vijayaditya Chalukya in late 7th century or early 8th century. The temple is built in Dravidian style & consists of a sanctum, inner passage & a hall. Both the temples Sangamesvara temple and the Virupaksha temple are similar to each other in being square on plan from the base to top. Ugranarasimha, Nataraja sculptures are seen on the outer wall.
Kashivishveshvarayya Temple
This was the last temple to be built in the Chalukya style of architecture in the region. This temple was built by the Rashtrakutas in the 8th century Nagara style.
Jain Temple
The Jain temple here was built by the Rashtrakutas of Manyaketa. It was built in the Dravidian style. It is located on the Pattadakal-Badami Road
Twin Temples
The Kadasiddheswara and Jambulingeswara are temples built in very similar styles. They were built in the Nagara style of architecture.
Papanatha Temple
The construction for this temple was started in Nagara style, but later converted to the Dravidian style. There are beautiful sculptures here depicting scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. This temple has many similarities with the Navabrahma temples in Alampur, Andhra Pradesh, which were also built by Badami Chalukyas.
Pattadakal – Facts
- Pattadakal, a World Heritage Center, is a wonderful place to visit whether you are on a pilgrimage or you are interested in history and architecture.
- Every January, a classical dance festival is held in Pattadakal, which attracts artists from all over the country.
- In March, temple festivals are held in the two main temples here – The Virupaksha Temple and The Mallikarjuna Temple.
- The best time to visit Pattadakal is during the winter months.
- Pattadakal lies near the other major Chalukyan architectural centers – Aihole and Badami.
How to Get to Pattadakal
Pattadakal is connected by road from Aihole, Badami (22 kms) and Bangalore (514 kms). Badami has the nearest railway station, while Belgaum houses the nearest airport.
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