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Pattadakal Temples

Pattadakal, also called Raktapura, is a complex of 7th and 8th century CE Hindu and Jain temples in northern Karnataka, India.

The Hindu temples are generally dedicated to Shiva, but elements of Vaishnavism and Shaktism theology and legends are also featured. The friezes in the Hindu temples display various Vedic and Puranic concepts, depict stories from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana, as well as elements of other Hindu texts, such as the Panchatantra and the Kirātārjunīya.

The Jain temple is only dedicated to a single Jina.

The most sophisticated temples, with complex friezes and a fusion of Northern and Southern styles, are found in the Papanatha and Virupaksha temples. The Virupaksha temple is an active house of Hindu worship.

Entering Pattadakal complex

Temples at Pattadakal

«Pattadakal (Pattada-kisuvolal of the inscriptions where the early Chalukyan kings used to be crowned, is one of the three great centres of experimentation in temple construction, the other two being Aihole and Badami. It is here that the rekhanagara prasada and dravida vimana styles of temple architecture were given their final form. The Papanatha, Kasivis Vesvara, Jambulinga and Galaganatha temples noted for their curvilinear sikhara represent the former style, while the Mallikarjuna, Sangamesvara and Virupaksha temples having a square roof of receding tiers represent the latter. The Lokesvara (Virupaksha) and Trailokesvara (Mallikarjuna) built respectively by Lokamahadevi and Trailokamahadevi, the queens of Vikramaditya II, to commemmorate his victory over the Pallavas of Kanchi are dated 740-45 A.D. on the basis of the pillar inscription put up to record a grant to the Vijayesvara (Sangamesvara temple).

The early chalukyan sculptural art noted for its grace and vigour, rich imagination and delicate details, is best represented in the Papanatha, Virupaksha and Mallik Arjuna temples, where, besides gods, demi-gods and human figures, narratives from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Bhagavatha can be seen.

A brick pillared mandapa of the late satavahana period (3rd-4th century A.D.) laid bare in front of the Sangamesvara temple in 1970 A.D. by the archaeological survey of India marks the earliest attempt to build temples at Pattadakal, the latest one being the jaina temple of the rashtrakuka period (9th cent A.D.).»


Pattadakal complex seen from the north entrance

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Location

Location: Pattadakal, Karnataka 587201, India