Pattadakal is a beautiful city situated in the state of Karnataka. In the past,
it was a part of the Chalukya Dynasty and it was during their rule that the
city managed to attain an amazing blend of architectural styles belonging
to the northern and the southern parts of India. Forming a part of the
Pattadakal temples are nine Hindu temples as well as a Jain temple. The
sculptural art adorning the temples is characterized by elegance and
elaboration.
The narrative art of the temples depicts different episodes from the great
Hindu epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, the holy book Bhagavata
Purana as well as the tales of Panchatantra. Four Hindu temples at
Pattadakal have been built as per South Indian Dravidian architectural
style. Four others are based on the Nagara architectural style of North
India. While, the architecture of the ninth and the last, known as the
Papanatha temple, comes across as a combination of different styles.
                      SANGAMESVARA TEMPLE
Sangamesvara Temple, built by the Chalukya king Vijayaditya Satyasraya,
boasts of a simple but huge structure. It is the oldest one of the Pattadakal
Temples and was built under the patronage of Vijayaditya Satyasraya.
                         VIRUPAKSHA TEMPLE
Virupaksha Temple was built somewhere around 740 AD, by Queen
Lokamaha Devi. The main reason behind the construction of the temple
was to commemorate the victory of Lokamaha"s husband, Vikaramaditya
II, over the kings from the south.
                        JAMBULINGA TEMPLE
Jambulinga Temple is a small temple, which enshrines an exquisite image
of Dancing Lord Shiva, with Goddess Parvati and his mount Nandi by his
side. It has been built with a northern style tower, which has a horseshoe-
arched projection on its facade.
                       MALLIKARJUNA TEMPLE
The second queen of Vikaramaditya II built Mallikarjuna Temple, along
with Virupaksha Temple, to