Pattadakal

Historical site in the state of Karnataka,
about twenty miles east of the city of
Badami. During the Chalukya dynasty,
Pattadakal was an important urban center and a sister city to the Chalukya capital at Badami. Although nearly deserted
today, the site is important for a collection of temples built in a variety of architectural styles during that era. The
Virupaksha temple, dedicated in 740 C.E.
during the reign of King Vikramaditya,
clearly shows the influence of the southern Indian Dravida architectural style: a
mostly low and extended profile, with a
series of terraced roofs over the main
sanctuary. It is believed to have been
modeled after the temples in the city of
Kanchipuram, which had been conquered by Vikramaditya, who brought
its architects and builders back to
Pattadakal with him. At the same time,
there are temples showing the early
development of the Nagara style, in
which the major architectural feature is
a series of upswept towers (shikharas),
with the tallest tower directly over the
image of the temple’s primary deity. The
best example of this is the Galaganatha
temple, dedicated to the god Shiva,
which has a tall vertical tower perched
on a larger, cube-shaped base.