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INTRODUCTION

Pattadakal one of the UNESCO's world heritage site in the state of Karnataka lies in the Bagalkot district at a distance of about 29kms from the north east of Badami.The temples of Pattadakal belongs to the 8th century AD on the banks of the river Malprabha.The temples in this area reflects the glorious past and the richness of the architecture of the medieval South Indian rulers especially those of the Chalukya kings.

Pattadakal was a very small place with very few population and it was mainly used by the Kings for any celebration of royal festival or sovereign's consort. The neighbouring places Badami and Aihole were important settlements. The temples of Pattadakal represent vivid features and the architecture is a mix of North Indian, South Indian and the Indo Aryan style of architecture.

Some of the renowned temples in Pattadakal include Galaganatha Temple, Kashi Vishwanatha Temple, Sangameshwara Temple, Papanatha Temple and Jain Temple etc.Thus Pattadakal represents the point of culmination of the Chalukyan architecture.

HISTORY

Pattadakal on the banks of the Malprabha River flourished to glory during the reign of the Chalukyan dynasty and it was the second capital of the Chalukyas after Badami.It was concentrated more as a commercial centre for various royal activities and sovereign's consort rather than as a settlement for living. Most of the living during this period happened in Badami, the political capital, Pattadakal was the dynastic cult center of the Badami Chalukyas.History says that there are many temples in Pattadakal which belongs to the 4th century AD and the latest was that of a Jain temple which was built during the 9th century by the Rashtrakuta Kings.

LOCATION

Pattadakal is located in North Karnataka's Bagalkot district on the banks of the river Malaprabha.

FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

During the month of January a classical dance festival is held in Pattadakal where participants come from different parts of the country. There are two other festivals which falls during the month of March and April which are the Virupaksha Temple Car Festival and the Mallikarjuna Temple Festival.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Aihole

Aihole is situated at a distance of about 25 km from Pattadakal.The three major regions or centers representing the architecture of the Chalukyas were Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal.During the Chalukyan dynasty Aihole was its regional capital and reflects their architecture including both simple and complex temples and other commercial buildings.

Virupaksha temple

Virupaksha temple is supposed to be the best of all the temples in Pattadakal mostly built in the South Indian style. The Virupaksha temple was mainly built by the queens of Vikramaditya II to commemorate the victory of Vikramaditya with the Pallavas of Kanchi in 735 CE.The Virupaksha temple is more of a repition of the Kailasanatha temple of Kanchi.

The temples here were named after the queens of Vikramaditya II namely Lokeshwara (by Lokadevi) and Trailokeshwara (by Trailokadevi).But now both of these temples are referred by the names Virupaksha and the Mallikarjuna respectively. The Virupaksha temple has nearly 18 pillars which depict scenes from the puranas and excellent carvings like Ravananugrahamurthy, Narasimha, Gajendramoksham, the dance of Shiva. The temple is rich in sculpture like those of Lingodbhava, Nataraja, and Ravananugraha & Ugranarasimha.

Badami

Badami was also one of the capital of Chalukyas and is situated at a distance of about 25kms from Pattadakal.It represents one of the finest architecture of that period which are examples of Dravidian temples and rock-cut caves.

Sangameshwara temple

Sangameshwara temple represents the Dravidian style and is supposed to be one of the oldest temples in Pattadakal.The Sangamesvara temple is a replica of the Virupaksha temple for it is planned and built in such a way it looks alike from base to top accommodating a sanctum, inner passage and a hall. The outer wall of the temple has excellent sculptures; especially the Natraja draws a lot of attention. The Sangameshwara temple was built by King Vijayaditya (696-733 AD).

Mallikarjuna Temple

Mallikarjuna Temple is a replica of the Virupaksha temple but of a smaller version. The birth and life of Lord Krishna is depicted on the pillars of the temples along with sculptures of Mahishasuramardini & Ugranarasimha.

The ceilings of the temple are adorned by panels with sculptures of Gajalakshmi & Nataraja with Parvathi.

Papanatha temple

Papanatha temple was built by the Badami Chalukyas and it dates back to 680 AD. Initially the construction of the temple started with the nagara style and later it picked more of the Dravidian style of architecture. The sculptures here talk about scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharatha.There is similar temples in Alampur, Andhra Pradesh which was also built by Badami Chalukyas.

Kasivisvesvara temple

Kasivisvesvara temple belongs to the 8th century and it was the last temple to be built in the early Chalukya style. This was built by the Rashtrakutas.

Jain Temple

Jain Temple was built by the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta and is situated on the Pattadakal-Badami Road. This Jain Temple belonged to the 9th century and was built according to the Dravidian style with beautiful sculptures.

Museum and Sculpture gallery

Museum and Sculpture gallery is situated on the Bhutanatha Temple road and is under the maintenance of the Archeological Survey of India.

SHOPPING

There is nothing much to shop in Pattadakal for it is more of sightseeing.

GETTING THERE

By Air

Pattadakal does not have an airport of its own. The nearest airport is Bangalore, around 514 km away. There are many flights from Bangalore to other important cities of India like Mumbai, Delhi, and Calcutta.

By Rail

The nearest railway station is Badami, 20 km away. There are around five regular trains for Bijapur from Badami.

By Road

The State Highway 14 links Pattadakal with Badami. Aihole is round 45 km from Pattadakal. The place is connected to other major centers like Bijapur (134 km) by road.