Arakeshvara Temple

The Arakeshvara Temple is a Shiva temple in Hole Alur village, Chamarajanagar district. The Western Ganga king Butuga II built it around 949 to mark his victory over the Chola crown prince Rajaditya at the battle of Takkolam, and it seems to have been renovated later. It is a monument of national importance under the Archaeological Survey of India.

The plan is simple: a sanctum, vestibule and closed hall, with a detached, raised pavilion outside for Nandi. Slabs beside the doorway show male drummers and rustic dancers playing to an ensemble of drum, violin, rudra veena, flute and kanjira, folk dance that the historian Sarma found in no other temple of the time. Reliefs on the rounded pillars of both halls depict Butuga's victory alongside epic scenes, and the hall ceiling holds the guardians of the eight directions around a dancing Shiva. Free-standing sculptures include Mahishasuramardini, Dakshinamurthy and the Saptamatrikas.