Kaitabheshvara Temple

The Kaitabheshvara Temple, also called Kotisvara, stands in Kubatur near Anavatti in Shimoga district; ancient inscriptions call the town Kuntalanagara or Kotipura. It was built around 1100 in the reign of the Hoysala king Vinayaditya, when the Hoysalas were feudatories of the Western Chalukya ruler Vikramaditya VI, and its style is mainly Chalukyan. Built of soapstone, it is well preserved and listed as a monument of national importance.

A square sanctum and vestibule lead to a large open hall that can be entered from several sides. Over the sanctum rises a four-tiered tower topped by a big carved dome and a stone kalasha, with Mahishamardini, Bhairava and Ganesha among its sculptures. Massive lathe-turned pillars hold up the hall, whose central ceiling panel is finely carved, and the parapet shows Ugra Narasimha, Varaha, Garuda and Keshava. Gajalakshmi is carved on the lintel over the doorway into the vestibule and sanctum.