Pattadakal

Pattadakal, in Bagalkot district near Badami, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site made up of temples built in the 7th and 8th centuries, when Chalukya power was at its height. The group is known for setting the northern Nagara and southern Dravida styles side by side.

The largest and most celebrated is the 8th-century Virupaksha Temple, richly covered in sculpture. The Mallikarjuna Temple is noted for its entrance and its carved pillars and ceilings, and the Galaganatha Temple mixes Nagara and Dravida features. Across the site, reliefs show episodes from Hindu myth as well as scenes of everyday life in the Chalukya period. Badami and its cave temples are about 22 km away, Mahakuta about 20 km, and Aihole and Bijapur can be added to a trip through the region.