Tripurantaka Temple, Balligavi

The Tripurantaka Temple, also called Tripurantakeshwara, was built around 1070 CE by the Western Chalukyas at Balligavi in Shivamogga district. In medieval times the town was a seat of learning for several faiths, and more than 80 inscriptions from Shaiva, Vaishnava, Jain and Buddhist traditions have been found here. The temple is now in a dilapidated state.

It is known for its finely perforated stone windows and screens. Panels beside the shrine doorway are filled with three pairs of nagas whose knotted bodies form a mesh, and the lintel above shows Brahma, Shiva as Bhairava and Vishnu with the guardian deities. Tiny erotic carvings on the outer friezes, rare in Chalukya art, are visible only up close. A larger panel with its own inscription shows a Hoysala king fighting a lion during a hunt. Close by, in the middle of the town, stands the Ganda-Bherunda Stambha, a column about 30 feet tall topped by the mythical two-headed bird.