Lakkundi

At Lakkundi all the temples are made of green schist and the outer walls and entrances are very richly decorated. The shikhara is an in-between-style type and the parapet and the artistic division of the wall with pilasters is typical of the south-Indian style.

Currently Lakkundi has about 50 temples of various stature and antiquity. Some of the temples of note are Halagunda Basavanna Temple, Laxmianarayana Temple, Mallikarjuna Temple, Manikeshwara Temple, Nadayadeva Temple, Nagaradeva Shrine, Neelakanteshwara Temple, Suryanarayana Shrine (of Sun God facing the Kashi Vishweshwara Temple ), Someshwara Temple, Virabhadara Temple, Vishwantha Temple, Virupaksha Temple. Most of them are dedicated to Lord Siva and his various aspects.

Gadag, the district center itself have a few attractive temples. Trikuteshwara Shiva temple is impressive with its intricately ornate pillars, screens of carved stones and friezes.

Attimabbe, known as Danachintamani is a well known personality of the Kalyani Chalukyas period. Attimabbe was the wife of Nagadeva who was the chieftain and soldier of Chalukya King Ahavamalla and mother of Ahniga Masavadi who was ruling Lakkundi for some time. Attimabbe sheltered the great poet Ranna. She made 1000 copies of poet Ponna's Santi purana and distributed as Sastradana. Attimabbe built a Jain temple at Lakkundi[6] to which the king (Satyashraya) provided a golden Kalasa.

Lakkundi is also a treasure house of many important Inscriptions[7] (about 29).

• The inscriptions of the Kalyani Chalukyas king Irive Bedanga narrates in Ajithanatha Purana the details of the construction of the Brahmajinalaya by Attimabbe and the donations.
• The inscriptions of the Kalachuris of Kalyani King Sovideva (1173 A.D.) reveals the donation of gold to a Basadi by Gunanidi Keshava.
• The important inscriptions of Kalyani Chalukyas Somashekara VI (1185 A.D.), reveals the donation for conducting Ashtavidharchana. Another 12th-century inscription mentions the donation of land to Tribhuvana tilaka Shantinatha. Also an inscription mentions the existence of Jain saints Mulasangha Devanga.

Jina image in sanctum and door panel decoration at Jain Temple in Lakkundi

Chaturmukha, a four-faced Brahma image at Jain Temple in Lakkundi, 11th century CE

Brahma Jinalaya stands as the testimony of the high rank in the Karnataka temple Architecture. Brahma Jinalaya was built by queen Danachintamani Attimabbe is the largest of many Jain temples in Lakkundi. This Basadi is dedicated to Adinatha, the most revered saint of Jainism.

This Basadi is perhaps one of the earliest examples of temples in this area built of a kind of fine textured chloritic schist as distinct from the hitherto used sandstone of this region. The new material, because of its less thick quarry sizes and tractability, reacted on the workmanship, with the result that the masonry courses became reduced in size and the carvings more delicate and highly finished. The temple, perhaps built in the latter half of the 11th century, has a five-storeyed vimana, square on plan from the base to the shikhara, and had originally a closed square navaranga in front, though an open mandapawas added in front later on.

Basadi has a well fastened Mukha mantapa and open hall with central pillars decorated with beautiful carving. The Garbagudi holds the idol of Neminatha Tirthankara.

The central bay of the navaranga is a larger square than the peripheral eight around it. The second storey, as in the Jain temple at Pattadakal, is functional and has an antarala-mantapa in front over the vestibule of the lower storey. This raises the total height of the vimana considerably.

Kashivishweshwara Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva is meticulous for its carvings on the towers and the doorways. The heavy circular pillars were made using some kind of lathe.

A great deal of care has gone into the construction of the Kashivishvanatha temple in Lakkundi which deifies Shiva. This temple has a unique feature: a small surya shrine faces the main shrine on the west. There is a common platform between both which must have been an open mandapa originally. Hence the Kashivishvanatha temple has an entrance on the east side and south side of the mandapa. The entrance doorway and the towers are covered with close intricate carving. The shikhara is in the North-Indian style and it looks like a lathe must have been used to make the complex circular pillars.

Nanneshwara Temple at Lakkundi

Nanneshwara Temple at Lakkundi

Nanneshwara Temple, located to its east, is worth a visit. This temple looks like a simple and small replica of the much elaborate Kashi Vishweshwara Temple. Probably the Nanneshwara Temple was built as a prototype before the grand Kashi Vishweshwara Temple was executed.

Stepped well (muskin bhanvi) at the Manikesvara Temple in Lakkundi

Lakkundi is also noted for its step wells, artistically built with small canopied niches inside the walls of the wells enshrining lingas.

There are numerous ancient wells in Lakkundi, of which the Chateer Bavi, Kanne Bavi and Musukina Bavi are popular for their carvings architectural beauty. Most of the wells are carved with tiny Siva shrines in the form of niches into the walls.

Manikesvara Temple with Stepped Kalyani is one of the Tourist attractions of Lakkundi

At Lakkundi there is a stepped well of the Chalukya period next to the Manikeshwara temple.[9] On 3 sides of the Kalyani there are steps and the approach to the mandapa of the temples forms a bridge on the fourth side.