BHUTANATHA TEMPLES

This complex includes two distinct temples located on the banks of Lake Agasthya. They are accessed through the archaeological museum. The first, east of the reservoir, is the Mallikarjuna Temple and the second, the Bhutanatha Temple, northeast of the lake.

Mallikarjuna Temple. The stepped structure of this temple complex is typical of the Western Chalukya period of the 11th century. It has solid walls, right-angled cornices, and pyramidal sikhara with horizontal crenulations. This group of temples is dedicated to Shiva.

Bhutanatha Temple. Built on a vast platform on the lake, the temple is accessible from the shore. It has a classical structure: a porch with a column which gives onto a mandapa followed by the sanctuary. A sikhara (tower) is built above the sanctuary. The temple was erected over several periods without ever being completed. The sanctuary dates from the 7th century, then we find a Jain influence which probably dates from the 11th century. The mandapa is divided by a set of pillars into a central nave and two parallel aisles. The absence of an idol and of information on the lintel of the sanctuary do not allow us to define to which deity this temple is dedicated. However, the access to the sanctuary is framed by two goddesses: Ganga, the goddess of rivers, rides her makara on the right of the door and Yamuna, the daughter of the sun-god Surya, rides a tortoise. The shrine is currently occupied by a shivalinga, a post-construction addition to the temple, as is the nandi in front.