Temple and Sculpture Gallery

The large Jaina temple, among the many temples at Lakkundi, also near Gadag, 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 eleventh century, has a five-storeyed vimana, square on plan from the base to the sikhara, and had originally a closed square navaranga in front, though an open mandapawas added in front later on. The central bay of the navaranga is a larger square than the peripheral eight around it. The second storey, as in the Jaina temple at Pattadakkal, 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.

The three upper storeys are symbolic and had the suka-nasika projected in front. The kudu-ornaments on the cornices, though flat, retain their arched shape and are characterized by simha-mukha (lion-mask) finials. The pilasters on the walls are slender and between pairs of them are tall nasika-fronts; in the recesses occur for the first time the 'decorative pilaster'-a pilaster carrying a shrine-pavilion on the top of its abacus-a characteristic of contemporary Chola temples in the south-framed inside a torana carried on two flanking pilasters.