The Mallikarjuna temple is located in the town of Kuruvatti in the Bellary district of Karnataka state, India. The temple was constructed in the early 12th century rule of the Western Chalukya Empire. The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India. Art historianAdam Hardy classifies the architectural style and guild involved in the construction of the temple as a "trans-Tungabhadra branch" of the "mainstream Lakkundi school" of the Later Chalukya style of architecture. The art historian Ajay Sinha classifies the Kuruvatti style to be a third idiom, the other two being the Lakkundi and Itagi schools. He describes the overall achievement at Kuruvatti as "majestic", despite a lack of artistic over indulgence. The building material used is soapstone According to Sinha, a 1099 A.D. inscription at the temple claims it was constructed in service of the god "Abhinava Someshvara" and that the temple also went by the name "Ahavamallesvara". He recants that both names are associated with the deceased Chalukya King Someshvara I who committed voluntary suicide at Kuruvatti in 1062. Sinha feels the temple may have been constructed between 1070 and 1100 in his memory by his heir apparent, the KingVikramaditya VI.
Temple plan
The Mallikarjuna temple has a single shrine with a superstructure or tower with porched entrances from three sides. According to the art historian Adam Hardy, the existing tower is a later day re-construction. But the art historian Henry Cousens feels the superstructure and its Kalasha are original, though the tower has been whitewashed in more recent times. The temple consists of a sanctum, an antechamber which connects the sanctum to a gathering hall, two halls on either side, and indedpendent of the main temple complex and to the east, a hall containing a sculpture of Nandi. The outer walls of the shrine and hall have been provided with projections and recesses giving rise to niches, in which, in relief, are pilasters, miniature decorative towers, sculptures of Hindu gods, and women displaying stylized feminine features. According to Cousens, the presence of miniature decorative towers on the shrine walls is noteworthy because most other Western Chalukya constructions have these reliefs only on the superstructure over the shrine. Cousens feels the specimens of makara on the shrine walls are exceptionally delicate with "tails of flowing arabesque" standing out free from the background material. Inside, the entrance to the antechamber has a highly decorated lintel with motifs of aquatic creatures.
