Bhutanatha temple, Badami, Karnataka

Incredible India

• It is a sandstone temples dedicated to the deity Bhutanatha, in Badami town of Karnataka state, India.

• Lord Shiva is worshiped as the God of Souls in the Bhutanatha Temple.

• It has a superstructure that resembles early South Indian style or North Indian style with its open mantapa (hall or Veranda) extending into the lake.

• The inner shrine and mantapa (hall) were constructed in the late 7th century during the reign of the Badami Chalukyas while the outer mantapa, facing the Badami tank, was completed during the rule of the Kalyani Chalukyas of the 11th century.

• In the inner hall, a heavy architrave above the columns divides the hall into a central nave and two aisles.

• The pillars are massive and the bays in the ceiling of the nave is decorated with lotus rosette. Perforated windows bring dim light into the inner mantapa.

• On either side of the foot of the shrine doorway is an image, that of goddess Ganga on her vehicle, the makara, on the right, and on the left, that of goddesses Yamuna riding the tortoise.

• There is no dedicatory block upon the lintel to indicate to which deity the initial dedication was for.

• The Shiva linga in the shrine appears to be a later addition after the original deity in the sanctum was removed.