The Temples of Pattadakal

Pattadakal is a compact group of temples on the bank of the Malaprabha, built by the Chalukyas in the seventh and eighth centuries when they were still working out what a stone temple should be. Northern and southern styles stand next to each other in the same enclosure, curved spires beside stepped pyramidal towers, which makes the site far more interesting to walk than its size suggests. The largest, the Virupaksha temple, has a pillared hall carved with scenes from the epics and a Nandi pavilion facing it. Everything is a warm brown sandstone that goes close to orange late in the day. It is usually quiet, with more goats than visitors on the approach.

What you actually see

• Virupaksha temple - the largest of the group, with a carved pillared hall and its own Nandi pavilion.
• The two tower styles - curved northern spires and stepped southern pyramids in the same enclosure.
• The narrative pillars - columns carved with episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
• The riverside setting - the group on the low bank of the Malaprabha with fields behind.

When to go

November to February is the only comfortable season; the Deccan interior gets fierce from March. Late afternoon warms the sandstone and casts long shadow across the carving, and the site is at its emptiest then. Most people base themselves in Badami and take Pattadakal and Aihole together in one day, which works well by car.

Honest expectations

The enclosure is open ground with no shade and the stone radiates heat by mid-morning. Several temples are small, plain and hard to tell apart without a guide or good reading, and on-site labelling is sparse. The village outside is very basic with nowhere decent to eat. Getting here without your own vehicle means slow local buses.

Nearby

Aihole's older temples are a short drive on, and the cave temples and tank at Badami are the usual base.