Bhoothanatha Temple Badami ಭೂತನಾಥ್ ದೇವಾಲಯ Bagalkote tourism Temple of Karnataka tourism

Bhoothanatha Temple Badami ಭೂತನಾಥ್ ದೇವಾಲಯ Bagalkote Temple of Karnataka tourism. The Bhutanatha group of temples is a cluster of sandstone shrines dedicated to the deity Bhutanatha, in Badami town of Karnataka state, India. There are two major temples here. Temple No.1, on the east side of the lake, called the Bhutanatha temple has a superstructure that resembles early South Indian style or North Indian style with its open mantapa (hall or Veranda) extending into the lake, while the smaller Temple No.2 on the north-east side of the lake, sometimes called the Mallikarjuna group of temples, has a stepped superstructure, commonly found in Kalyani Chalukya constructions. The inner shrine and mantapa (hall) of Temple No.1 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. Hence the Bhutanatha temple contain architectural forms from different periods. Studies show that these Kalyani Chalukya architects could have belonged to the same early phase workshop, that later built the nearby Yellamma temple and the Mallikarjuna group of temples.
In the inner hall of the Bhutanatha temple, 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 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.

The temple is unfinished and at the base of the superstructure (Shikhara), are vestiges of Jain architecture. The image niches on the wall of the shrine and the hall are now empty though some decorative elements like makharas (mythical beast) with long tails still remain. To the north of the hall is a small shrine which was originally consecrated for Vishnu. Following later Jain modifications, the temple was eventually taken over by the followers of Lingayatism who built an outer hall and installed a Nandi (vehicle of Shiva) and a Shiva linga inside the sanctum.

The Mallikarjuna group exhibits topological features popularised by the Kalyani Chalukya architects, including plain walls, angled eaves over the open mantapa (hall) and pyramid shaped superstructures made of closely spaced horizontal tiers.
The Bhutanatha group of temples came under the influence of Jains for a period of time. Later, it was taken over by the Lingayats who installed a Shiva Linga in the shrine and a Nandi in front. The temple on the north-east side of the lake is the Mallikarjuna Temple. It belongs to a later period and it was built during the reign of the Western Chalukyas.
The Bhutanatha TempleThe temple on the east side of the Agasthya Tirtha is the famous Bhutanatha temple, built in the style of the early Eastern Chalukyas. The style is a blend of North Indian and early South Indian temple architecture. This temple seems to have been built in two stages. The inner hall and the shrine reflect the style of the Eastern Badami Chalukyas, while the outer hall represents the style of the Kalyani Chalukyas of the west. The inner hall has massive pillars and the bays are decorated with lotus designs. On one side of the doorway of the shrine stands Goddess Ganga, riding the makara, while on the other side is river Yamuna. She is depicted as riding the tortoise. The Shiva Linga in the shrine is believed to be of a later date, put in by the Lingayats.

Mallikarjuna Temple The Mallikarjuna Temple that lies northeast of the lake definitely belongs to the period of the later Chalukyas, the Chalukyas of Kalyani. It has the tiered pyramid structure characteristic of Western Chalukya Architecture.
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