Papanath Temple is a north Indian style temple located at
Pattadakkal (the second capital of the
Chalukyan kings) in
Karnataka.
The temple is a long row structure with porch, hall and sanctum. The crown of the temple is a peculiar northern type of shikara, which is extremely small when compared to the total dimensions of the building, but the vestibule is proportionately large. The walls of the temple are decorated with projecting niches and repeated shrine-motif. All these unbalanced and inorganic plan and design shows that it belongs to a formative and experimental stage.
Pattadakkal is about 17 km from Aihole. Malaprabha River flows next to Pattadakkal town.
