A queen built this temple to celebrate her husband’s military victory. Fifty years later, its own design would inspire one of the greatest monuments in South India, the Kailasa Temple at Ellora.
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Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal
A queen’s victory temple that went on to shape a much larger one, decades later
∼740 CE
Vikramaditya II takes Kanchi
Chalukya king Vikramaditya II defeats the Pallavas and captures their capital, Kanchi — the victory his queen soon chooses to commemorate.
∼740 CE
Lokamahadevi commissions the temple
Queen Lokamahadevi builds the Virupaksha Temple at Pattadakal to mark the win. Inscriptions name it “Shri Lokeshvara Mahasila Prasada,” after her.
8th century CE
Architect honoured, 16 inscriptions carved
Vikramaditya II titles architect Gunda Anivaritacharya “perjjerepu patta.” The temple’s 16 inscriptions record 8th-century Deccan life in detail.
Decades later
Design shapes the Kailasa Temple, Ellora
Virupaksha’s Dravida plan is thought to have influenced the far larger Kailasa Temple at Ellora, one of Indian architecture’s great monuments.
Style Is the Tell
UPSC’s 2026 Prelims tested exactly this point: among four temple options, Virupaksha was the correct pick precisely because it lacks a Nagara shikhara.
Founding and Patron Need to Know
- The Virupaksha Temple stands at Pattadakal, in present-day Karnataka, and was built around 740 CE.
- Queen Lokamahadevi commissioned it. Inscriptions call it “Shri Lokeshvara Mahasila Prasada” after her.
- She built it to mark her husband King Vikramaditya II’s victory over the Pallava capital, Kanchi.
- The temple is built in the Dravida (South Indian) style, with a tiered pyramidal vimana rather than a Nagara shikhara.
Architecture Good to Know
- The temple has three mukhamandapas (porches) and a large stone gateway facing the Malaprabha River to the east.
- Builders placed dressed stone blocks on top of each other with no cementing agent.
- Pillars and halls carry rich carvings of gods and scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
- Its architect, Gunda Anivaritacharya, was honoured by King Vikramaditya II with the title “perjjerepu patta.” His name appears inscribed beneath his own carved panels.
Test Yourself
Legacy Great to Know
- The temple holds 16 inscriptions. They offer a rare window into 8th-century Deccan society and culture.
Influence on the Kailasa Temple, Ellora
- Virupaksha’s Dravida design is thought to have influenced the later, much larger Kailasa Temple at Ellora.
- Virupaksha itself lacks a Nagara shikhara. It was built in the Dravida style, with a tiered pyramidal vimana instead.
Previous Year Question
Asked as: “Which of the following temples has/have a Nagara-style shikhara?” (UPSC CSP 2026, GS Paper I). Virupaksha Temple was one of the four options, and correctly does not have a Nagara shikhara.
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