State/province Karnataka Locale Lakkundi | District Gadag district | |
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The Nanesvara Temple, (also spelt Naneshvara or Naneshwara) is a mid-11th century Later Chalukya construction (also called Western or Kalyani Chalukya). It stands across the street from the ornate Kasivisvesvara Temple in the famous temple town of Lakkundi in the Gadag district of Karnataka State, India. The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Temple plan
According to art historians Adam Hardy and Henry Cousens, the Nanesvara Temple follows the same basic plan as the Kasivisvesvara Temple, minus the auxiliary shrine. The temple, according to Adam Hardy, belongs to the mainstream Lakkundi school and was built in the middle of the 11th century. It consists of a sanctum (garbhagriha) that connects to a closed hall (mantapa) via a vestibule. The closed hall opens on a pillared open hall. The temple is built on a raised platform (jagati). According to the historian Kamath, these features are standard in a typical Later Chalukya temple. The material used, soap stone, is a Chalukyan architectural innovation that became popular in 12th and 13th century Chalukya and Hoysala constructions.