Photograph of a group of temples at Pattadakal in Karnataka featuring the Mallikarjuna Temple (c. 745 AD), the Sangameshwara temple (early 8th century) and the Virupaksha Temple in the foreground (c. 745 AD). In the left foreground there is an idol car. The temples with their diverse styles represent the finest achievement of early Chalukyan architecture. Some of them are in the dravida or southern style, and some display the nagara or northern style of temple architecture.

Pattadakal was an important centre of the Chalukya dynasty and is located on the Malaprabha river in north Karnataka.