The Durga temple is a medieval Hindu temple located in Aihole in the kingdom of Karnataka, India. It is a part of a pending UNESCO global background site. Aside from the quality carvings, it’s far famous as an extraordinary apsidal or spherical-ended Hindu temple, representing a final stage within the transition of the ancient chaitya corridor tradition to later Hindu temple architecture. The temple was likely built in the overdue seventh century with the aid of the dynasty of the Chalukyas; it’s far the most important of a collection of over 120 temples at Aihole.The structure of the temple is predominantly Dravida with Nagara fashion also is used in sure regions.The Durga Temple belongs to Badami Chalukya architecture.

Despite the fact that the temple features a Durga sculpture, the beginning of the name isn’t because of its determination to Durga goddess, however due to the fact Durga method protector or a citadel. The temple formed part of a fortification likely of the Marathas;antique pix display walls constructed at the roof. The unique willpower of the temple may also have been to the solar god Surya,or perhaps either Vishnu or Shiva because the representations of Vishnu are as severa as the ones of Shiva. The maximum unique feature of the temple is a peristyle delimiting an ambulatory across the temple itself and whose walls are covered with sculptures of different gods or goddesses. The rounded ends on the rear or sanctuary give up consist of a total of three layers: the wall of the sanctuary itself, the principle temple wall past a passageway jogging in the back of this, and a pteroma or ambulatory as an open loggia with pillars, going for walks all round the building.Stone grilles with various geometrical openwork patterns ventilate the interior from the ambulatory. The heart of the shrine (garba griha) is surmounted by way of a tower which pronounces the destiny better towers shikharas and vimanas.The amalaka that when topped the shikara is on the ground nearby (visible in top photo).

From the front the temple seems plenty extra traditional; staircases provide get right of entry to to the porch, with many richly carved remedy panels, inclusive of roundels with groups of enthusiasts.The sober and rectangular pillars are adorned with characters across the porch and the doorway to the peristyle. The parapet is carved with niches and small animals.The porch offers access to rooms with pillars (‘mukhamantapa’ and “sabhamantapa”) to get into the sanctuary, the heart of the shrine (garba griha). There is now no cult image in the sanctuary, and ceiling panels were eliminated and are now inside the country wide Museum, New Delhi.