India was never continually under Central rule. Instead, it was divided into a number of kingdoms ruled over by different dynasties. This resulted in the establishment of diverse cultures and traditions. Temple architectural styles adopted and developed by these dynasties were no exceptions. Monumental temples surviving to this date in different parts of the country bear testimony to this statement.

The tiny and sleepy villages of Kukkunur, Ittagi, Lakkundi and Dambal of Gadag district in Karnataka serve as a showcase for the extant temples built during the reign of Western Chalukyas or the Chalukyas of Kalyana, a dynasty which was powerful during the 11th and 13th centuries.

During the early phase of their temple building activities, the prime construction material used was hard sand-stone. The outer walls of the temple lacked fine finishing and decoration as one can observe in the temples of the later phases. The existing Navalinga and Kalleswara group of temples in Kukkunur serve as good examples of the temples belonging to the early phase. These two temples, built in the 10th and first half of the 11th centuries respectively, mark the end of the use of hard sand-stone as material for the construction of temples.
The Mahadeva temple at Ittagi marked the beginning of a new phase in temple construction. This period also marked a shift from hard sand-stone to the one of much finer grain, green in colour, known as Chloritic Schist, specially suited for fine carving.  

The temples of this period, in plan, resolved into three compartments, the cella (garbha gruha), attached to a vestibule (antarala) with a Sukanasi which connects to the pillared hall (navaranga). Often, navaranga leads to a pillared open pavilion called the mukhamantapa. On plan, the entire structure was rectangular.

The idiom of this dynasty is amply illustrated in all the temples of this period by the elaborately decorated and ornately carved doorways with Gajalakshmi in lalata bimba. The temple architecture of the Chalukyas of Kalyana touched its zenith with the shift from rectangular to stellar plan adopted for the construction of Doddabasappa temple at Dambala, once a Buddhist centre. Weathered over centuries, the stunning monuments stand as a testimony to the phased development of the temple architecture of the Chalukyas of Kalyana.

Dambala
Dambala, a somnolent village lying 21 km south-east of Gadag, known earlier by different names - Dharmapura, Dharmapuri and Dharmavolal - was once a chief centre of Shaivism. The stone inscriptions found here confirm the grants made to Viharas of Buddha and Arya-Tara Devi, at this town in 1095. This amply establishes that Buddhism also flourished here at one time.

The Doddabasappa temple at Dambala is exceptionally stunning and different from the other temples of this dynasty in plan - star shaped with many angles - as against the rectangular one of the earlier period. The entire structure, including the cella and the pillared hall has a stellated plan which is elevated up to the top tala of the shikara (upper structure). The doorway to the sanctum sanctorum is elaborately decorated with floral decorations, musicians, dancers and inter-twined mithuna couple. A huge recumbent Nandi placed axially, sheltered in a pillared mantapa, faces the presiding deity, Lord Shiva.

The entry into this temple is through a pillared porch. The vertical lines running from the bottom of the cella, intersecting the horizontal courses, coupled with the angular projections in the exterior portion of the wall, enhances the beauty of the temple.

Lakkundi
The present Lakkundi, earlier known as Lokkigundi, is the repository of temple art of the later Chalukyas and presently houses a museum. The exhibits displayed in the museum reflect the perfection of the art of sculpting at that time. It is believed that it housed 101 temples with tanks attached to them. Surprisingly, only as small a number as 15 temples are extant to this day. Some surviving pearls among them are Kashivishveshwara and Brahma-Jinalaya, dedicated to Lord Shiva and Neminatha, the 22nd Thirthankara of Jainism, respectively.
The striking feature of these temples is the outstanding relief and richness of its architectural embellishments. Kashivishveshwara temple has two shrines; the larger of the two facing west is dedicated to Lord Shiva, while the smaller one facing east enshrines Lord Surya, portrayed as Suryanarayana on a throne with seven horses of the Sun God engraved on it. The doorways are its chief feature and they have all the qualities and essentials of a masterpiece. Both the shrines have lost their super structure. An inscription of the year 1087, found in the mantapa, suggests that this temple must have been built before 1087.

Ittagi
The temples and religious structures in the sleepy village of Ittagi are built with Mahadeva temple in the centre, on a terrace facing a large tank. These temples mark the beginning of a new phase of construction of temples with the use of chloristic Schist, a soft stone which became the most favoured material of the later period.
The Mahadeva temple, aptly called as Devalaya Chakravarthi (Emperor of Temples), is a strikingly beautiful structure in its plan, conception and execution. Entry into this east-facing temple can be gained through any of the pillared porches extended on all the three sides of the navaranga. The temple in plan is resolved into a cella and attached to it is a vestibule (antarala) which leads to a closed mantapa (navaranga) with pillared porches extended on all the three sides with doorways on each side. The navaranga has in its front a hypostyle open hall, the roof of which is supported by 26 pillars with highly decorated pedestals. It is definitely worth seeing.
According to an inscription found in the temple, it was built by Dandanatha (Army General) Trikshetra Mahadeva during the reign of Vikramaditya VI. The temple was consecrated in the year 1112 AD.
Elaborately decorated doorways, an idiom of the later Chalukyan temple art, add elegance to the structure. The four-storied shikara, the fourth being a masonry work, a later addition, has been decorated with minute carvings.
The temples at Ittagi are rare in conception, perfect in execution and a paradise for a lover of temple art and architecture.

Gadag
Gadag, which was once known for its cotton ginning industry and famous because of Gadugina Narayanappa, more popularly known as Kumara Vyasa, is also a showcase for the early works of temple architecture of later Chalukyan period. Chief among them are the temples found in the Trikuteshwara complex.
In the complex, the temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswathi is superbly elegant in structure. In plan, it is a rectangular one with a cella attached to an antarala leading to a closed mantapa fronted by a hypostyle open hall with a sloping roof. The supporting pillars of this mantapa are finely decorated with ornate carvings.
The image of Goddess Saraswathi in the sanctum sanctorum is badly damaged. However, a later construction dedicated to the same deity is in place.

Trikuteshwara is a triple shrine. This is the earliest among the group of temples in the complex, having been built sometime around 1000 AD and repaired in the 12th century. The main attraction of the temple is a large, closed, pillared hall and finely decorated doorways. 

A profile of Gadag city will be incomplete without the mention of the world renowned seat of learning for the blind in the discipline of music under the leadership of Gnanayogi Dr Puttaraja Gavai.

Gadag is very well connected with all the important cities of Karnataka. With Gadag as base, one can hire a private vehicle and visit the neighbouring places of importance that are scattered over a radius of 50 km. Budget and luxury hotels in the town cater to the needs of tourists.