Jain Temple, Lakkundi

Jain Temple, Lakkundi
Brahma Jinalaya
Basic information
Location	Lakkundi, Karnataka
Affiliation	Jainism
Deity	Mahavira
Festivals	Mahavir Jayanti
Architectural description
Creator	Kalyani Chalukyas
Date established	mid-11th century

The The Jain Temple, Lakkundi (or Jain Basadi) is located in the historically important temple town Lakkundi in the Gadag District of Karnataka state, India. Known as Lokkigundi in medieval times, the town was of considerable importance during the 11-12th century A.D. Western Chalukya rule. With the waning of their power, in 1191 A.D., the noted Hoysala empire king Veera Ballala II made this town an important garrison. The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.

According to art historian Adam Hardy, the architectural style of the temple can be classified as "Later Chalukya style, mainstream Lakkundi school of mid-11th century with late 11th century superstructure (shikhara)". The temple has single shrine (ekakuta vimana) connected to a closed hall via a vestibule (sukanasi or ardhamantapa) that is connected to an open hall (mantapa). According to art critic Percy Brown, these units are found commonly in all Western Chalukya temples. The building material is Soap stone, which according to Percy Brown became their standard and gained popularity in later day Hoysala architecture as well. According to art historians Henry Cousens and Om Prakash, the most conspicuous feature of the Western Chalukya temples is the decrease in the size of masonry and the resulting decrease in the overall height of the temples compared to those built by the Badami Chalukyas at Pattadakal. This was a result of a shift in the basic building material, from Sandstone to the more workable Soapstone (Chloritic Shist). In the coming decades, this transformation was to lead Vesara architecture toward increased ornamentation and articulation.

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