Kaitabheshvara Temple, Kubatur
| Kaitabheshvara Temple | |
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| Hindu temple | |
_at_Kubatur.JPG)
Kaitabheshvara temple (1100 AD) at Kubatur in Shimoga district
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 Kaitabheshvara Temple
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| Coordinates: 14°33′53″N 75°09′08″E / 14.5648100°N 75.1523400°ECoordinates: 14°33′53″N 75°09′08″E / 14.5648100°N 75.1523400°E | |
| Country |
 India
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| State | Karnataka |
| District | Shimoga District |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Kannada |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
The Kaitabheshvara temple (also spelt Kaitabhesvara or Kaitabheshwara, known also as Kotisvara) is located in the town of Kubatur (also spelt Kubattur or Kuppattur, and called Kuntalanagara or Kotipura in ancient inscriptions), near Anavatti in the Shimoga district of Karnataka state, India. The temple was constructed during the reign of Hoysala King Vinayaditya around 1100 AD. The Hoysala ruling family was during this time a powerful feudatory of the imperial Western Chalukya Empire ruled by King Vikramaditya VI. According to the Archaeological Survey of India, the architectural signature of the temple is mainly "Chalukyan". Art historian Adam Hardy classifies the style involved in the construction of the temple as "Later Chalukya, non mainstream, far end of spectrum". The building material used is soapstone The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.
The temple has a single square shaped shrine (garbhagriha) with an east-west orientation, a vestibule that connects the sanctum (cella or vimana) to the main large open hall (mukhamantapa) that has a staggered square plan and can be entered from five sides; two lateral and one each in the north, south and east. The walls of the shrine and vestibule stand on a base (adisthana) that is composed of five moldings. The superstructure over the sanctum is four-tiered (chatustala arpita). It is crowned by a large domed roof that looks like a "helmet" (amalaka) and whose shape follows the shape of the shrine (square in this case). The "helmet" is the largest sculptural piece in the temple, it is beautifully carved and well decorated. Atop the dome is a beautiful water-pot like stone structure (kalasha) that forms the pinnacle of the tower. In case of those temples where the original pinnacle is lost, a metallic structure is normally used as a replacement. The tower over the vestibule (sukanasi or "nose), which is actually a protrusion of the main tower, faces east. The open mantapa is large and its ceiling is supported by massive lathe-turned circular pillars. The relief work in the central panel of the hall ceiling is particularly noteworthy and the overall preservation of the temple is good.
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