The Chalukyan Architecture of the Kanarese Districts c10.s1.1

c10.s1.1

Beneath the northern fort, most picturesquely perched upon an overhanging crag is, perhaps, the oldest and, certainly, the most complete temple in the place, the Mālegitti-Śivālaya, or the ‘Śaiva shrine of the female Garland Maker.’ It is not a large building, being but fifty-six feet in length. It is of the same style as Mēguṭi and the older temples at Aihole, and of the same class of work as those at Māmallāpuram, only that its outline and general design have a much older appearance than in the latter. As in the old temples at Aihole, the porch is supported upon four full pillars. It is a complete Dravidian temple, the *kalaśa* or finial, alone, being missing. All its parts are heavy and massive and well proportioned to one another. The photograph (Plate XXIX) shows what the exterior is like, so it is unnecessary to describe it in detail.¹