Did You Know that Lad Khan Temple in Aihole is a Hindu Temple? (original) (raw)

Aihole with its 125 temples tell us tales of Chalukhyan Architecture. Every temple in this historical complex has something to discover which is overwhelming. The rich stone structures depict that there were a lot of experimentations done in the construction and design of temple architectures.

Lad Khan Temple
PC: Mukul Banerjee

Aihole is one of the top tourist places in Karnataka. The 5th century architectures of Aihole temple complex attracts a lot of visitors year-round. It is also one of the nominees for the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

In this article, we are going to explore a unique temple in Aihole. This cave-type of architecture is one of the prominent attractions in this heritage site. We are talking about the Lad Khan Temple in Aihole.

Lad Khan Temple
PC: ArnoldBetten

Lad Khan Temple

Actually, the Lad Khan Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Here you can see a Shiva Linga in the inner sanctum with a Nandi facing the shrine. It is said that earlier it was dedicated to Lord Vishnu but now it is a Shaivite temple.

Significance Behind the name of Lad Khan Temple

The name Lad Khan is rather misleading. The story is that a prince named Lad Khan made this temple as his residence for a while. Thus, the temple became popular as Lad Khan Temple. Isn't this quite surprising?

Lad Khan Temple
PC: Meesanjay

Architecture of Lad Khan Temple

Lad Khan Temple is one of the oldest temples in the Aihole temple complex. It is constructed in Panchayatana style of architecture. The shrine has a Garba Griha (inner sanctum) which houses a Shiva Linga, a mukha mantapa which leads to Sabha Mandapa (hall). There is also a Maha mandapa (great hall) with open windows. The Mukha Mantapa is a pillared hall where as the other halls are spacious.

Lad Khan Temple
PC: Alende devasia

The outer walls and interior walls have carvings depicting the Hindu mythologies. The pillars and carvings also has interesting motifs on them. One of the interesting features of Lad Khan Temple is that it doesn't have a Shikhara (gopura). This indicates that it follows a cave-temple style of architecture.
Therefore, Lad Khan Temple is simple yet exotic. It seems that there has been a lot of experimentation in constructing this temple. No doubt, Lad Khan Temple is one of the beautiful temples in Aihole.

Carvings at Lad Khan Temple
PC: G41rn8

How to Reach Aihole

Lad Khan Temple is located opposite to Durga Temple in Aihole.
Click: To know how to reach Aihole

So, don't miss out on this unique structure on your trip to Aihole.

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