Bhutanatha group of temples, Badami
The Bhutanatha group of temples are 7th to 12th century Hindu temples to the east of Agastya lake in Badami, Karnataka state, India. It consists of two subgroups – one called the East Bhutanatha group or Bhutanatha main group from 7th to 8th century mostly in the Dravida architecture style; the other called the North Bhutanatha group or Mallikarjuna group from 11th to 12th century mostly in the Nagara architecture. The former illustrates the Badami Chalukya architects, the latter along with the nearby Yellamma temple the Kalyani Chalukya architects.
Bhutanatha main group
The Bhutanatha main group is the older set of Hindu shrines to the east of the Agastya Teertha. The oldest temple in this group is the main large temple. It has a gudha-mandapa with four massive central pillars. This mandapa connects to a smaller square-plan sanctum with a Shiva linga. On the top of the sanctum is the Dravida-style tritala superstructure. The lower part consists of a padabandha and kumbha. The vimana walls has karnas with Brahmakanta-style pilasters. The wall's nasis depict heads of kinnaras and gandharvas. The second storey of the superstructure repeats the lowest larger storey, and the third storey is half of the second in size, and again repeats the same elements in a rhythmic form. A square vedi topped with a short shikhara completes the superstructure.The image niches on the wall of the shrine and the hall are now empty though some decorative elements like makharas with long tails still remain. The mandapa has jali. On either side of the foot of the shrine doorway is an image of goddess Ganga on her vehicle, the makara, on the right, and on the left, that of goddesses Yamuna riding the tortoise. There is no dedicatory block upon the lintel. Other artwork found nearby include Ganesha and Mahisasuramardini. A notable feature here is the inscription on the outer wall of the temple, which announces a gift from a Paingara family to the Sridharbuteswara. This inscription can be dated to about the late 9th century. This suggests the main temple was in active use at the time.
The porch pillars have a square cross section that transforms into an octagonal cross section. Outside, there is a stepped ghat for the devotees and pilgrims. The smaller shrines are ruined and were added later, likely through late 8th century. To the east of the complex, on a boulder, are four Shaiva reliefs with unusual architectural details – these are impressions of four architectural styles of Shiva sanctum with panchakuta superstructure set on a square plan. These can be dated to the late 7th or early 8th century, and help establish that this temple complex was a Shaiva complex from its origin.
To the north of the main temple is a small shrine which, proposed Henry Cousens in 1923, was originally consecrated for Vishnu. At some point, the temple was adopted by the followers of Lingayatism who built an outer hall and installed a Nandi and a Shiva linga inside the sanctum.