Kaitabheshvara Temple, Kubatur in Shimoga district

The Kaitabheshvara temple is located in the town of Kubatur (Kuntalanagara or Kotipura in ancient inscriptions), in the Shimoga district .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 kalyani Chalukya Empire ruled by King Vikramaditya VI.the architectural signature of the temple is mainly "Chalukyan"Art

historian classifies the style involved in the construction of the temple as Later Chalukya, The building material used is soapstone.

The temple has a single square garbhagriha with an east-west orientation, a vestibule that connects the sanctum (vimana) to the main large mukha mantapa that has a staggerd 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. It is crowned by a large domed roof that looks like a "helmet" (amalaka) and whose shape follows the shape of the shrine. 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.

Domical ceiling in Kaitabhesvara temple at Kubatur

The sculptural motifs and friezes, the decorative articulation, the shape of superstructure (sikhara) and the design of pillars in this temple are those commonly found in other Chalukyan temples.On the outer walls of the shrine and vestibule are pilasters of two types; full length pilasters that reach up to the heavy though inconspicuous eaves, and half length pilasters that support miniature decorative towers (Aedicula) of various kinds.The sculptures of Mahishamardini ,Shiva, and Ganesha can be found on the main tower. The base of the outerwall of the mukhamandapa has decorative motifs, pilasters surmounted by miniature decorative pyramidal shaped turrets with gargoyle faced (kirtimukha) scrolls. The seating area in the hall (kakshasana) is treated with floral decorations. The pillars of the mantapa are characteristically circular, polished and lathe-turned, with those pillars that are mounted on a jagati being fluted and shorter in height.The ceilings are ornate and the typical Hoysala style parapet over the eaves has sculptural representations of Ugra Narasimha, Varaha , Garuda and Keshava .The doorjamb at the entrance to the vestibule and sanctum are typically ornate and Hoysala in character, with the lintel displaying a sculpture of "Gajalakshmi".

virgal (herostone) in Kaitabhesvara temple at Kubatur