Aihole, late 7th - early 8th century
The north face of the temple is shown. The temple's sloping two-tiered roof, which imitates wood construction, is furnished with stone "logs" that cover the joints between the roofing slabs.
The temple's design contains other unusual features (plan). The porch fronts a square mandapa. In the center of the mandapa, a Nandi faces the small interior shrine, which abuts the rear wall of the mandapa. Instead of the usual tower, a rooftop shrine (the structure on top of the roof in this photo) is positioned over the center of the mandapa.
Notes: Michell, p. 333, relates the positioning of the interior shrine to similar arrangements in the cave temples at Badami. Huntington, pp. 335-337, is a good source for additional photographs and information about the temple.