Which of the following temples has/have a Nagara-style shikhara ? 1. Malegitti Shivalaya, Badami 2. Huchimalligudi Temple, Aihole 3. Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh 4. Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal Select the answer using the code given below :

The correct answer is Option B (2 and 3).

Why the correct options are correct:

• Statement 2 is correct: The Huchimalligudi Temple in Aihole, built during the Early Chalukya period (around the 7th–8th century CE), showcases vital early evolution in Hindu temple design. It features a fully developed curvilinear Rekhanagara (Nagara-style) shikhara over its main sanctum.
• Statement 3 is correct: The Dashavatara Temple at Deogarh (Uttar Pradesh) is an early 6th-century Gupta-era monument. Widely considered a precursor to the classic North Indian style, it is one of the earliest structural temples in northern India to possess a Nagara-style pyramidal shikhara (tower) atop its panchayatana layout.

Why the incorrect options are wrong:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The Malegitti Shivalaya in Badami (built in the late 7th century CE) is a well-preserved example of early Dravida architecture. Instead of a curvilinear Nagara shikhara, it features a tiered vimana with an octagonal crowning roof structure typical of the southern style.
• Statement 4 is incorrect: The Virupaksha Temple at Pattadakal, commissioned in the 8th century CE by Queen Lokamahadevi, represents the zenith of the Chalukyan Dravida style. Heavily influenced by the Pallava Kailasanatha Temple at Kanchipuram, it possesses a multi-storeyed, stepped vimana rather than a Nagara shikhara.

Concluding Takeaway: The Chalukyan heritage sites of Aihole and Pattadakal are famously known as "laboratories of temple architecture" because artisans simultaneously experimented with both the North Indian Nagara style (e.g., Huchimalligudi, Galaganatha) and the South Indian Dravida style (e.g., Virupaksha, Sangameshwara).