The large Jaina temple, among the many temples at Lakkundi, also near Gadag, is perhaps one of the earliest examples of temples in this area built of a kind of fine-textured chloritic schist as distinct from the hitherto-used sandstone of this region. The new material, because of its less thick quarry-sizes and tractability, reacted on the workmanship, with the result that the masonry-courses became reduced in size and the carvings more delicate and highly finished. The temple, perhaps built in the latter half of the eleventh century, has a five-storeyed vimana, square on plan from the base to the sikhara, and had originally a closed square navaranga in front, though an open mandapawas added in front later on. The central bay of the navaranga is a larger square than the peripheral eight around it. The second storey, as in the Jaina temple at Pattadakkal, is functional and has an antarala-mantapa in front over the vestibule of the lower storey. This raises the total height of the vimana considerably.

The three upper storeys are symbolic and had the suka-nasika projected in front. The kudu-ornaments on the cornices, though flat, retain their arched shape and are characterized by simha-mukha (lion-mask) finials. The pilasters on the walls are slender and between pairs of them are tall nasika-fronts; in the recesses occur for the first time the ‘decorative pilaster’-a pilaster carrying a shrine-pavilion on the top of its abacus-a characteristic of contemporary Chola temples in the south-framed inside a torana carried on two flanking pilasters.

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