Itagi is in Kukanoor Taluk, Koppal District, in North Karnataka, Karnataka, India. It is near to Lakkundi about 20 km. also near to 'Hampi' about 64 km.The Mahadeva Temple at Itagi was built circa 1112 CE by Mahadeva, a commander (dandanayaka) in the army of the Western Chalukya King Vikramaditya VI. Itagi is about 22 miles (35 km) east of Gadag and 40 miles (64 km) west of Hampi. The temple is de
dicated to Hindu God Shiva. The well-executed sculptures, finely crafted carvings on walls, pillars and the tower make it a good example of complete Western Chalukyan art which speaks volumes about the taste of the Chalukyan artisans. An inscription dated 1112 CE in the temple calls it "Emperor among Temples" (Devalaya Chakravarti). Art historian Henry Cousens called this monument the "finest in Kannada country after Halebidu".These Western Chalukya monuments, regional variants of existing dravida (South Indian) temples, defined the Karnata dravida tradition. The Mahadeva temple is officially protected as a national monument by the Archaeological Survey of India.
