What to expect
Highlights
- The temple and its adjoining stepwell.
- The carved niches and shrines around the kalyani.
- The Chalukyan water-architecture setting.
Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi
The Manikeshwara temple at Lakkundi is a Chalukya Shiva temple paired with the ornate Musukina Bhavi, one of the finely carved stepwells (kalyanis) for which the old capital is famed.
Practical guide
Plan Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi
Who's going?Tailor Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi to your trip
Before you go to Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi
Check entry arrangements. Ask temple staff about visitor entry, dress requirements and access to the inner shrine before you travel, especially if you are visiting as a non-Hindu.
Dress respectfully and follow the institution’s admission and photography rules.
Typetemple
Nearest baseLakkundi
DistrictGadag
Best timeOctober to February
Time needed30 to 45 minutes
EntryFree
Places to visit5→Niched shrines step down around the water, showing how temple and well were built as a single sacred ensemble.
Getting there
How to visit
- Within Lakkundi village; reached on the temple walk from the Kasivisvesvara temple.
- Mind the steps around the stepwell and keep back from the water edge.
Distance by road
- Hubballi55 km
- Koppal55 km
- Bagalkot95 km
- Hosapete90 km
- Bengaluru420 km
Road km to Gadag; ghat roads and traffic vary — allow extra.
Timing
Best time
October to February; mornings.
Weather in Manikeshwara Temple, LakkundiSeasonal guide
Live forecast loads in your browser.
Today at Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi
Sunrise6:19 am
Sunset6:05 pm
Golden hour best light5:05 pm–6:05 pm
Blue hour after sunset6:05 pm–6:30 pm
Sun sets toward compass bearingW · 260°
Moon tonight🌔 Waxing gibbous · 61%
Sun and moon are calculated for this location and shown in IST. Photography windows are the hour around sunrise and sunset; the sunset bearing is degrees clockwise from true north. Moon phase is accurate to about half a day.
Visitor notes
- The stepwell steps can be uneven and slippery — watch your footing.
Stay · eat · do · rent · see · shop
Stays, food & things to do near Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi
Verified hotels, homestays, restaurants, experiences, sights, shops and rentals around Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi — commission-free, with direct contact. Filter by what you need.
1 sight to see near Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi
Top pick Historic
Attraction
Lakkundi Archaeological MuseumThe ASI-operated sculpture gallery interprets inscriptions and portable finds from Lakkundi. Confirm museum opening and photography rules at the entrance.
DirectionsView guide
Book with the place itself. India’s cyber-crime coordination centre warned in April 2025 that convincing copies of hotel and pilgrimage booking sites are being pushed through sponsored search and social ads, taking payment for rooms the property never hears about. Every listing here links to the business’s own contact details and its own Google or Bing profile — we take no commission and sit in nobody’s payment path. If a booking page reached you through an ad, check the address bar against the property’s own site before you pay. Fraud can be reported on cybercrime.gov.in or on 1930.
Ranked guides
Top experiences around Lakkundi
4 more places around Lakkundi. Open a guide to plan the visit and onward journey.
templeKasivisvesvara Temple, Lakkundi
690 m · 9 min walk
The marquee of Lakkundi (c. 1087 CE) — a twin temple whose Shiva and Surya sanctums face each other across a shared mandapa, its walls a lacework of Kalyani-Chalukya carving blending Dravida and Nagara styles.
heritageBrahma Jinalaya, Lakkundi
760 m · 9 min walk
The oldest and largest temple at Lakkundi, an early-11th-century Jain basadi dedicated to Mahavira and built by the poet-patron Attimabbe — a landmark of the Chalukyan "city of 101 temples and 101 wells".
templeNanneshwara Temple, Lakkundi
750 m · 9 min walk
A compact Chalukya Shiva temple at Lakkundi, considered a stylistic forerunner to the grander Kasivisvesvara that stands close by — finely proportioned and richly moulded.
museumLakkundi Archaeological Museum
420 m · 5 min walk
An ASI gallery in Lakkundi displaying sculptures, hero-stones and inscriptions recovered from the town’s scores of Chalukya temples and stepwells — a useful key to the whole heritage cluster.
Roampedia is commission-free — own or know a stay, eatery, guide or shop near Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi? List it and it appears here once verified.
Add a nearby businessBefore you go
Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi — at a glance
TimingsDaylight hours
Best timeOctober to February; mornings
Entry: Free
Getting here
How to reach Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi
Within Lakkundi village; on the temple walk
Getting back
If you are travelling by bus or ferry, check the return service with the operator before setting out. Leave time to reach the stop or jetty after your visit.
- KSRTC— the Karnataka state bus operator; route and schedule enquiries.Online booking.
- Indian Railways— live running and seat availability for the nearest railhead, named under “Getting here” above.
Ask at the bus stand for the time of the last service back, not the next one. If you miss it, an auto or app cab is the fallback — agree the fare before you get in.
Getting around Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi
If you need step-free access, contact the site before travelling. Ask about a level entrance, steps along the route, the nearest drop-off point, seating and accessible toilets.
If you need help at Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi
112All emergencies (police · fire · medical)The single number to call in any emergency (ERSS).100Police101Fire108Ambulance (emergency / EMS)1091Women’s helpline (distress)1098Child helpline1363Tourist helpline (India, 24×7, multilingual)
Emergency numbers are verified against official government and state tourism sources. 112 works anywhere in India.
Nearby
What’s near Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi
museumLakkundi Archaeological Museum
An ASI gallery in Lakkundi displaying sculptures, hero-stones and inscriptions recovered from the town’s scores of Chalukya temples and stepwells — a useful key to the whole heritage cluster.
420 m · 5 min walk · straight linetempleKasivisvesvara Temple, Lakkundi
The marquee of Lakkundi (c. 1087 CE) — a twin temple whose Shiva and Surya sanctums face each other across a shared mandapa, its walls a lacework of Kalyani-Chalukya carving blending Dravida and Nagara styles.
690 m · 9 min walk · straight linetempleNanneshwara Temple, Lakkundi
A compact Chalukya Shiva temple at Lakkundi, considered a stylistic forerunner to the grander Kasivisvesvara that stands close by — finely proportioned and richly moulded.
750 m · 9 min walk · straight lineheritageBrahma Jinalaya, Lakkundi
The oldest and largest temple at Lakkundi, an early-11th-century Jain basadi dedicated to Mahavira and built by the poet-patron Attimabbe — a landmark of the Chalukyan "city of 101 temples and 101 wells".
760 m · 9 min walk · straight line
templeTrikuteshwara Temple, Gadag
A Kalyani-Chalukya Shaiva complex in Gadag town enshrining a three-linga (trikuta) pedestal, famous for its adjoining Saraswati shrine with intricately lathe-turned stone pillars — a masterwork of 12th-century Deccan carving.
10.6 km · ~18 min by cab · straight line
templeVeeranarayana Temple, Gadag
An early-12th-century Vishnu temple in Gadag town, linked to the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana, where the 15th-century poet Kumaravyasa is said to have composed his Kannada Mahabharata (the Karnata Bharata Katha Manjari).
10.9 km · ~18 min by cab · straight line
templeDoddabasappa Temple, Dambal
A Western Chalukya Shiva temple at Dambal (c. 1124 CE) built on a rare 24-point stellate plan, its polygonal star-shaped vimana ringed by bands of carving and fronted by a large Nandi.
11.5 km · ~19 min by cab · straight line
wildlifeBinkadakatti Zoo
A small state zoo and deer park at Binkadakatti on the edge of Gadag, opened in 1972 in a dry-scrub reserve — spotted deer, blackbuck, birds and a green picnic stop for families.
13.5 km · ~23 min by cab · straight line
wildlifeKappatagudda Wildlife Sanctuary
A range of dry-deciduous hills spanning the Gadag, Mundargi and Shirahatti taluks — notified as a sanctuary in 2019, rich in medicinal herbs, wolves, hyenas and blackbuck, with the Nandiveri math at its foot.
25.7 km · ~43 min by cab · straight line
wildlifeMagadi Bird Sanctuary
A wetland tank near Magadi in Shirahatti taluk that draws thousands of migratory bar-headed geese and 130-plus bird species each winter — a Conservation Reserve and a Ramsar site of international importance.
29.7 km · ~50 min by cab · straight line
templeSomeshwara Temple, Lakshmeshwar
An 11th-century Chalukya Shiva temple in the walled compound of Lakshmeshwar (ancient Puligere), carrying scores of old Kannada inscriptions — a major centre of the Chalukyan temple country.
39.8 km · ~66 min by cab · straight line
templeItagi Bhimambika Temple
The Bhimambika (Bhimavva) goddess temple and math at Itagi in Ron taluk, beside a roughly thousand-year-old Chalukya Shambhulinga Shiva shrine — a busy Shakta pilgrimage centre. (A different Itagi from the Mahadeva temple in Koppal district.)
40.0 km · ~67 min by cab · straight lineOn the map
Where Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi is
Good to know
Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi — frequently asked
When is the best time to visit Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi?
October to February; mornings.
What are the entry fee and timings at Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi?
Entry: Free. Timings: Daylight hours.
How do I reach Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi?
Within Lakkundi village; reached on the temple walk from the Kasivisvesvara temple. Mind the steps around the stepwell and keep back from the water edge.
How much time do I need for Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi?
30 to 45 minutes.
What else is near Manikeshwara Temple, Lakkundi?
Nearby you can pair Lakkundi Archaeological Museum (420 m), Kasivisvesvara Temple, Lakkundi (690 m), Nanneshwara Temple, Lakkundi (750 m), Brahma Jinalaya, Lakkundi (760 m).
Image credits
Photographs: P. Madhusudan, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0). Wikimedia Commons.