It is fair to say that Chalukyan temples and monuments are generally more recognized than the temples and monuments of the Rashtrakutas. There are several reasons for this.
Firstly, the Rashtrakutas borrowed extensively from the elements and principles of Chalukyan architecture. While they added their own motifs and new layout plans, they continued with the Badami Chalukyan style when it came to the constructions of their temples.[1] Thus, due the similarities in style, laymen will have a hard time in establishing between whether a temple was constructed by the Rashtrakutas or the Chalukyas.
Secondly, some of the Rashtrakuta’s own architectural achievements may have caused their other achievements to be disregarded by art historians. Karnataka Historian Sindigi Rajasekhara notes the following regarding this aspect:
“It was more or less believed that no Rashtrakuta temples of significance were built in Karnataka. The monuments at Ellora and Elephanta were studied in great detail while no serious efforts were made to locate the temples of the Rashtrakutas in the Deccan and the South. The monuments of Ellora and Elephanta represent only one aspect of Rashtrakuta architecture, namely rock-cut architecture. The other, more significant aspect of their architecture which had a great impact on the development of Karnataka architecture, namely structural architecture has received scant attention from art historians.”[2]
Basically, an over-focus on a few of the grand temples built by the Rashtrakutas seems to have caused historians to overlook the other temples and monuments constructed by the Rashtrakuta Empire.
That being said, it is not factual to say that the Rashtrakutas did not build as many temples or monuments as the Chalukyas. Though we do not know the exact count, the Rashtrakutas period saw a huge increase in temple constructions, and many inscriptions issued by the Rashtrakuta kings attests to this. Especially in northern Karnataka, epigraphs indicate a “great outburst of Hindu and Jain temples”. [3] The Rashtrakutas built many iconic temples, such as the Kailashanatha Temple in the Ellora Caves, which is the is the largest monolithic rock-cut temple in the world. They also built the iconic Jain Narayana Temple in Pattadakal, Karnataka and the Mahadeva Temple in Itagi, Karnataka. The many temples of the Rashtrakutas can be found in Karnataka (their native), Andhra, Telangana, and Maharashtra.
(Image of Kailashanatha Temple)
(Image of the Jain Narayana Temple)
(Image of the Mahadeva Temple)
In conclusion, while Chalukyan architecture and temples are generally more prominent, the Rashtrakutas constructed just as iconic and beautiful temples and monuments. The lack of attention paid to Rashtrakuta temples, outside of the ones in Ellora, and the usage of many aspects of the Chalukyan architectural style by the Rashtrakutas, albeit with their own additions, are two main reasons why ordinary people see the temples and monuments constructed by the Chalukyas more prominently.
Footnotes
