The Chandramauleshwara Temple in Unkal, Karnataka, is an ancient Shiva temple built in the 11th century. It was designed in the style of Chalukyan architecture, which was common during that time. The temple has a special layout—it is built in a square shape with entrances on all four sides, matching old Indian architectural designs. Originally, the temple had a unique four-faced Shiva Lingam in the center and many spacious halls, but today, only a smaller part of the temple remains. 

ಹುಬ್ಬಳ್ಳಿಯಿಂದ ೪ ಕಿಮೀ ದೂರದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಉಣಕಲ್ ಎಂಬಲ್ಲಿ ಚಂದ್ರಮೌಳೀಶ್ವರ ದೇವಾಲಯವಿದೆ. ಹಳೆ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಹೆದ್ದಾರಿ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆ ೪ ರಲ್ಲಿ ಹುಬ್ಬಳ್ಳಿ ಮತ್ತು ಧಾರವಾಡ ಮಧ್ಯೆ ಉಣಕಲ್ ಇದೆ. ಉಣಕಲ್ಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಖ್ಯಾತವಾದ ಉಣಕಲ್ ಕೆರೆ ಇದೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿಂದ ಸುಮಾರು ಒಂದು ಕಿಮೀ. ದೂರದಲ್ಲಿ ಚಂದ್ರಮೌಳೀಶ್ವರ ದೇವಾಲಯವಿದೆ. ಇದನ್ನು ಹುಡುಕಲು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಕಷ್ಟ ಪಡಬೇಕು. ಇದು ಚಾಲುಕ್ಯ ಶೈಲಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕಟ್ಟಿದ ಕಲ್ಲಿನ ದೇವಾಲಯ. ಇದು ಸುಮಾರು ೯೦೦ ವರ್ಷ ಪುರಾತನವಾದುದು. ಹುಬ್ಬಳ್ಳಿಯಿಂದ ಪುಣೆಗೆ ಹೋಗುವ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಹೆದ್ದಾರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಮಾರು ೪ ಕಿಮೀ ಸಾಗಿದಾಗ ಸಿಗುವ ಉಣಕಲ್ ಕೆರೆಯ ಪಕ್ಕ ಬಲಕ್ಕೆ ತಿರುಗಿ ಸುಮಾರು ಒಂದು ಕಿಮೀ ಸಾಗಿದರೆ ಈ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನ ಸಿಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಇದರ ಗರ್ಭಗುಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಚಂದ್ರಮೌಳೀಶ್ವರ ದೇವರ ಲಿಂಗವಿದೆ. ಈ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನ ಶಿಲ್ಪಕಲೆಗೆ ಖ್ಯಾತವಾಗಿದೆ. 

The Chandramauleshwara Temple is a fascinating structure designed in a special style where the main shrine (garbhagriha) has four entrances, one for each direction. The walls around it are decorated with artistic designs and have beautifully carved doors. Each door has unique carvings, and the eastern one is considered the most impressive from that time. At the entrance of every door, there are guardian figures called dwarapalas. The temple also has a path for worshippers to walk around the shrine as part of a spiritual practice called pradakshina.

Originally, the temple had a special Chaturmukha linga (a four-faced Shiva symbol) in the center, so visitors could always see Shiva from any direction. However, this linga was later moved to the western side of the temple. A historian, Henry Cousens, studied the site and suggested that the temple might have been damaged and abandoned after the 13th century. Later, the Lingayats, a religious group, restored it but changed the original linga to a simpler one.

The temple’s outer walls contain carved images of Hindu gods and legends from different traditions, including Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and many others. Some of the most remarkable carvings depict Nataraja (Shiva as a cosmic dancer), Narasimha (a fierce form of Vishnu), dancing Ganesha, Sarasvati (goddess of wisdom), and Mahishasuramardini (a form of Durga defeating a demon). There are also images of Gajalakshmi and Sarasvati in the sanctum, leading Cousens to believe that the temple might have originally been much older than the 11th century and could have been dedicated to Brahma before it became a Shiva temple.