One of the great early temple building dynasties in India was the Chalukyan Dynasty. The Western Chalukyans controlled a territory roughly corresponding the the state of Karnataka in India in the 7th and 8th centuries CE. This is the Virupaksha Temple at a site called Pattadakal, a ceremonial center for the Chalukyans. The temples are modest in scale, but stunningly beautiful in design and in their sculptural ornamentation.