Crowning Aihole’s Meguti Hill is the Meguti Temple. Built about 635 CE, it is a Jaina temple dedicated to Arista Nemi (Mahavira). On its wall is a Sanskrit inscription that attributes it to Ravikirtti, during the reign of Pulakesi II.
The temple is made of sandstone. It features a pillared mukhamandapa that may have been added few decades later, given its simpler style and how it seems inserted into the older original temple. It has a shikhara, but like most of Aihole temples, it was damaged and removed at some point in its history.The sanctum doorway of the Meguti Jaina temple features a simple pañcaśākhā frame. Part of the temple was modified into chambers for Jaina monks. A Kushmandi image was discovered at the temple during its restoration. This is now at the Badami museum.
The Meguti temple is plain and unadorned, except along its base with gavakshas and decorative reliefs. Its significance lies in the commanding position it occupies on the hill, suggesting Jainism was thriving in Aihole along with the numerous Hindu temples of 7th-century. Further, the Buddhist monument nearby corroborates ancient India's culture of spiritual diversity.16.0175 N, 75.884 E
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