Pattadakal
The Virupaksha Temple at Pattadakal is the crown jewel of a UNESCO World Heritage Site — a 8th-century Dravidian masterpiece commissioned by Queen Lokamahadevi to celebrate her husband's military victory over the Pallavas. Modelled on the Kailasanatha Temple at Kanchipuram, its towering shikhara, intricately carved outer walls, and stunning interior pillars covered in scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata make it one of the most accomplished temple buildings in all of South India.
Ask the ASI guard to point out the famous monkey-and-elephant friezes running along the base of the temple — they're extraordinary and easy to walk past.